310 



JOUEXAL OF HOBTICULTTJKE AXD COTTAGE GAKDENEB. 



[ June 27, 1872. 



ever to he seen bv the eye of faith, but never attained in the 

 lifetime of the contributor. 



That unions with their attendant stiikcs have been a means 

 of raising wages and lessening the hours of laboui', those who 

 look at strikes with the gieatest possible disfavour must admit. 

 It is not here attempted to do anyone an injustice, but if the 

 scale of wages has been higher, and the hours of labour less, 

 it remains a fact all the same that pauperism has increased to 

 an alarming extent, and drunkenness has risen proportionately 

 to the increase of wages. 



Unions have driven from om- midst the skilful, enterprising, 

 and perseveiing, caused them to seek a home in other lands, 

 leaving behind a class that in health and prosperity contribute 

 to those institutions which, instead of keeping them from the 

 jail and jioorhouse, bring them to a premature old age or 

 death, they or their families falling into the extreme of poverty. 



business as others do of theirs ; but then, as ours is a \no- 

 gi'essive business — one in which it is imijerative, if we mean to 

 make our mark, to lay hold of those agencies of instruction 

 which will enable us to keep pace with the age — the better 

 informed our minds, the greater will be the skill and fruit of 

 the hands. 



Secondly, to afford succour, by interesting ourselves in each 

 other's welfare mentally and physically, to those who, from 

 no fault of their own, are suffering from non-employment or 

 imdergoing any of those trials encountered by man in the 

 struggle of Hfe. It should be om- duty to keep one of our body 

 from taking a known bad service ; and whilst we should see 

 that none belong to the association but those who have under- 

 gone a proper course of instruction and have proved their 

 respectability so as to wairaut our affording them assistance, 

 they should not allow of a known dissipated and unworthy 



Strikes, then, not only cause much present but also great after- character taking a good and responsible position without 



misery ; they stay entei-prise, stop the chculatiou of money, 

 increase the cost of production, and raise the price of the raw 

 as well as the manufactured material — in fact, advance every- 

 thing but morals and virtue. 



" But if unions are so great an evil, why say we need one for 



making it known that the person does not belong to the society. 

 In this way no discredit could accrue to the society. 



Thirdly, to afford relief in sickness and infirm old age. 

 From the pecuharity of their ca llin g gardeners are liable to a 

 considerable amount of sickness from extremes of heat and 



gardeners ? " I saj- we need — and all men dependant on labour ' cold, and of the sudden transitions from one to the other, and 

 need — a union ; not one that has for its object the raising of ' these bring on very often a premature old age, and frequently 

 wages or reducing the horns of labour by a strike — not one ' death at an early period of life, leaving, it may be, a wife and 

 that requires payments in advance equal to what is gained ' children behind, with no means of maintenance. Xow, I hold 

 afterwards with loss of interest — not one that v.ill not aid us ' that everj- man whilst in health is bound to so much self- 



in adversity, succour us in aiHiction, or comfort us in old age ; 

 but one that will, by improving our mental and moral condition , 

 raise us in the eyes of our fellow men, render us more worthy 

 of respect and consideration from om* employers, and fit us 

 for a higher position in art, science, industn-, and society. To 

 effect this we must form ourselves into an improvement so- 



denial of those indulgences and extravagances which tend to 

 no good either to himself or others, as to provide for those 

 misfortunes and infirmities that beset human nature, by 

 laying aside each and every time he receives pay, a portion of 

 his earnings. Anyone not doing this in prosperity has really 

 no just claim on our sympathy and support in adversity, only 



ciety — a gardeners' institute, on the same broad principles as we must not allow anyone to fall without striving to lessen its 

 those of mechanics' institutes, such as already exist at Maid- I effects, and keep, if possible, that one from a like calamity, 

 stone, Leeds, York, and, no doubt, other places — institutions i Were everyone to lay by one half-of that which is spent on 

 of mutual, help and improved mind-culture. In connection articles of dress, or the gratification of the eye and palate, there 

 with such an institution there should be a Benefit society, not i would be with the interest sufficient to meet every demand of 

 only to meet cases of sickness, but also to afford assistance to 1 man arising from want of employment, misfortune, infirmity, 

 the unfortunate — those who through no fault of their own are ! old age, and death. But as everyone has not this forethought 

