1885.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



9' 



street, and they would ask, " Is it where the pret- 

 ty garden is?" Sunday afternoons I used to be 

 much gratified by seeing the crowds of people that 

 came to look in at it. Among them there once 

 came two ministers of the Crown whom I was ac- 

 quainted with. In the course of conversation they 

 asked if I understood gardening. I said yes, and 

 related what I have told above of my former life. 

 Well, they said there was to be a good position 

 for a person of that calling at the grounds around 

 our Government Buildings, and asked if I would 

 care to take it, promising their aid if I would. 

 I said I would take it, and thought all was right, 

 but I was told I must get all the influence I could 

 to intercede for me. This was against me, for I 

 had but few to go to. However, I got my papers 

 ready, and here my little garden showed itself 

 again. No one knew me as a gardener, but every 

 one was satisfied I knew what I was about, and I 

 had no trouble whatever to get every name I 

 asked for, which made me renew my exertions. 

 There were many applicants for the position, most 

 of them being men of no knowledge, but who had 

 considerable influence to back them. After a 

 year's waiting in suspense, I got the appointment. 

 My trials broke out afresh as soon as I commenced 

 the work, which was a most difficult one, owing to 

 a large amount of excavation which had to be 

 made to suit a plan for part of it which had been 

 accepted as one fitted for it. It will give some idea 

 of the extent of the work the first summer, to say 

 that $60,000 were spent on excavation alone, and 

 large sums for three years more. The disappointed 

 applicants for the position attacked me at every 

 move, through the public print ; so that I got almost 

 ready to give up the place. I got so disgusted 

 that I went into the chief architect's office and 

 told him so. His answer was that as the Depart- 

 ment had found no fault, I should go on. He 

 counselled me to pay no attention to them, but to 

 go on as I was doing and I would come out right. 

 I did so, and the result proved the wisdom of his 

 words. The many eulogiums I now hear about 

 the work are very encouraging to me. 



If your correspondent should ever be successful 

 in getting a situation as a landscape gardener, let 

 him pray that it be not a public one, for, if it is, he 

 will have to endure many such unpleasant things as 

 I have related, and, perhaps, a good many more. 

 I may add that my success here has given me 

 two chances to far more lucrative positions, which 

 were very tempting. But when I looked back on 

 the past, and saw the great pleasure I had had 

 since my first years, I said to myself, my cottage 



and my little garden still remain, and, all things 

 considered, there are associations here that could 

 not be found easily. I have been frequently told 

 I was foolish to devote myself so closely to this 

 work, and that I would never get any thanks for 

 it. 1 have got thanks a thousand times, until the 

 cup runs over, well repaying me for my exertion. 

 1 am glad to see you make public Mr. Miller's 

 affair at Fairmount Park, for this system of ex- 

 changing plants is an old established one, and was 

 almost considered obligatory amongst gardeners 

 in Scotland in my day there, and it would be a 

 good thing if it were more practiced than it is. It 

 is a pleasure to find the charges against Mr. Miller 

 so utterly unfounded. 



Supt. Gov t. Grounds, Ottawa, Can. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Should Horticulture be Taught in our Pub- 

 lic Schools ? — This question was ably handled 

 by Professor Wickersham, late Superintendent of 

 Public Instruction of the State of Pennsylvania, 

 at the late State Horticultural meeting. Ob- 

 jection was made that studies were now too nu- 

 merous for the six hours a day, and six or eight 

 months in the year of public schoohng, but the Pro- 

 fessor explained that he did not recommend the 

 introduction of this and similar studies in addition 

 to those already included, — but in the place of 

 some others. He contended that, as the re- 

 sult of a careful study of public education, that a 

 large proportion of time spent on geography, gram- 

 mar, examples, and so forth, was absolutely thrown 

 away, — that the aim of public education should 

 not be so much to educate as to place children on 

 the path to educate themselves. Public school 

 teaching should simply furnish children with the 

 tools by which they could cleave their own way 

 as circumstances should arise, and not to fit them 

 for any particular way. Children should be taught 

 to observe, to think, and to judge. He would 

 have a garden attached to every public school, 

 and take the hour spent on geography or grammar, 

 and, with the children in the garden, with the liv- 

 ing plants before them, and a teacher capable of 

 explaining things, do more good than the book 

 studies of a whole week. The remarks of the 

 Professor made a deep impression. 



Duncan Rhind. — Mr. Rhind is not unknown to 

 our readers as a contributor of some excellent pa- 

 pers on garden topics. He is one of those accom- 

 plished gardeners who do credit to the profession, 



