AprU 18. 1914 



HOBTICTJLTUBB 



599 



"THE GARDENERS' PROBLEM." 



Editor Horticulture: — 



The communication headed "The 

 Gardeners' Problem," appearing in last 

 week's issue of Horticulture, signed 

 by George C. Watson, in which he com- 

 ments on the executive meeting of the 

 National Association of Gardeners, 

 held in Philadelphia recently, would 

 lead one, not familiar with the facts, 

 to infer that the meeting was primar- 

 ily devoted, and excitedly so, to an at- 

 tempt to solve the gardeners' wage 

 problem. In reality reference to it 

 was only made Incidental with the re- 

 port submitted of the good worlv which 

 is being done by the association's serv- 

 ice bureau. In connection with it some 

 existing conditions were brought to 

 light indicating that men within the 

 gardening profession are as much re- 

 sponsible for the poor compensation 

 that comes to some of them as are the 

 owners of the estates on whom Mr. Wat- 

 son chooses to place the entire blame. 

 As an instance I will cite a case 

 which was brought to our notice dur- 

 ing the past few weel^s. An owner of 

 a rather extensive estate not far from 

 New York sought a superintendent, of- 

 fering $125 in salary with cottage and 

 usual privileges. A competent garden- 

 er was recommended, but he would not 

 consider the position at a salary less 

 than $150. After several days' consid- 

 eration the owner finally decided to en- 

 gage the gardener at the figure he 

 asked. In the meantime it became 

 noised about the vacancy existed and 

 the day after the gardener referred 

 to, was engaged, applications for the 

 position commenced to pour into the 

 owner. Some sixty odd applications 

 were received in which "salary ex- 

 pected" was specified and the highest 

 asked to manage this estate was $75 

 and from that down to $50. One appli- 

 cant offered to take the position for 

 $40 and if "hired" he would show the 

 owner how to make the place pay. It 

 took quite some "educating" to con- 

 vince that owner that there had not 

 been a slump in superintendent sal- 

 aries and that he had not made a ser- 

 ious mistake in accepting a man who 

 had even demanded more than what 

 he was inclined to give. 



On the other hand the receipt of ap- 

 plications of a similar nature as those 

 just described resulted in a position of 

 manager of an estate of over a thou- 

 sand acres being filled at $75 per 

 month. The former manager is re- 

 ported to have received $175 a month. 

 No doubt the man who now fills the 

 position considers himself well paid 

 and would be, on a place where he 

 could probably make good, placed in 

 charge of a few acres of lawn, flower, 

 and vegetable gardens. 



Many more instances of like nature 

 could be related that occurred this 

 spring and the standard of the profes- 

 sion of gardening is not raised by the 

 men professing it as their calling who 

 will apply for a position of manager 

 or superintendent (and for which they 

 are in every way unfitted), simply be- 

 cause they are looking for a job and 

 don't care where they land so long 

 as they land at any salary without 

 regard as to the resportsibilities they 

 undertake to assume. Their action 

 can only serve to spoil good opportun- 

 ities for capable men who would fill 

 the positions with credit to their pro- 

 fession. And the owners of estates 

 who will employ these men at salaries 



EASTER CHAPEL DECORATION AT WELLESLEY COLLEGE, MASS. 



The accompanying picture shows 

 only the central group of the decora- 

 tion at Houghton Chapel, Wellesley 

 College on Easter Sunday, this having 

 been flanked with groups of palms and 



lilies on either side of the platform. 

 The arrangement is most commendable 

 for the simplicity and good taste dis- 

 played by the college gardener T. T. 

 Watt in its make-up. 



entirely inadequate to the services ex- 

 pected to be rendered, usually get 

 what is coming to them; the despolia- 

 tion of their estates through inex- 

 perienced management, and sometimes 

 worse, the incurring of heavy expendi- 

 tures, often unnecessary, through ir- 

 regular practices. 



Our friend Watson, in making the 

 suggestions he does reminds me of the 

 fellow on the outside looking in, but 

 who has not had the insight on what 

 is going on, that the insider possesses. 

 For his suggested campaign of educa- 

 tion among estate owners is some- 

 thing that has been practiced through 

 one of the departments of our organ- 

 ization with most encouraging results 

 for more than a year past. Through 

 its efforts superintendents, gardeners 

 and assistants have already benefited, 

 and through the proposed co-operation 

 with local societies this campaign of 

 education is to be spread broadcast to 

 bring to the notice of those who re- 

 quire the services of gardeners, thqt 

 the profession of gardening is no dif- 

 ferent than any other profession — that 

 in it are to be found men who are 

 most efficient in their calling, and men 

 who are quite inefficient — that when 

 the services of a gardener are required 

 judgment should be exercised in the 



selection of the gardener and proper 

 consideration should be given to the 

 compensation offered for the services 

 to be rendered — that remuneration 

 should be in full proportion to the re- 

 sponsibilities of the position. The 

 owners who recognize that "every man 

 is worthy of his hire" will have little 

 difficulty in securing gardeners who 

 will not only manage their estates ca- 

 pably, but who will also make them a 

 geiiuine pleasure to maintain. 



The sagacious advice that the legiti- 

 mate work of the N. A. G., really is 

 in educating the employers what a 

 minimum wage ought to be, will not 

 be accepted. The members of the ex- 

 ecutive board possess sufficient wis- 

 dom to avoid everything that may per- 

 tain to politics, religion or the regula- 

 tion of labor. 



The National Association of Gar- 

 deners recognize gardening solely as 

 a profession, and its aim is to elevate 

 this profession, not by regulation, but 

 through education. No better means 

 or methods can be found to accomplish 

 this than through co-operation be- 

 tween the various organizations in- 

 terested in the welfare of the profes- 

 sion and in those who follow Its call- 

 ing. M. C. Ebel, Secy. 



National Association of Gardeners. 