 thi'own out of employment, and tlirough the mere whim or I it becomes a matter of consideration whether it ought not to 

 t.iTannical treatment of a late employer has kept back from | be made compulsory on everyone to provide for those cala- 

 him the needful requirements of future prosperity — i.e., the j mities which befall humanity, by a system of contributions 

 testimonials to which he is justly entitled. Many, and, alas ! which, whilst it entails no present hardship, woiJd at some time 



too mimy, employers think not and care not how a gardener 

 is to live after he leaves or is dismissed from service. Happily 

 worth win always find its proper position, but there is no cal- 

 culating the inconvenience and loss many really honest and 

 trustworthy servants are put to by the caprices of their em- 

 ployers. It is this mere whim or fancy, and want of considera- 

 tion on the part of employers, that makes it impossible for any- 

 one with a sense of what is due to his respectability and merits 



prove of benefit. Were this done the poor-rate would cease to 

 be levied, our temples of Bacchus would fall into decay, and 

 the vice and misery they foster be done away with. 



It will be apparent to those giving the subject of imions 

 more than a passing notice, that where they exist for no other 

 object than for raising wages, or lessening hom-s of labour, or 

 other grievances, by a strike or the stoppage of labour, they 

 only place a higher price on the articles resulting from their 



as a gardener to serve them with other than of eye-service, and | industry, other things advancing in proportion, so that with 

 a longing to be freed. In fact, gardeners are often more valued the increased pay they are no better oft after than before the 

 for their submissive spirit than for any merits they possess as ' strike. What a different result would be attained were the 

 gardeners. If they can set their own experience aside, prac- members of unions to apply the money to co-operative pur- 



tise according to the idea of the employers, bear all then- 

 hard rebukes for what are at best only fancied causes of offence, 

 it may be well ; but if they should rebel, or rather repel attacks 

 of then- employers on their truthfulness, honesty, and ability, 

 they are driven away in a manner anything but justifiable, 

 and are treated to a considerable amount of loss and incon- 

 Tenience. I make a point that our numbers out of employ- 

 ment are increased to an alarming extent through the want of 

 consideration shown to gardeners. I contend there are em- 

 ployers whom no gardener can serve faithfully, and I also hold 

 it is unworthy anyone to strive to do so by pursuing a course 

 his conscience says is neith^ir just nor honourable. It would 

 be well if we had a society to save gardeners from becoming 

 preys to such employers as those. It is only reasonable that 

 respectable and worthy men should, in their battle for a liveli- 

 hood for themselves and families, be protected from becoming 

 a prey to these destroyers of a gardener's prospects, and direct 

 causes of their drinking deeply of the cup of adversity. 



I could give even stronger reasons why we should "form our- 

 selves into an improvement society, one of mutual support 



poses, allow it to accumulate imtU sufficient capital had been 

 raised to enable them to set themselves up in business on their 

 own account. That the money expended on strikes would be 

 sufficient to start more than one co-operative company annu- 

 ally in nearly every branch of industry, everyone but those 

 engaged in this foolish work of strikes can or may see, and so 

 would they if they were only to think. 



•' But how are we without strikes to secure our rights ? You 

 sm-ely would not have us submit ourselves to every injustice, 

 and bear with every grievance ? " Not at all. It would be 

 cowardice and worse. But could we not have boards of arbitra- 

 tion to settle all disputes that may arise, and composed equally 

 of employers and employed, all agreeing to abide bj- the de- 

 cision arrived at ? This would prevent strikes ; or, if no solu- 

 tion could be come to satisfactory to the employed, they might 

 with the funds at command set themselves up in business on 

 their own account, and this would so far reduce the number 

 of hands that employers would be more ready to accord a 

 settlement. In this way the funds of the workmen would, 

 instead of being thrown away on a strike, go to increase the 



and especially that of self-help, which is the greatest necessity ' manufacture of the article or material, whilst the same result 



of all. I shall, however, content myself with stating three 

 causes, or reasons, why we should resolve ourselves into a society. 

 The first of these is improvement. It will not be denied that 

 we, as a body, are not behind other branches of industry in 



would be secured by those who would be taken on after the 

 settlement of the dispute. 



" But do you intend your observations to apply to gardeners ? 

 Decidedly so. Why not we have our co-operative society ? 



intelligence, and are possessed of as good a knowledge of our ' Have we not within us the spirit of enterprise, energ}-, skill, 



