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THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



lated to bring out an unusual number of exhibits cover- 

 ing both cut flowers and plants. . The twelve classes for 

 bulbous plants and flowers should prove very popular to 



MAIN HALL. CENTRE. 



growers of bulbous flowers, both professional and ama- 

 teur. The prizes in the classes covering the general 

 groups and collections of flowering and foliage plants are 

 very generous, as well as those for specimen and decora- 

 tive groups. 



A preliminary schedule was prepared and sent out sev- 

 eral months ago, but this naturally covered mainly the 

 sections entailing very early preparation for exhibits. 

 The schedule covering the classes for cut flowers and 

 exhibits not requiring any length of time for preparation 

 will appear in the final schedule, and will be published 

 before the first of next year. The exhibits will be attract- 

 ively displayed in the magnificent home of expositions, 

 the New Grand Central Palace, which is especially adapted 

 for this purpose. The building occupies the entire block 

 on Lexington avenue from Forty-sixth to Forty-seventh 

 streets, New York City. It is convenient of access to 

 visitors coming in vehicles, in cars or on foot, and its 

 location is in the center of the city and the heart of the 

 hotel district. 



Co-operation is the keynote of the modern business 

 world, and nowhere is it being more fully exemplified than 

 in the horticultural profession. A great many owners of 

 large estates in the vicinity of New York have already sig- 

 nified their intention of attending, and by their subscrip- 

 tions and good wishes are planning to make this show the 

 greatest success in the history of horticulture in America. 



The Private Gardener 



By Robert Craig, of Philadelphia. 



[Read before the convention of the National Associa-. 

 tion of Gardeners at Newark, N. J., November 19, 1912.] 



I use the term "Private Gardener" because it is one in 

 common use and well understood to distinguish one who 

 has charge of a garden or grounds and culti- 

 vates vegetables, plants and flowers, not to sell, 

 but for the use of those who employ him to 

 do this work. The gardener assists and directs 

 nature in producing everything which grows out of 

 the ground for man's use ; for the gratification of his 

 palate, and which is capable of ministering to his sense 

 of beauty. His work is to provide not only food for the 

 body, but also "food for the soul." We sometimes see an 

 advertisement in the daily papers like this : "Wanted, a 

 gardener who understands care of horses," or "who can 

 milk." Such an ad. is a sad abuse of the word ; what is 

 wanted is a handy laborer, or man of all work. Much that 

 I shall say today cannot specially be applied to him. 



I know that my audience includes many who are not 

 gardeners, but I feel that tliey, in their interest in the 

 subject, will pardon me if tlie greater part of my remarks 

 are directed specially to gardeners. I choose the subject 

 because I conceive that it is one of more importance than 

 is generally assigned to 'it and that the private gardener 

 is likely to play a part of continually growing importance 

 in American life. His influence on the future of horticul- 

 ture is powerful for good or for evil. If he be a capable, 

 energetic and honest man, he will do much work as will 

 make his employer a patron of gardening, and if he be 

 ignorant, careless and dishonest he will not only ruin him- 

 self, but will damage the cause he misrepresents. Allow 

 me to recite a couple of instances occurring in my own 

 neighborhood which illustrate this point : 



I was well acquainted with a wealthy gentleman who 

 built new greenhouses and started to improve the grounds 

 surrounding his fine mansion. He was fortunate in se- 

 curing a fine English gardener, newly arrived in this 

 country; his place rapidly improved under the new gar- 



dener's care, and after two years' work, when the owner 

 saw he was getting good results, he became greatly inter- 

 ested, and invested freely large sums to carry on the im- 

 provements and enrich the grounds with plantings of rare 

 and beautiful trees and shrubs; he built additional green- 

 houses, bought many jilants, and also a fine collection of 

 orchids. Everything prospered and was a source of great 

 pleasure to the owner and his friends, when suddenly the 

 good gardener was stricken with an incurable disease and 

 had to give up his work. The place was then put in 

 charge of his first assistant, a young man about twenty- 

 six years old, who was given a fine opportunity to make 

 a name for himself, but he could not stand even a little 

 prosperity ; he took to drinking and playing the races, and 

 during a spree in which he did not put in an appearance 

 for two days, an accident to the boilers resulted in the 

 entire stock of plants being frozen to death. The owner, 

 who had plenty of money to spend in gratifying his 

 tastes, lost all interest in gardening and became a liberal 

 patron of other fine arts. His collection of paintings and 

 examples of fine sculpture are known far and wide, but 

 the greenhouses are empty, the garden neglected, and it 

 is not likely the owner's interest in these will ever be 

 revived. 



Another instance coming under my innnediate ob- 

 servation interested me still more : One of the wealthiest 

 men in the neighborhood of Philadelphia, retiring from 

 active business, built one of the finest mansions in the 

 State, employed the highest talent in landscape garden- 

 ing, and with -a large force of men, in a couple of years 

 had the n^w place greatly improved. He employed a 

 voung German gardener who had previously, at a salary 

 of only $60 per month, made a good name for himself; 

 gave him entire charge, and he worked with such intelli- 

 gence, industry and honesty, that the employer built 

 for him additional ranges of glass abojjt two years ago at 

 a cost of fifty thousand dollars, and allows him to spend 

 annually a large sum in improving the place. Only last 



