THE SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION OF GARDENERS. 161 



shortest and most direct to wealth, honor, and distinction. There 

 is not a young man of fair intelligence and with an ambition that 

 knows no failure, avIio will not be ten times more likely to succeed 

 in the horticultural field than in any oilier walk in life. He will, 

 moreover, satisfy all the desires of his ambition. It is to be 

 supposed that he has no capital at the start other than strength 

 and determination, and these are all that will be required if he is 

 scientific in liis methods. If wise he will consider well every step ; 

 he will estimate the chances of success and the possibilities of fail- 

 ure. Because the life of the gardener is one of toil, he should 

 not be discouraged and get enamored with city life. The excite- 

 ment that evolves from the whirl of active business, and the honors 

 that are shown those who attain high distinction in their profession, 

 are trul}- fascinating, but we would caution every young man 

 against indulging in hopes that so rarely ripen to fruition. 



If a gardener wishes to reach distinction, he must become 

 scientific in everything that relates to his business. His industry 

 must be proverbial ; he must never be in haste, but never idle. 

 To accomplish the most in a given space of time with the least 

 possible expenditure of labor is the science of industry. His 

 intelligence should know no limit. There is no other field so 

 broad or so beautifully diversified as the garden. A thorough 

 knowledge of plants and their requirements is the key to success. 

 The old truism that "knowledge is power" is more plainly 

 exemplified in tlie life of the gardener than in any other calling. 

 No man who commences to build up a business career without 

 capital, will be so greatly benefited by a complete knowledge of 

 his work as he. A gardener who has a thorough knowledge 

 of every plant he handles, has an education that his employer 

 covets ; it brings them together in harmony ; they converse freely 

 over a favorite plant upon terms of human equality. The more 

 the gardener knows, if he is willing to impart it, the more impor- 

 tant he is to the position he fills, and the greater will be his 

 chances for advancement. Many gardeners get a very wrong 

 impression when they enter upon a new situation. They feel as 

 though interests instead of being mutual are antagonistic, that 

 the conditions are as master and servant, while such a feeling 

 never enters the employer's mind, — that is if he is a man and has 

 a garden to gi-atify a love for the beautiful — and I pity the 

 gardener who has charge of a place where flowers are only grown 

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