Preference for Scotch Gardeners. 245 



learn gardening in Scotland become in time head gardeners, 

 either at home or abroad. Various reasons are assigned why 

 the preference is given in England to Scotch gardeners : one is, 

 that they are usually better educated ; another, that the greater 

 coldness and changeableness of the climate of Scotland obliges 

 the gardener to take greater care and pay more attention, which 

 renders him more skilful in his business ; another cause assigned 

 is, that Scotchmen are generally a more steady and calculating 

 race. However well founded these reasons may appear, they 

 are not sufficient to account for the decided preference given 

 to the Scotch gardener. Education can do but Httle where there 

 is deficiency of natural abilities ; and, though Scotland is colder 

 than England, the English gardener has quite enough of cold- 

 ness and variableness of climate to call forth his energies. If the 

 Scotch are more cool and calculating, they must acquire those 

 habits by early training. 



It is probable that the Poor Law system in England has had 

 the greatest share in producing the superiority of the Scotch over 

 the English gardener. It mainly depends on the difference of 

 training, when acquiring the knowledge of his business. In 

 England, the mansion and gardens of the wealthy are more 

 frequently situated adjoining a populous village ; the proprie- 

 tor, in consequence, often finds his property burdened by too 

 many labourers. When his gardener wants an apprentice, his 

 employer obliges him to take one who belongs to the parish ; 

 as he cannot think of employing strangers. The young man 

 chosen begins with the honest intention of becoming a gar- 

 dener, and has at first, probably, an anxious wish to learn. 

 But this too often cools, from associating with others of his 

 native place, who are not gardeners. 



His attention is much taken off by such connexions, and he 

 is less disposed to give his mind wholly to gardening, if his pa- 

 rents are, as it usually happens, of the agricultural class; because 

 he shares in their ideas and feelings, and especially in the 

 notion that he must be employed, because he belongs to the 

 parish. If, however, he escapes these evils, when the time of 

 his apprenticeship is expired, he finds it difficult to procure a 

 situation as under gardener, on the same principle that caused 

 him to be chosen for an apprentice, namely, his not belonging 

 to the new parish where he makes application. This forms a 

 serious obstacle to the advancement of young gardeners, and is 

 the greatest cause why so many never remove from their native 

 place. Seeing the difficulty of procuring a situation elsewhere, 

 they grow indifferent about advancement, and give up all 

 thoughts of becoming master gardeners ; after a time they marry, 

 and settle down for life in the place where they were appren- 

 ticed. 



