subjective answers. The Oxford-American Dictionary defines a garden as a piece of cultivated ground, especially near a house; or ornamental public grounds.

Which leads me onto the next question, define the meaning of horticulture, which using the same dictionary, is the art of garden cultivation. From a professional point of view, the garden is maintained by a gardener, with the supervision of a horticulturist.

Horticultural practice now covers many aspects of the environment, especially as it pertains to the landscape, which in Bermuda is a major factor in our daily lives. It is this point I would like to discuss further. Bermuda has a small landmass, which tends to make all of us aware of our surroundings, and how important "open space'' is to our recreational or passive and active needs. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, which is an important point to remember when considering design concepts of the future; what we create today, we have to maintain tomorrow. In other words, today's capital projects, become tomorrow's operating budget.

A recent television interview, which I did not see, appeared to criticise the state of training programmes in the horticultural industry in Bermuda. With this in mind, I thought it would be useful to discuss the opportunities within the horticultural industry, and to perhaps clear up the misconception what "gardening'' actually entails, if it is to be approached in a professional manner. Several of the larger companies involved in the industry do seek young persons to join their team, with the intention of making it a career; on the job training, as well as furthering their studies outside of the workplace, is encouraged to those persons who show interest.

The National Training Board, have been working with professionals within the industry, to develop a training scheme to cover the industry in general. With the assistance of the Bermuda College, such a course has now come to fruition, and in fact is almost at the completion of its pilot year. The course is designed to accommodate the needs of "apprentices'' starting off in the industry, it is also available to more mature persons who need to upgrade their skills. Basic numeracy and literacy skills are required as a prerequisite for the course. The course content is based on theory and practical application, with the student participating in course work at the college, whilst working for a recognised landscape-orientated company during the day.

The horticulture industry covers a wide range of related topics, which include, Amenity Horticulture, a sector that cover Government/Local Authorities, private development, landscape and botanical gardens. To break these areas down further, Government/Local authorities are responsible for public parks, recreation grounds, open spaces, road and verge plantings and gardens. Private Development, is essentially private gardens and estates, for example National Trust properties. The landscape sector is an important sector of Amenity Horticulture, which has expanded rapidly over the last ten years; it includes the design, maintenance, construction and management of landscape features. Botanical gardens though limited in Bermuda, are found throughout the UK and USA, they represent specialist gardens, which includes Arboreta and historic buildings.

Many of the related topics will overlap, e.g. a turf specialist could work for a golf course, or on a sports field complex. The following is a list of `topics' that are covered under the umbrella of horticulture. The landscape industry, covers the gamut from grounds maintenance to the installation of patios and the pruning of trees, each area requiring many skills to achieve a high level of maintenance. In grounds maintenance along, the need to understand and perform skills relating to specific subjects is important. Such skills include, planting of material, understanding plant growth, correct pruning procedures identification of pests and diseases in both the flower bed and lawn, principles of tree pruning, knowledge of the various lawn grasses and their requirements, and knowledge of fertiliser, it make-up and application are just a few of the skills required to put theory into practice.

Turf culture is the cultivation of grass; which is part and parcel of most landscape work. Golf courses immediately spring to mind when one talks about turfculture, and with the numerous courses in Bermuda, there is a need for such expertise. Golf course management covers the complete requirements of the facility, with turfculture being a small but important part of the whole.

Arboriculture is the study of amenity trees; such trees play a vital role in to-days landscape, being an integral part of our parks, streets and gardens.

Tree are valuable for many reasons, they are as in most landscaped areas, an intangible asset. Arboriculture, is concerned with the establishment, cultivation, maintenance and management of amenity trees.

Commercial production of plant material is also very important in Bermuda, because the plant nurseries are the source of all plant material, from annuals to trees and palms, and without them, the industry would not flourish.

Commercial properties, not only sell plant material, but also provide other needs within the garden, such as seed, fertiliser and chemical sprays to control pest and diseases. An in depth knowledge of plant propagation, plant association and growth habits, pest and disease controls, with an underlying knowledge of basic sciences such as plant physiology and botany are all required to give an all round knowledge to the nursery worker.

Garden design in all its various forms is visual to all of us on a daily basis. Garden design can embrace the small garden to the landfill site and everything in between. Garden design incorporates the knowledge of plants with the use of `hard' landscapes, i.e. pathways, pergolas, driveways etc. in an artistic presentation that is essentially practical, functional and attractive.

The landscape industry is of vital importance not only to Bermuda, but to life itself. It is an interesting and varied profession to those who enjoy the outdoors, and take a pride in being creative. If you are interested in pursuing any of the above subjects, contact the Government Labour and Training Department.

MALCOLM D. GRIFFITHS WIDE VARIETY -- There are wide variety of jobs in the agricultural and horticultural fields. Here, two farmers show off this year's crop of Easter Lilies.