1878. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



zr> 



land to the mariner has been hailed with greater 

 joy than this by us just now ; the fatigues and dan- 

 gers of the ascent are forgotten for the moment, 

 and with shouts of triumph we hail the approach 

 to the longed-for spot. The station is one story in 

 height and built of rocks; a portion is for shelter 

 for the ponies used in bringing up provisions, 

 but not being now occupied by them, our horses 

 find a place to shield or protect them from the 

 furious storm. Knocking at the door we hear a 

 voice from within saying " come in," and we 

 enter. The sight of a human being in a place 

 like this, and under conditions like these is a 

 joyous one, and soon we are seated by a com- 

 fortable fire enjoying the hospitality of one of 

 the United States signal service corps. Th& 

 thermometer registers 35^, no wonder we were 

 feeling the effect of the chilling atmosphere. 

 By glancing over the record of observations, I 

 find this is the coldest day for some weeks past, 

 the weather having been fine for sometime with 

 only partial cloudiness. From conversation 

 with the observer, I learn that the record is 

 taken regularly three times a day and trans- 

 mitted by telegraph at once to the department at 

 Washington, and that this is the highest "outlook" 

 for " Old Probabilities " in the country. The ob- 

 servers are changed once a month during the Sum- 

 mer, or while the trail is open, and then is laid in a 

 supply of wood and provisions sufficient to last 

 through the Winter. About a month later the 

 trail will be closed, and all communications cut 

 oft', except by telegraph, until Summer comes 

 again ; methinks I would not fancy living in 

 such a place, although there is a library of fifty 

 or more volumes which may furnish food for 

 many an hour, but the days would pass " wear- 

 ily and slow," and nights fearful and cold, come 

 and go, many times repeated through weeks and 

 months of watching. 



(Concluded in next nunil)or.) 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Gardening in America. — An English gar- 

 dener, who has returned to the Old World, thus 

 gives his American experience : 



"As regards the life of a gardener on such a 

 place, I would say that after it is laid out, sel- 

 dom more than one man is kept, and he has to 

 look after a horse, milk a cow, see to his garden, 



and make himself generally useful. If he is 

 single he can obtain from twenty-five to forty 

 dollars a month with board and washing ; amar- 

 I'ied man may obtain from sixty to a hundred 

 dollars, and sometimes his house rent free. A 

 man in a place of this kind can always find plenty 

 to do. For a man who has done nothing but 

 work in a gentleman's garden in England, to 

 have to look after a horse and milk a cow may 

 appear infra dig., but if he goes out there such 

 is his work Before I went to America I served 

 two years' apprenticeship at one of the largest 

 places in Warwickshire, and received eight to 

 ten shillings a week wages and bothy; after- 

 wards obtained a situation as journeyman at 

 fifteen shillings a week; another at seventeen 

 shillings as foreman. It cost me from ten 

 shillings to twelve shillings a week to live 

 out of that, and like a good many more, could 

 not save much, so I became dissatisfied. I 

 could see I should have to throw all my young 

 days away until I could obtain a situation as 

 head gardener, for a man is not considered capa- 

 ble of holding such unless he is forty years of 

 age. I once wrote a letter about the places gar- 

 deners had to live in, known as the bothy. I 

 did this when an apprentice, and some head gar- 

 dener replied I was a dissatisfied apprentice. 

 He was right ; I was dissatisfied, although I was 

 fond of gardening. I at last resolved to go to 

 America with what little money I had saved, 

 and a little borrowed. I went; I obtained a 

 situation as gardener to be generally useful. I 

 had twenty-five dollars a month, all found. 

 Afterwards undertook to lay out places, this 

 plan being the first I ever undertook on my own 

 responsibility. It was about five miles from the 

 city of Chicago, State of Illinois. I made thirty- 

 five dollars a month, board and all found. The 

 question is, did I or did I not better my seven 

 shillings a week ? Such is the life of a gardener 

 in the far West. Why did I not learn some 

 other trade ? Simply because gardening is my 

 whole study, and I am always happy when en- 

 gaged in garden work." 



Ascent of Pike's Peak. — We give in this 

 number a letter contributed by Mr. Isaac C. 

 Martindale, the botanist banker of Camden, 

 ISTew Jersey, to the West Jersey Press. It is one 

 of the most graphic accounts of the ascent of this 

 woundei'ful mountain we ever read, and we are 

 sure it will be perused with much pleasure by 

 all our readers. As the editor of this magazine 

 made one of Mr. Martindale's party in the ascent, 



