GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



OF AMERICA 



DEVOTED TO THE SCIENCE OF FLORICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE 



ADOPTED AS THE OFFICIAL ORGAN OF 



THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GARDENERS 



\'ul. -\\l. 



AIAV, 1913. 



No. 



Gardening As a Profession 



By David S. Miller. 



Tlu- \\(irl(! in irifancy, \vc are tokl, was in darkness, 

 and Ihat sinmltaneonsly with the divine command for 

 light, spontaneous germinatinn took place. Nature awoke 

 and clothed the land with vegetation, the four winds 

 came forth to distribute the ripe pollen and hybridize the 

 new lloral earth, and to carry to every breathing nostril 

 the i>ure fragrance of forest, field, and flower, and the 

 world was made. The inspired writ further says that, be- 

 fore the great Omnipotent had yet contemplated the cre- 

 ation of man. He first made a garden. The walls that 

 surrounded the Garden of Eden were built for similar 

 purpose that we erect walls and fences around our gar- 

 dens today, viz., to keep out intruders and hide from the 

 vulgar eye the sublime beauty of the most secret and 

 hallowed of all places, the garden. 



Thus we find the beauty and art of ancient gardening 

 was safely guarded, and that the mysteries of the profes- 

 sion were revealed only to the lirst gardener, Adam, and 

 through him to his successive heirs, the human race, was 

 made known the true art of this first, noblest, and health- 

 iest of all professions, gardening. 



The walls that surround the gardens of Europe still 

 serve another purpose ; they are erected for shelter and 

 protection. Such gardens have usually two entrances, 

 the main entrance on the south, through which enter the 

 employer and his guests to inhale the fragrance of the 

 opening flowers and to admire the w'onderful array of 

 color that stretches before them on all sides. 



1 have no doubt but that the immortal Shakespeare, 

 himself, walked often in just such a garden as I here 

 describe, and that it was through the true and lofty char- 

 acters of our predecessors, the great poet was inspired to 

 w-rite, "There are no ancient gentlemen but gardeners." 



The other door, of which T speak, is situated on the 

 east or the west, and through this door enter the men of 

 the craft to perform the various duties of their calling. 

 The majority of us here tonight can still reniendicr well 

 our first entrance through such a door. Let all gardeners 

 here pause, and if we have no real love for the beautiful, 

 if tlie magnificent scene that spreads itself before us here 

 inipresses us not, then let us not enter, for be assured 

 we can never, never, never be gardeners. You must 

 know that the gardener and tlie poet are alike, inasumch 

 as tlicy are not "made ; the)' are born." 



Our profession opens its arms to men in all walks of 

 life — the college graduate, the learned professor, the 

 wealtliy nn'llionaire, the intelligent working man, to all 

 gardening extends a licart\ welcome, and if the trend of 

 your mind is in ])ursuit of the secrets of nature, gardening 

 will lead von and show von manv hidden eems. This 



will not be your only reward, for she will develop the 

 better part of you, your character, for all who are asso- 

 ciated with flowers nuist be influenced by their purity. 



But, let me warn the aspiring young college graduate 

 that, although our profession is the first, noblest and 

 healthiest in the world, yet it is the most underpaid of all 

 ])rofessions. If it is solely, then, for the remuneration 

 that comes from gardening that you enter our profession, 

 let me tell you, you will be sadly disappointed. But, 

 'should you enter our calling for the love of flowers, for 

 the healthy outdoor exercise, or for the numerous other 

 benefits that are derived from gardening, we not only 

 extend to you a welcome, but will gladly give you our 

 experience, and may it be written of all gardeners as the 

 immortal Burns wrote of his beloved father, who was 

 also a gardener, "For, even, his failings leaned to virtue's 

 side." 



In all ages we find the head gardener held in high ven- 

 eration by his employer, whether he was Laird, Count, 

 Earl, Lord, Duke, or Sovereign. Our antecedents were 

 learned gardeners and true artists, who left their impress 

 upon the annals of time, for do we not find the American 

 landscape architect of today compelled to go abroad to 

 learn and copy ancient European gardening? 



Then surely it behooves us, upon whom the mantle of 

 gardening has fallen, to merit worthily such a robe, ever 

 remembering that we are not merely the man with the 

 hoe, the hose, and the spade, but true artists who have in- 

 herited a noble profession that no man can take from us. 

 To the young men who are here this evening, I would 

 advise you never to trust to mere memory the important 

 lessons you have learned in the past. If you have not 

 kept a careful memorandum of all that has taken place 

 since your first entrance through the western gate of 

 gardening, it is a great pity. Yea ! it is a misfortune, for 

 you should have carefully recorded in your diary the 

 commercial value of all plants and flowers, their season 

 of proj;agation, planting, pinching, disbudding and flower- 

 ing. This is surely the age of youth, and it is you, young 

 men, who in the near future, are going to lay out and re- 

 model the American gardens. Thus, when you come to 

 take charge, you are not groping in the dark, for you 

 have witiiin easy reach all your past experience. This 

 little book contains for you valuable information which 

 you could not obtain elsewhere; in short, it is a real leaf 

 from life's experience. 



Before entering upon the subject of garden making, I 

 want first to appeal to all gartleners of this societv to join 

 the National .Association of Cardeners. W'e have pres- 

 ent with us this evem'ng gardeners who attended the last 



