1869.] THE EDUCATION OF GARDENERS. 159 



fair result of thought," and try at the same time to penetrate into 

 the fibre of the phenomena which are presented to you every day 

 in the garden. "Genius is patience;" so said Buffon, and he was 

 constitutionally indolent, and born to good estate. But instead of 

 indulging his besetting feature of character, he denied himself ; and 

 I hope most of my young readers know something of what he 

 accomplished by patient application, and throw to the winds the 

 idea that they must be born geniuses in order to succeed. Activity 

 and attention in the garden, and self-culture in their spare hours, 

 will prove their own reward. Some walk as if there were a millstone 

 at every foot, and as if the garden were a loitering-ground, and spend 

 their time as if they had no mind to cultivate, and had nothing above 

 their mustache to be of any value to them. Such men will seldom 

 find fortune on their side, as the winds and the waves are on the 

 side of the accomplished mariners. 



It may be said that the garden is no field for scholarship to reap 

 that reward which it deserves. In its present prospect it certainly is 

 not. It is nevertheless a sphere which gives vast scope for that re- 

 search and study, to pursue which with intelligence and success it is 

 necessary that a youth should at least have a sound elementary school 

 education. I know full well that young gardeners have a deal to dis- 

 courage them, and that the prospect before them is not the most stimu- 

 lating. But it is only the common story of life in general — the road 

 to success is not easy. It is well for human nature that it is so. But 

 depend upon it, success in gardening is not attained without hard 

 work. Many are disheartened because they cannot get to the top of 

 the ladder without taking the intermediate steps. I once read of an 

 architect who travelled all the classical lands of the East for improve- 

 ment, and without friends determined to begin anywhere ; and ac- 

 cordingly took a business connected with dilapidations — the lowest 

 and least remunerative department of his calling. And one hot day 

 in July a friend found him astride a roof, and, wiping the sweat from 

 his brow, said, " Here's a pretty business for a man who has studied 

 all the classical architecture of Greece and Rome." He did his work 

 well, and rose to the top of his profession. Again, some consider 

 themselves born to ill-luck, like the unsuccessful man who mourned 

 over his misfortunes, and declared if he had chosen the trade of hatter 

 people would then have been born without heads. But such men, it 

 will be found on investigation, are as a rule reaping the reward of 

 their own neglect. It is a mistake to suppose that because a young 

 gardener cannot get into a first-rate place for his first, the way of 

 further success is barred to him. But let him do his work well in the 

 smallest, and the chances are, not that he will remain there, but that 

 he wiU climb to the highest. David Thomson. 



