112 WOMEN- GARDENERS 



3 r oung women, who were at work in the frame 

 ground. It was wonderful how, by watching 

 them, she seemed to gauge not only each one's 

 ability as a gardener but also her character. After 

 a few moments of quiet observation she said with- 

 out hesitation, " That is the one I should like to 

 speak to, please." When, some brief questionings 

 over, the student, unconscious of the pleasant 

 future that was being decided for her, moved away, 

 the lady said in an undertone, " She will suit me 

 down to the ground. How soon may I have her ? " 

 It was all settled very much in the way that a good 

 hunter is selected, after he has been successfully 

 put through his paces. 



We welcome these small posts (they might 

 almost be called friendly ones) because they pave 

 the way towards the attainment of wider ex- 

 perience, and a year or two thus spent enables a 

 gardener to become head in a large garden where 

 she plans rotations, orders seeds, does expert 

 pruning, thinning, and tying, and in short super- 

 vises the working man and does all the thinking 

 and foreseeing. 



It is not, however, only in private posts that I 

 hope to see more women-gardeners before many 

 years have passed. The ideal arrangement for 

 those who have a small amount of capital to spend 

 would be to group themselves in friendly bands, 

 whereby several would live under one roof, each 

 pursuing her own special hobby, but all united in 

 the one endeavour to make more profit out of the 

 land. Co-operation could be extended by having 

 numerous groups of ladies living in the same 



