Deckmbek 21, 1905. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



309 



Some employers feel that they should 

 have some means of knowing how their 

 men work in their absence and often try 

 to come upon them unawares. This is 

 surely a bad practice, for if the men 

 feel that they are distrusted, they will 

 take advantage of his absence, while if 

 they know they are trusted they will 

 work for their own self-respect. An em- 

 ployer who knows his business is not 

 long finding out who are the drones and 

 who are the busy bees. 



When the whistle blows at closing 

 time, the employees should be allowed to 

 leave, providing everything is in ship- 

 shape condition. The employer should 

 go over the place after quitting time to 

 make sure that all is as it should be. 

 <'The eye of the master will do more 

 work than both his hands," 



It sometimes happens that men in the 

 service of a company are injured while at 

 their work. If an employer is injured, 

 he still has his business, which keeps him 

 supplied with worldly necessities, but 

 when a workman is injured his income 

 ceases unless some means are invented of 

 helping him. It is the employers' duty 

 to assist those of their employees who 

 are injured in their service. 



The question of pay is an all-absorb- 

 ing one. It is a fact that men in the 

 florists' business are underpaid. Many 

 years are consumed acquiring ?ome 

 knowledge of plant culture, and after 

 the expiration of those years the aver- 

 age florist is rewarded with less pay than 

 can be obtained scraping a hoe over 

 the streets of any town or city. It is 

 a mistake on the employer's part to wait 

 until his men ask for an increase in 

 wages, provided they merit an increase. 

 A good man will seldom ask but will show 

 his dissatisfaction by accepting a better 

 position elsewhere. Some encouragement 

 should be held out to the men by the 

 wideawake employer. ' ' A good pay- 

 master never wants workmen. ' ' 



Looking at the matter in retrospect, it 

 will be seen that close attention to the 

 laws of humanity and an intelligent se- 

 lection of labor play an important part. 

 Morals, leadership and general superin- 

 tendence on the part of the employer will 

 benefit the community in general and 

 himself. If the employer considers his 

 dealings with labor, his business will 

 gain from the tone of wholesomeness 

 thus imparted. It is for the interest 

 of the employer to engage a man who is 

 diligent, prompt and faithful, and it is 

 for the employee 's interest to work for 

 the one who pays him the highest wages. 

 Providing the one treats the other as 

 he would himself like to be treated, the 

 danger of disagreement is much lessened, 

 and harmony between employer and em- 

 ployee will be perpetual. 



JOHN SCOTT. 



John Scott, president-elect of the New 

 York Florists' Club, is a Scotchman, 

 born in 1868 at Newlanding, Midlothian, 

 and with the strong character and robust 

 health of his countrymen looks good for 

 a century. He began his horticultural 

 life when young and worked in Edin- 

 burgh, Ayrshire, Taymouth Castle and 

 Bosemont House, from which place he 

 came to Canada some fifteen years ago. 



His first engagement in America was 

 at Hoosick Falls, N. Y., from which city 

 he moved to the estate of the Hon. Levi 

 P. Morton, where James Boyd was head 

 gardener. His next move" was to the 



John Scott. 



Dinsmore estate at Staatsburg, N. Y., 

 wliere Thomas Emerson was head gar- 

 dener. Leaving here he accepted the 

 |»ositioii of superintendent of the Scholes 

 tjstablishmont on Keap street, Brooklyn, 

 where he soon was given an interest and 

 built up rapidly a reputation as a plants- 

 man, shipping his Boston ferns espe- 

 cially to every part of the country. 

 Dame Fortune was kind and his success 

 was constant. As a reward for the faith- 

 ful loyalty to Madame Nature she led 

 him to cast his eagle eye one day on a 

 sport from one of his Bostons that in- 

 tuition and common sense at once de- 

 <-hired "a find," and so it has proved to 

 be, for Scottii has made John immortal. 

 Now he has a big plant of 60,000 square 

 feet, counting the 25,000 going up in 

 1906 at FJatbush, a fine family and home 

 and as good a future as any young man 

 could desire, 



Mr. Scott is a member of the F. & 

 A. M, and Clan McDonald, and as mod- 

 est and unassuming and popular a man 

 as ever occupied the president's chair. 

 He will do the office and himself credit, 

 and John Birnie's bagpipes will be the 

 official music of 1906. Mr. Scott is a 

 member of the S. A, F, and the Flat- 

 bush Bowling Club, and has added a 

 charming wife and two fine children to 

 his world's possessions since he came 

 to the city of churches, Birnie says he 's 

 a ' ' braw laddie, ' ' and Nugent promises 

 an abundance of ' ' good old Scotch ' ' at 

 the inauguration ceremonies on the even- 

 ing of January 8, 



J. Ai'STiN Shaw. 



THE PRIVATE GARDENER. 



"How can the private gardener ele- 

 vate his calling?" As this question was 

 brought up a short time ago at the 

 Gardeners' and Florists' Club of Balti- 

 more, and not answered, some of us have 

 l)een asked to give our views on the 

 subject. With your kind permission I 

 will freely give my opinion. 



It appears to me that the question 

 is not an idle one, but one of import- 

 ance. It is praiseworthy in any man 

 to have sufficient ambition to try to 

 better his condition in life, and to aim 

 for the best and most practical knowl- 

 edge in his trade. In every branch of 

 industry the skilled workman, the man 

 who thoroughly understands his craft, 

 who can produce the best and finest 

 work, can command the highest pay. 

 Employers are quick to see and know 

 the worth of such men, and are not un- 

 willing to give them their dues. In 

 every walk cff life, a man should bring 

 to his calling industry, knowledge, intel- 

 ligence, conscientious work and high, 

 noble character. 



My first question on this subject is: 

 ' ' Who is the private gardener and what 

 position does he hold among his fellow 

 gardeners?" The private gardener is 

 the man who is hired by an estate- 

 owner to take charge of his place in a 

 manner satisfactory to his employer in 

 every detail. He is expected to be able 

 to answer any question about gardening, 

 to fill every order given him, to work 

 out .uiy plan or suggestion that mav 



