44 THE BEGINNER'S garden book 



ought therefore to get no more than half of what a day- 

 laborer would. If he is rather small and weak, and does not 

 • work steadily, he ought to get no more than a third. But 

 the older and stronger he is, the more he knows, and the more 

 steadily he works, then the more nearly be becomes a skilled 

 gardener himself. 



I should suggest that parents or the teacher should be 

 asked to help settle how much the gardener shall charge for 

 his time. When this is decided, then the gardener should 

 keep an account of the number of hours worked, and set it 

 down each day. 



All this is on the debit side (the cost or expense side) of the 

 account. On the credit side (the receipt side) should be set 

 down all money received from the sale of vegetables or fruit. 

 In the average garden this amount will be small enough. But 

 the home vegetable gardener is nevertheless doing a valuable 

 service in feeding his family. An occasional inquiry at the 

 provision dealer's will inform him of the market price which 

 he can charge for his beans and corn and lettuce. The 

 amount proper for each mess of vegetables can then easily 

 be calculated and set down in the book. Even if no cash is 

 received for these services, the gardener may be proud of 

 doing something toward "earning his keep." And a girl who 

 keeps the house supplied with flowers may likewise, though 

 with more difficulty, get an idea of the value of her work in 

 keeping the home beautiful. 



Each month, or if that is not possible, at the end of the 

 year, the various items should be posted in a ledger account. 

 The various headings of expense will come under the gar- 

 dener's labor, hired labor (which ought to be only in spring, 

 for the fitting of a large garden), seeds (including bulbs, etc.), 

 manure (including chemicals), and tools (including baskets, 

 labels, string, and all such articles used in the work of garden- 



