ECONOMY IN GARDENING. 57 



ployers, in their own country, it is not surprising^ that their old 

 habits stick close to them here ; and as a class, they require far 

 more watching to get a fair day's labor from them than many of 

 our own people. On the other hand, there is no workman who is 

 more stimulated by the consciousness of working on his own ac- 

 count than an Irishman. He will work stoutly and faithfully, from 

 early to late, to accomplish a " job" of his own seeking, or which 

 he has fairly contracted for, and accomplish it in a third less time 

 than if working by the day. 



The deduction which experienced employers in the country draw 

 from this, is, never to employ " rough hands," or persons whose 

 ability and steadiness have not been well proved, by the day or 

 month j but always by contract, piece or job. The saving to the em- 

 ployer is large ; and the laborer, while he gets fairly paid, is in- 

 duced, by a feeling of greater independence, or to sustain his own 

 credit; to labor faithfully and without wasting the time of his em- 

 ployer. 



We saw a striking illustration of this lately, in the case of two 

 neighbors, — both planting extensive orchards, and requiring, there- 

 fore, a good deal of extra labor. One of them had all the holes for 

 his trees dug by contract, of good size, and two spades deep, for six 

 cents per hole. The other had it executed by the day, and by the 

 same class of labor, — foreipiers, newly arrived. We had the curi- 

 osity to ask a few questions, to^certain the difference of cost in the 

 two cases ; and found, as we expected, that the cost in the day's 

 work system was about ten cents per hole, or more than a third be- 

 yond what it cost by the job. 



Now, whether a country place is large or small, there is always, 

 in the course of the season, more or less extra work to be performed. 

 The regular gardener, or workman, must generally be hired by the 

 day or month ; though we know instances of every thing being done 

 by contract. But all this extra work can, in almost all cases, be 

 done by contract, at a price greatly below what it would otherwise 

 cost. Trenching, subsoiling, preparing the ground for orchards or 

 kitchen gardens, or even ploughing, and gathering crops, may be 

 done very much cheaper by contract than by day's labor. 



In Germany, the whole family, including women and children, 



