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THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



awfully luxurious to him when he finds it difficult for 

 lack of resources to properly maintain it, and at such 

 times you must not expect him to spend money, when he 

 can get along without doing so. Under such circum- 

 stances just shift from nature studying to studying a little 

 human nature and then do the best you can to please 

 under conditions as they exist. In most instances you 

 will find it will be appreciated when times do not seem 

 so hard. There may be some exceptions, but there are 

 exceptions to everything. 



I am aware that all owners of private establishments, 

 who require the services of professional gardeners, are 

 not alike and that many are unreasonable in their de- 

 mands and expect much more than they are entitled to 

 for the compensation the gardener receives, and where, 

 no matter how much a man may strive, appreciation 

 is never manifested. Where a gardener comes in con- 

 tact with such a character, let him do the best he can 

 while he serves him, await his opportunity where his 

 services may be more appreciated, and when it comes 

 grasp it. 



The Biblical admonition that you cannot serve, "two 

 masters" must be a bone of contention with some of you. 

 I presume that where several of a family must be catered 

 to it requires tact to please all, and that it is in most in- 

 stances impossible of accomplishment. But the gardener 

 who aims to please the head and humor the rest will 

 come out the best. 



Study the disposition of those you serve and cater to 

 their fads and fancies, for these are whims in which the 

 rich delight to indulge. And if called on to transform 

 a beautiful front lawn into a cabbage patch, or to run 

 it into a pasture for cattle grazing, proceed to carry out 

 the silly notions with as much good grace as possible, 

 realizing that w'hile it is quite contrary to your good 

 taste, you are only carrying out the wishes of him who 

 is "paying the piper.'' I have just such an instance in 

 mind, where a lady, having purchased a prize bull, de- 

 cided that she wanted to see him grazing in front of her 

 bed room window when she arose in the mornings, and 

 instructed her gardener accordingly. He was non- 

 plussed at first, but he proposed, as a compromise to save 

 marring the beauty of his well laid out place, that in- 

 stead of having only the bull grazing on the lawn that 

 the whole herd be turned out at the foot of the hill slop- 

 ing toward the l.awn, a short distance off, suggesting that 

 this would produce a more picturesque effect. The sug- 

 gestion was accepted, an invisible fence constructed to 

 keep the cows oft' the best portion of the lawn, and now 

 the lady points with pride at the beautiful rural aspect 

 in front of her dwelling place. She is contented and her 

 gardener through a little initiative spared her from much 

 ridicule and also the result of his efforts from being 

 spoiled. 



I may become a little personal by venturing on per- 

 sonal appearances as it affects the gardener, but it is 

 solely in his interest. I come in contact with many gar- 

 deners while they are engaged in their work, and what I 

 am about to refer to I admit is the exception rather than 

 the rule, but I allude to it as an essential to professional 

 progressiveness. In my travels I at times find gardeners 

 quite efficient in their profession, but who lack in their 

 own general appearances, and are quite thoughtless as 

 to some of their habits while occupied in their vocation. 

 Now appearances count for much in this world, and per- 

 sonal appearance, not gaudiness, but neatness, makes a 

 favorable impression wherever practiced. The gardener 

 with a "good front" is likely to come into closer personal 

 contact with his people than the gardener who lacks it. 

 Only a few days ago I was told of a family returning 



recently from abroad, where it had been visiting some 

 of the extensive private estates found on the other side 

 and probably enthused with some of the old country 

 ideas, which informed its gardener that it would prefer 

 to have him engage additional labor to do the plodding 

 so that he could clothe himself more fittingly and be 

 presentable to the guests in future, and at the expense 

 of the family. But the old man, long with the family, 

 begged that he be permitted to continue to plod, that he 

 could not accustom himself to fine clothes. His request 

 was granted, but you can count on it, not getting what 

 they want it is only a question of time before these people 

 will become dissatisfied. 



I cannot refrain from saying a word to the young and 

 ambitious men in the profession. So much has been 

 heralded in the near past respecting the essentials re- 

 quisite to make one a real gardener that I shall not dwell 

 on it long. But of the practical gardener of the future 

 much will be demanded. He must possess executive 

 power, knowledge of every phase of floriculture, horti- 

 culture and agricultvire, must have ability to handle men, 

 and in general be a good business manager. This means 

 that he must be possessed of theoretical knowledge as 

 well as practical experience, and he must count on hav- 

 ing to contest with the young men favored with college 

 opportunities. I, however, am a firm believer that our 

 real gardeners of the future, as of the past, will be the 

 self made, those with ambition to seize every chance to 

 learn by practical experience during the day, gaining 

 their theoretical knowledge by study of books at night 

 and during the spare hours constantly on the alert to 

 advance, and thus by combining practice and theory 

 will become thoroughly efficient in their profession. 

 There are, however, on the other hand, many young men 

 who have taken up gardening, imbued with the idea that 

 a year of apprenticeship, another year as an assistant — 

 and then a full fledged gardener. They will have gained 

 just a sufficient smattering of what gardening constitutes 

 to spoil what they may undertake if they obtain a head 

 gardener's position, and some of them occasionally man- 

 age to with the result that they do not make good. 



Before concluding I want to say a few words on be- 

 half of the National Association of Gardeners. I be- 

 lieve this organization is the pivot on which the future 

 destinies of the profession of gardening in this country 

 will swing. It should become the mother society of all 

 the local gardeners' clubs and societies throughout the 

 country, to which they can turn to thrash out their prob- 

 lems which bear on the profession, just as the local med- 

 ical societies and bar associations look to their national 

 associations. At the annual conventions, to which dele- 

 gates from the various local societies should be sent, 

 much could be accomplished to advance horticulture and 

 floriculture in the interest of the professional gardener. 

 And the National Association of Gardeners would soon 

 gain similar recognition as the national associations of 

 other professions, and membership to which is regarded 

 as evidence of good standing within the profession. And 

 so the real gardener would come to his own and the so- 

 called gardener of no ability would soon be assigned to 

 oblivion. 



To those of you here tonight who have not yet enrolled 

 in the National Association, let me urge that you do so 

 now and then with the representative body of gardeners 

 which our association constitutes let it proceed to formu- 

 late plans for an active campaign to place the oldest pro- 

 fession on earth in the front rank of established sciences, 

 and I go on record as predicting that when you under- 

 take to accomplish this with all seriousness you will dis- 

 cover your greatest cooperators will be the men who re- 



