The Question of the Gardener 



By a Gardener 



Editor's Kote. — In the Septemlnn- niiml)er we will jmlilisli ;i 

 letter, wliieh first appeared in tlie London Times, on ■The Be- 

 havior to Gardeners,'' hy an anonymous eontrilintor. and later 

 reprinted in Iwok form. 



BY A GARDENER. 



The que^tidii nf the gardener was admirably 

 dealt with in the mites from Mrs. Franei-, K;ng's 

 book, in the July Chruxicle. Doubtless the editor will 

 see to it that the question is kept alive for discussion. The 

 prize offered bv Mr. Everitt. president of the National 

 Association of dardeners. would be deservedly won if 

 any essayist, in the competition that the association has 

 arranged, pointed a way wdiereby trained professional 

 gardeners could obtain that recognition and remunera- 

 tion to which they believe themselves justly entitled. 

 They would like to be accepted as of the same standing, 

 professionally, as men engaged in other sciences. It 

 would be an easy matter to prove, I believe, that our first 

 rank gardeners are men that measure up in general know- 

 ledge to any of the men in these other professions, while 

 their experience and rigid training are equally as exact- 

 ing and severe. The difference between high-class 

 trained gardeners and other professional men is that the 

 latter are ])rofit-makers, while the gardener is thought 

 not to be. Can this latter idea be combatted — success- 

 fully cumbatted? (This 1 leave open for the present, at 

 least). .\ second question in regard to the gardener is 

 whether, through organization, he can protect himself, 

 elevate his rank, assert his position and assure the 

 true recognition of what he deems his influence to be 

 in the life of the community or nation. The answer — 

 without having given the question all the thought it 

 deserves — appears to be that craft guilds, when prop- 

 erly conducted, have Ijeen beneficial along those lines. 

 The third matter concerns our system of training — or 

 rather, want of it. This matter will certainly have to 

 be thrashed out. If all the "big" successful gardeners 

 are not themselves the sons of gardeners, at least they 

 ha\e lieen men with such an intense love of gardening 

 and things of the outdoor world as to bring them in a 

 class of geniuses — not supermen, like Dante, Shake- 

 spear, Newton, Napoleon, Mendelssohn — yet gifted men 

 all the same, whom we call "born gardeners." .Such men 

 are naturally apt and easily trained, and they rise to the 

 top. Yet over and above natural inclination, bent, skill, 

 genius — call it what you like, there is the necessitv for a 

 regular drilling, discipline, schooling. Do our gardeners 

 get it? Are they trained in the necessary science, litera- 

 ture, art, and business pertaining to gardening. Are they 

 educated in what the fashionable world lays great stress 

 upon — correct speech and manners? Gentlemen, the ques- 

 tion enlarges too much to be discussed in any other than a 

 more cursory, perfunctory, superficial manner in any one 

 issue of the Gardner's Cheoxicle. The professional 

 horticultural societies might do well to lay aside all else 

 and thrash out this subject in a series of meetings. .-\nd 

 then what ? Yes. what : 



BY AN EMPLOYER. 



The extracts from the book, "The A\'ell-Consiilered 

 Garden," by that very estimable lady, ^Irs. Francis King, 

 and your editorial on the same, published in your July 

 number, was read with keen interest by myself and. no 

 doubt, by many other "estate" owners of my calibre. 

 While agreeing that, if studied with a reasonable degree 

 of intelligence, "The Question of the Gardener" is not 



antagonistic to either the cause of the employer or the 

 employee, and fairly presents the situation as it exists 

 today in this country, is, however, such a propaganda, 

 as }ou suggest should arise from the agitation of the 

 subject, not likely to be counterbalanced in the good it 

 may accomplish by the dissatisfaction it may create 

 through misinterpretation among men, who are at present 

 perfectly content and satisfied with their surroundings 

 and possessions ? I need only cite my own case, in all 

 probability not an isolated one. I employ what you class 

 a working garde; er, and I think he is correctly termed, 

 although he subscribes himself supcr'mtendcnt of my 

 estate, which is a little country place of fifteen acres. .\ 

 modern dwelling, garage, barns, poultry runs, and the 

 gardener's cottage complete the buildings. Two cows 

 and two horses constitute the cattle. ( )ne of the horses 

 is used for working the farm, which consists of a few 

 acres under cultivation to provide fodder for the cattle, 

 and the other is at the gardener's disposal to do his 

 chores at the village during the week, and to take his 

 family to meeting or on a pleasure jaunt on Sundays. 

 The balance of the place comprises the vegetable and 

 flower gardens and a few fruit trees. And I must not 

 forget our glass range, which consists of quite a complete 

 block of cold frames. During the busy or growing sea- 

 son, my gardener has all the necessary help he requires, 

 usually Italian labor, as it is difficult to secure any other 

 in our community. Certain months of the year he man- 

 ages the estate alone, calling in occasional help when 

 needed. I never directed him in this, as he is a faithful 

 and conscientious worker, and I have given him free hand 

 to supervise the place since he has been with me. 



The family is on the place for about eight months of 

 the year, during which period he supplies the house with 

 vegetables, milk, poultry and flowers, and the rest of the 

 year he has simply to provide for himself and family. 



My siiperiiiteiideiit's salary falls well below the $1.^0 

 mark, which you specify should be the minimum wage 

 for an estate manager. I pay my gardener seventy-five 

 dollars a month and include a cozy cottage, heat, light, 

 vegetables, milk and poultry, so that practically his salary 

 includes his household maintenance, for my gardener's 

 family is so fond of chicken that his meat bills must be 

 nominal. 



My gardener has never complained of being dissatis- 

 fied with the remuneration he receives for his services, 

 and I am quite convinced that there are few skilled 

 mechanics in our state who are better off at the end of 

 the year than he is. And how many attorneys, physicians 

 and clergymen are there in the small cities and towns who 

 can lay claim to seventy-five dnllars a month above their 

 expenses? 



Now. I am <|uite certain, that if I would deprive my 

 gardener of his self-applied title superintendent and 

 would designate him as a icorking gardener, he would 

 soon become discontented with his position, even if 

 everything else connected with it were agreeable to him. 

 On the other hand, should he become interested in your 

 propaganda, for I regularly pass the Chpoxicle over 

 to him after I have read it. he may become imbued with 

 the idea that he is a very much underpaid employee, 

 which he does not now seem to think, nor do I believe 

 he is. It really seems to me that The Question of the 

 Gardener and his comnensation is a subject that can 

 never be universally adjusted, but is one that is con- 

 trolled entirely bv individual conditions and surroundings. 



