Midland is central to established areas of horticulture: Citrus orchards thrive in the gravel soils of the surrounding hills, while flowers, vines and vegetables grow in abundance in the alluvial soils of the Swan Valley. Soon after the first European settlers arrived, the Swan Valley was quickly brought under intensive cultivation. Since then waves of immigrants from different regions have continued to cultivate the valley and surrounding hills.
The local paper often featured useful hints on horticulture.
Swan Express
27 March 1914
Farm and Field
Original Articles (by F.O.S.)
Living and Dead Soils
"Soils without bacteria are dead soils and as such unfit to support profitable crops". Every farmer should sow something of the food that bacteria must have and of the conditions required for the proper utilisation of this food. To the average man it is evident that a heap of fresh manure will in time become darker in colour and will shrink in size; that manure added to the land rots and disappears, that the bodies of buried animals or crops of clover, vetch or rye, ploughed into the soil, vanish in time and become an indistinguishable part of the soil itself. Yet it is not as evident to him that the disappearance of these substances is the result of vital activities. He fails to realise that the universal processes of decay may be stopped by preventing the growth of bacteria, as is done in canning factories. To the average man it is not evident that the process of fermentation is never suspended in the soil except when the latter is frozen.
Gardening was taken very seriously:
Swan Express
November 1930
Guildford Roses
Splendid Blooms
This has been a wonderful season at Guildford, and there are few of the local gardeners that have not admired the zenith of their floral glory. Some of the Guildford people specialise in roses and to there the results of their year’s concentration must be highly gratifying. Some fine blooms were exhibited at the recent Caversham horticultural show by Mr. J. Bennie, Guildford’s municipal gardener, and as that gentleman is a fancier and grower of great note, he has been congratulated on his achievements this year.
Two cases under the Insect Pests Act come before Mr Jus. Cowan in the Midland Junction Police Court on Tuesday.Swan Express
April 24 1914
Eradication of Fruit Fly
PROSECUTIONS FOR NEGLECT
Horticulture training was first offered at Midland Junction Technical School in 1931, but mainly orientated towards viticulture. Some horticulture subjects were offered at what was then known as Midland College of TAFE in 1986 as part of the Certificate III in Horticulture. Prior to 1988 students needed to attend Bentley to complete the full certificate. Alan Simms launched the first full time general course, which covered subjects from landscaping to fruit production. Originally trained as a chemist, Alan came equipped with a five year Diploma from Bentley TAFE and considerable hands on experience having grown up on a commercial orchard in Mundaring. Anne Taylor one of the original students and lecturers also came from a family who ran a nursery. However after arriving in Australia from Britain her fascination with Australian wildflowers drew her towards the natural environment. Her focus has included researching Australian flora and working at the Hills Forest Discovery Centre through Conservational and Land Management.
Theresa Putland, the current coordinator of Horticulture has family connections in both the fruit growing and viticulture industries. She grew up on an orange orchard which had been started by her grandfather in 1910. Family members on her mother’s side, originally from Dalmatia, are viticulturists in the Swan Valley.
Theresa has initiated many projects in the Swan Valley for students including landscaping for the Spring in the Valley festival. In addition she organises tours, some of which include tourism students.
Front cover story of
The West Australian Newspaper,
October 7
1996.