814 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
such a commission on sales or profits as might be arranged 
to the mutual satisfaction of employer and employe. With good 
land in a suitable fruit-growing district success is practically 
assured on the above lines, but capitalists are urged to be 
careful to only employ a manager who can bring positive proof 
of his training and abilities as a fruit grower. Otherwise, 
what might be a most remunerative investment would in all pro- 
bability prove the reverse. 
As a case in point, it may be of interest to state that the 
writer knew a gentleman who bought land, and went into hardy 
fruit culture on a rather large scale, with the idea that in a 
few years he would obtain a fair rate of interest on his outlay ; 
and his expectations would, without any doubt, have been 
realised if he had engaged a good man as manager, but, unfor- 
tunately, he entered into an agreement with one who was 
absolutely worthless for such a position, and the gentleman 
informed the writer that he lost several thousand pounds by his 
venture. This instance will prove the importance of securing a 
thoroughly capable man, who is able to make the business a 
commercial success instead of a loss. 
Another class of men who will probably come to the front by 
degrees are the men who are employed as labourers in hardy 
fruit plantations, some of whom take a keen interest in the work, 
and follow out in their own allotments or gardens what is done 
where they are employed, budding or grafting their own trees, and 
gradually filling their gardens with fruit trees, finding out that 
more money can be made in this way than by any other crop they 
can grow. Two labourers who work under the writer have 
made very liandsomc profits from fruit growing, and their gardens 
are now so full of fruit trees that tlicy have taken allotments 
for Potatos and other vegetables. 
The question is frequently asked why skilled professional 
gardeners do not take up fruit growing, as it pays so well, instead 
of being content to remain as gardeners. The answer is that 
comparatively few gardeners have the needful capital to enable 
them to do so, the great majority of even head gardeners liaving 
to bo extremely careful to make both ends meet, so that saving 
money is out of th(^ question. Some few are more fortunate, or 
perhaps have monciy left them ; most of these do set up on their 
own account, usually making a very good living thereby. Some 
