220 Observations on the Gardening of Belgium, 



are worth. The best way of proceeding is, never to have over a 

 small quantity, at least not less than thirty pots at a time. The 

 expenses, I think, would then not exceed \s. b, pot, unless the 

 pots were very large. 



Gardeners, competent to take care of gentlemen's gardens, are 

 very scarce in this country ; and, what is still worse, they are 

 seldom to be trusted. Many of them have permission from 

 their masters to exchange plants with the nurserymen : and this 

 system is often carried too far ; for, instead of exchanging, they 

 abuse the liberty they have, and sell their masters' plants for 

 their own profit. A great inducement to this system of traffic, 

 I imagine, arises from the immense quantities of public-houses 

 which are kept in every village, and in all the suburbs of the 

 town of Ghent, to which it is the custom for all classes to resort 

 in an evening. The gardener, as well as others, naturally goes 

 there for society, instead of spending his evening at home ; and, 

 if in the least inclined to drink, is sure to fall a prey to those 

 who are on the watch, and who are desirous of obtaining plants 

 at a cheap rate. The number of cabarets in this country is truly 

 astonishing ; and, as the many festivals of the Catholic church, 

 as well as the village kermesses, or fairs, where, among the lower 

 orders, drinking is often the order of the day, leave the gardener 

 with too much idle time upon his hands; he is but too often 

 found to expend all his gains in drink. I must add that, gene- 

 rally speaking, the Belgians are not reading gardeners, and can 

 neither speg,k nor understand any language but Flemish. It 

 may be easily imagined what a prodigious loss of time there is 

 in this country, and how totally impossible it is, under the pre- 

 sent system, that there ever can be a first-rate gardener in Bel- 

 gium. It is also a common practice in this country to pay a 

 gardener partly in money, and partly from the produce of the 

 garden and wood yard. The wages, of course, must greatly 

 differ; but, I imagine, a florin (about 1^. 6d.) a day, with fuel, 

 vegetables, and an apartment to live in, is reckoned a fair ave- 

 rage; many even pay less: 14c?. Flemish (about Is. English) is 

 the usual price in the country for a day labourer, in the summer, 

 without giving him board or lodging ; in the winter, 9d. English. 

 The farmers pay their labourers by giving them their food, and 

 from 5d. to 6d. per day ; but meat or beer is seldom or never 

 given, except among the very great farmers. Potatoes, black 

 bread made of rye, buttermilk, and water are the usual food of 

 the peasantry ; except occasionally at the killing of a pig, when, 

 for a short time, their living is somewhat better. As living is 

 dearer in the town, the wages are somewhat higher ; but, I think, 

 but few of the first-rate gardeners pay their workmen more than 

 a florin a day. 



The Countri/- Houses of the gentry are for the most part spa- 



