104 WOMEN-GARDENERS 



however, totally unsuited to the gardener's pro- 

 fession, although in some cases they might adapt 

 themselves to light work on a farm. I should like 

 to take this opportunity of saying how much 

 opposed I am to their admission to Horticultural 

 Colleges with a view to future garden work, because 

 what we wish to do, above all, is to improve and 

 heighten the standard of scientific, thoughtful 

 gardening in this country. We want to banish once 

 and for all the inferior, rule-of-thumb, slow-think- 

 ing, inartistic man-gardener whom we have tolerated 

 for so long and in his place require intelligent, 

 educated ladies, who will direct and supervise as 

 ably and in some cases even better than the very 

 best type of male gardener, the man who is to be 

 found in our largest English private gardens, 

 capable of directing from ten to twenty under- 

 gardeners, well read and acquainted with science. 

 There will always be a need everywhere for the 

 labourer whose muscular arm does all manual work 

 such as trenching, digging, and hoeing. It is only 

 during war time that we struggle to manage with- 

 out him, but when peace returns and rural in- 

 dustries in so many countries have to be revived 

 and built up again, in some cases from the com- 

 mencement, we shall welcome, not alone the ex- 

 soldier or working man, but we shall require too 

 many educated, thinking men and women to live 

 on the land and increase its intensive, productive 

 powers. 



In looking towards the future, therefore, I see 

 indeed a vast outlook of work and happiness for 

 educated women, the daughters of professional 



