2 1 4< Remarks on the Charges made by 



While we fix on six or seven hours, as the day of a landscape-gardener, we 

 consider it proper to state that it is customary, when the nature of the em- 

 ployment admits it, for the artist to employ himself in the evening in contriving 

 his plans ; but it is understood also that he is entitled to do this, if he chooses, 

 in the day time. It very frequently happens that a landscape-gardener is called 

 in simply for the purpose of staking out plantations, walks, or roads, and that 

 no plan, writing, or drawing, is at all necessary ; and, of course, there can be 

 nothing for him to do in the evening, even if he were disposed to occupy that 

 time for the benefit of his employer. This circumstance of itself shows the 

 reasonableness of limiting the duties of the landscape-gardener to the time 

 when he can be employed out of doors ; for, otherwise, if he were merely 

 called in to mark out improvements on the ground, as he could not in that 

 case be employed in the evening, his employer might allege that he did not 

 give a full day. 



Having determined the time required to constitute a landscape-gardener's 

 day, the next point is to estimate the portion of this time, or, in other words, 

 the number of days, which he employs, or is entitled to employ, on plans, 

 drawings, reports, or estimates, made at home. It is customary to make cer- 

 tain plans or drawings for effect ; that is, in order to give the proprietor an 

 idea of the appearance which the improvement will have when completed ; and 

 certain other plans or drawings, called working-drawings, to serve as guides 

 while the work is going forward. Now, the contrivance of these drawings, 

 and sometimes even the drawing of them, requires to be done by the landscape- 

 gardener himself; but there are certain other parts which may be copied, or 

 even completed, when once properly begun, by a clerk, or assistant draughts- 

 man ; while reports, estimates, &c, after being drawn up and corrected by the 

 professional man, may be copied by clerks. It appears, therefore, that two 

 elements enter into the charge which a landscape-gardener may make for plans, 

 estimates, &c. ; viz., one for the time of the master, and another for that of his 

 draughtsman or cierk. Whatever may be the charge of the master, the time 

 for the assistant draughtsman and clerk is generally charged at the rate of a 

 guinea a day, with the addition of all expenses while he is from home, or em- 

 ployed out of the office. This, of course, supposes the clerk to be a competent 

 draughtsman, and master of the routine of business of a landscape-gardener's 

 office. It sometimes happens, for example, that an assistant is sent down into 

 the country to stake out a plan on the ground, or to make a map of some 

 particular spot, and give a description of it to the landscape-gardener ; and in 

 such cases the charges are made as we have just mentioned. 



The fundamental principle for charging for a landscape-gardener's plans, 

 therefore, is, the value at which he estimates his time, controlled by the 

 subordinate principle of the value of the time occupied on the plans by his 

 assistant, or any draughtsman whom he may think fit to employ. 



Having established what we consider to be the sound principle for charging 

 for plans, reports, &c, we shall next state some deviations from this principle 

 which occur in actual practice. 



In Scotland, where the charge of landscape-gardeners, forty years ago, seldom 

 exceeded a guinea a day, except for such artists as Mr. Nasmyth, the emi- 

 nent landscape-painter, who charged two guineas a day, it was customary to 

 charge double the price per day for the time employed on plans. We have 

 never heard any reason assigned for this ; but we suppose it may have arisen 

 from an idea on the part of the landscape-gardener, or planner, as he is there 

 called, that the act of drawing a plan indicated a higher degree of talent, or 

 was a more intellectual occupation, than the staking out of improvements on 

 the grounds. Or, perhaps, the greater charge made for the plans was intended 

 to make up for the low charge by the da}'. In either case, we think, the prin- 

 ciple is erroneous ; but, if the employer is aware of it beforehand, of course 

 it is to him unobjectionable. 



Some landscape-gardeners have no charge per day ; but, when they are em- 

 ployed, they give in a plan ; or, if they have been merely called in to stake out 



