16 Tendency to Prejudice among Gardeners^ 



priate name, has long prevailed in Scotland to a great extent, 

 and has materially contributed, there can be little doubt, to 

 retard its progress in the march of improvement. Even among 

 our gardeners, this spirit long prevailed. The man who would 

 have dared to change the customary working-tools, and sub- 

 stitute better in their place, or who adopted any new mode of 

 treating ])lants, or who, in short, proposed the slightest inno- 

 vation in the established mode of gardening, was, a good many 

 years ago, regarded by his brethren as a person who invaded 

 the sacred realms of antiquity, and brought forward his own 

 idle and absurd fancies in place of those fixed opinions which 

 had been sanctioned by, and derived a sort of reverence from, 

 the usage and custom of their fathers. Thus our gardeners 

 were decidedly hostile to every species of improvement. The 

 contemplation of such a picture of decided and bigoted preju- 

 dice, as was, some thirty years ago, in existence, presents a 

 degraded view of human nature ; and it has been owing prin- 

 cipally to three causes that this spirit has been suppressed. 

 First of all, we may attribute its suppression to the labours and 

 exertions of the higher classes, who, being fully able to appre- 

 ciate the value of every new discovery, and having their minds 

 unbiassed by any such prejudices as their servants entertained, 

 willingly gave a fair trial to every thing which promised suc- 

 cess; and, if useful, they adopted it; if not, it was rejected. 

 But a somewhat severe task awaited the master in overcoming 

 the prejudiced opinions of his gardener, and substituting in 

 their place correct views and accurate judgments. This, some- 

 times, v/as difficult ; and not few were those who, i-efusing to 

 work on any but the old system, threw up their situations at 

 once. The press, too, had a great effect in influencing men's 

 minds, by giving room to free and impartial discussion, and 

 by bringing forward the views of those whom all recognised 

 as well calculated to examine and to judge. The example of 

 those gardeners, also, whose minds were superior to any ab- 

 surd prejudices like those of their brethren, had a great effect 

 in influencing the rest. We now see the Scottish gardeners 

 acknowledged by all to be possessed of a good deal of 

 practical knowledge of their profession. This is their charac- 

 ter in general ; but some of them deserve a higher character, 

 and to this practical knowledge unite a theoretical acquaint- 

 ance with many of its more difficult and abstruse branches. 

 Our gardeners are men of sober, industrious, honourable, and 

 steady habits, having a taste for reading, which, in the evening, 

 when their work is over, they frequently indulge in. Beintr 

 removed, too, in a great measure, from all companionship, by 

 the circumstance of residing on their master's property, this 



