On the Education which a Gardener may acquire. 289 



Art. II, On the Intellectual Education jchich a Gardener may 

 acquire. By (jRant Thorbuu.n, Esq. 



Self-education may be carried to a greater extent by a 

 gardener, than by almost any other artisan ; no gardener, in 

 our opinion, ought to be employed as a master, under the 

 age of twenty-five years ; suppose him, therefore, to be put 

 an apprentice at fifteen, he has ten years in which to acquire 

 his profession, and generally to improve himself; in that 

 period he may not only acquire his profession, but, accord- 

 ing to the extent of his ambition and application, a considera- 

 ble degree of knowledge on almost every subject. Every- 

 thing depends on his ambition ; without this, he will not even 

 acquire his profession, and at all events, will find no leisure 

 time for any other kind of improvement. When we consider, 

 hoAvever, that the labor of a gardener is not severe, and that 

 it is only during the hours of daylight, the time he has for 

 self-improvement is very considerable. It may surprise some 

 when we state, that this time equals (taking the whole year) 

 that employed in study by professional students at Colleges. 

 A gardener, in the shortest day, begins work at eight o'clock, 

 and leaves oif at four o'clock; which, allowing two hours for 

 breakfast and dinner, gives six hours of labor ; in the longest 

 days, he works only ten hours, and therefore it will not be 

 far from the truth to consider eight hours per day as the 

 average duration of his labor throughout the year. Dividing 

 the twenty-four hours which compose the day in three equal 

 parts, we have eight hours for rest, dressing and undressing; 

 eight for labor and acquiring the practice of gardening ; and 

 eight hours for refreshment and study. On comparing this 

 time for study with that which is usually devoted to it by 

 young men at College, not the generality of young men, but 

 even those who attain to eminence, we will find the difler- 

 ence very inconsiderable : the student requires the same 

 time for rest, and at least two hours more for dressing and 

 undressing ; for breakfast he requires an hour ; dinner and 

 tea, at least three hours ; and for exercise, at least two 

 hours ; in all, for exercise and refreshment, six hoiu's ; which, 

 added to ten of rest and dressing, gives eighteen hours, 

 leaving exactly the same number of hours for study which 

 every gardener has, taking the average of the year. It is 

 true, the eight hours of the gardener are subject to the time 

 employed in eating ; but that well may be considered as 

 compensated by the knowledge of Botany which he acquires 

 in the garden, during his hours of labor. Add also, that the 

 gardener may (unless his health forbid) draw still more time 

 than we have mentioned from the hours of sleep ; we think 



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