APRIL. 109 



pretenders. Whether he receives a premium from the young men 

 under him or not, he should feel himself bound to do all in his power 

 for their advancement. Every journeyman gardener, following the 

 business with a view to improvement, is virtually an apprentice ; he 

 accepts wages far below what his position and educational acquirements 

 legitimately entitle him to expect, in the hope of ultimately rising to 

 the post of master himself, as the reward of his diligence. For this 

 reason his master is fairly expected to give him every reasonable facihty 

 for acquiring the knowledge without which his hopes must be disap- 

 pointed. 



This will not be done miless it be made part of a settled plan of 

 procedure. Knowing that a man can never thoroughly enter into every 

 branch of his profession unless actually engaged in every branch, he 

 should lay it down as a maxim, never to be lost sight of, that every man 

 in his employ should have an opportunity of assisting in all the different 

 departments of the garden. Perhaps it cannot be safely determined 

 that every fresh hand shall begin in the kitchen garden, proceed next to 

 the framing ground, after that to the forcing houses, and so on. It 

 may, in some cases, be desirable to follow a different order, but the 

 point insisted on is, that each man should have a turn in each depart- 

 ment ; we should not then have so many gardeners whose skill in their 

 profession, though undoubted, is entirely limited to one or two branches ; 

 they can grow Pine-apples well, but they are quite at sea in making 

 an Asparagus bed ; they are regular adepts in the management of Cape 

 Heaths, but almost as unacquainted with Cape Broccoli as the natives 

 of the Cape themselves : and all because during the time they worked 

 as journeymen they were found to be so handy about one particular 

 kind of work that they could not be spared for anything else. Now, if the 

 master would make it a settled rule that no one should be kept to one 

 kind of work at all times, however great the inconvenience to himself, 

 such evils as this would not occur. 



But, however extensive and well-conducted any single garden may 

 be, it is quite necessary, if men expect to keep up with the times, that 

 they should see other places besides that at which they work. A man 

 who has his eyes open can never go to a fresh place without seeing 

 some new thing. And it is the aggi'egation of new ideas picked up 

 here and there, on this side and on that, which constitutes progress. 

 A master gardener, therefore, who is solicitous for the improvement of 

 his young men will allow them time, occasionally, to visit the gardens 

 and nurseries within their reach, without deducting from their wages. 

 It may be said, this is a regular thing. It ought to be ; but some of 

 us know very well it is far from it. Such a state of things is \\Tong, 

 and as surely inimical to the interests of the master as those of the 

 man. Of course if any disposition is shown to abuse tlie privilege, it 

 must be suspended; but very few are the cases in which this is likely 

 to occur. 



Another point which claims the attention of the gardener who is really 

 concerned for the improvement of his young men, is the direction of 

 their studies, Although gai'dening is not to be learnt from books, and 

 most assuredly never has been so learned, it cannot be learned without 



