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MORE ABOUT HORTICULTURE FOR WOMEN. 



even with surface of ground, and by covering with 

 boards and litter to exclude light, rain and frost. Or 

 the plants may be placed upright upon a layer of 

 moist soil in a dark cellar. Various other methods 

 are practiced in a small way. Never handle while 

 frozen. 



The best varieties : The coarseness of the tall kinds 

 has nearly driven them out of general cultivation. The 



dwarf sorts are good, but I know not one superior to 

 Golden Heart (or Golden Dwarf), with its beautiful rich 

 yellow heart, when blanched. White Plume is a so- 

 called " self-blanching " sort, and, in theory, needs only 

 "handling" without blanching, To bring out its best 

 flavor, however, it requires the laborious "earthing up " 

 or blanching process as much as any other. 



New York. T. Greiner. 



MORE ABOUT HORTICULTURE FOR WOMEN. 



HE subject of horticulture as a 

 business for women has been dis- 

 cussed in a very able manner in 

 so many of the leading periodicals 

 of the day that further detail may 

 seem superfluous. I notice, how- 

 ever, that by far the greater num- 

 ber of articles written on the sub- 

 ject deal only with large enterprises, resulting in 

 great gains in health and wealth, but quite ignore 

 the smaller undertakings and forget to mention cer- 

 tain drawbacks with which women have to contend 

 in this really delightful calling. 



In the first place, no woman (or man either) need ex- 

 pect to become a successful gardener unless she has an 

 inborn love of "green things growing." If she can 

 look upon a well-ordered garden without feeling her 

 pulses quicken, if she is wholly indifferent to weeds 

 versus vegetables, in short, does not "known beans" 

 when she sees them except on the table, then, I say, 

 she had better turn her attention towards other pursuits, 

 for no garden will ever smile for her. 



But if a woman has a genuine liking for this kind of 

 work, possesses business ability and tact, there is no 

 reason why she may not be successful in proportion 

 to the extent of her undertakings. 



Physically, few women are able to do the laborious 

 part of garden work There is plenty of back-break- 

 ing, back-aching spading, digging and hoeing to be done, 

 for which not one woman in a hundred is fitted, and for 

 which a man must be employed. There is, however, 

 plenty of light work which a woman can do, and there 

 is also the constant personal supervision of the work so 

 essential to success. This alone would keep a woman out 

 of doors and give her health. Lord Bacon tells us that 

 " Gardening is the greatest refreshment to the spirit of 

 man, " and why should it not be equally so to tired, nerv- 

 ous women ? But they need some incentive other than a 

 mere "constitutional" to keep them out of doors. Ob- 

 viously, gardening for women pays best in fresh air and 

 sunshine. Something can be done without incurring so 

 much expense that the loss, in case of partial failure, 

 will be burdensome. 



If rightly managed, half an acre, or even less ground, 

 can be made to supply vegetables — potatoes excepted — 

 for two or three families with but little more expense 



than is commonly required to run one ordinary kitchen 

 garden. 



No ambitious woman, debarred from more lucrative 

 employment by ill health or other reasons, need feel 

 that she is " not doing anything " if she can supply the 

 family table with fresh vegetables throughout the sea- 

 son, and market enough produce to cover all expenses 

 of the garden ; and in most cases which have come under 

 my notice, there has been some profit besides. Right 

 here let me say that this extra gain usually comes by 

 making a specialty of some one thing, as celery, cauli- 

 flower, or some crop for which the soil seems especially 

 adapted. 



The physical inability of women to do the laborious 

 part of gardening in case of an emergency is a draw- 

 back which will undoubtedly always attend her in the 

 calling, and it is one not so easily overcome as their 

 ignorance of the subject. Any profession worthy of 

 the name must be learned, horticulture not excepted. 

 Experience is good, but many times is so expensive a 

 teacher that keen observation, coupled with the ability 

 and disposition to profit by the experiences of others, 

 will be of great advantage to the would-be horticul- 

 turist. Ask women thus engaged in gardening, who are 

 dependent upon the day laborer for assistance, to name 

 the greatest difficulty they have to contend with, and I 

 think the majority of them will pass sentence upon the 

 aforesaid day laborer — sometimes the lack of him. 



Take the average country town, for example. The 

 gardens are many and the laborers are few, shops, 

 factories, mills, etc., taking every available man. A 

 good gardener always has his hands full. He is wanted 

 in seventeen different gardens at the same time, and 

 seventeen different people insist upon being served first. 

 If he happened to be born without a conscience, he will 

 doubtless pacify them all by promising them to come 

 "the very next day," and if the weather is propitious, 

 some one of the seventeen will probably be made 

 happy, while the other sixteen may sit on their back 

 steps and cultivate patience in their souls, while watch- 

 ing the weeds flourish in their gardens. Therefore, as 

 first-class help is not always to be had, one must take 

 what one can get and be thankful. 



The class of men as a rule, who do such work do not 

 like to work for women, unless they are given carie 

 lilaticlie of the premises, and can do exactly as they like. 

 In the first place, they have 'little faith in the ability of 



