74 MY GARDEN 



ignorances ; but nobody is perfect. Our men usually 

 develop at least one line of excellence, and endeavour 

 to establish a reputation for special skill in some 

 branch of their business. They do not always 

 succeed, but they try. Gardeners must not be ex- 

 pected to run like clocks. A machine, or a season, 

 does its duty, and cares not for our expressions of 

 satisfaction or displeasure. It is no matter of con- 

 cern to an express train whether your journey has 

 been successful or the reverse ; a wet summer is 

 oblivious of your hard words and cutting speeches 

 concerning it ; but gardeners do not work in this 

 way. Indifference demoralises them ; it is as bad 

 for them as too much praise. Give them constant 

 attention and reveal a personal knowledge of their 

 business if you can ; then you will perhaps get a 

 good gardener. My gardener and I make many 

 mistakes ; and sometimes he corrects me ; and some- 

 times I correct him. I trust to authority ; he stands 

 for experience. But authority is, after all, only some- 

 body else's experience. The great gardening books 

 are very seldom mistaken. It is in the horticultural 

 columns of certain daily newspapers that we meet 

 with dangerous advice and heretical opinions. 



I am privileged to know a gardener who sat up all 

 night to catch a slug. He is an orchid expert, and a 

 rare good man all round. The slug arrived upon his 

 orchid at 3.30 A.M. during a coldish morning in 

 February ; and the execution was not delayed. Now 

 that is gardening ! Conversely, I met a man recently 

 whose master asked me to walk round the garden 



