42 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL 



HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



the first to suffer. The wages in those early times were even 

 smaller than in our day, for in the majority of instances they are 

 now much below that of an ordinary mechanic (though there are 

 two sides to the wage question) ; for digging and ordinary garden 

 work twopence to threepence per day was paid, and for the head 

 gardener about £5 per year with many perquisites, which would 

 most probably make it a fair situation in those early times. We 

 are told in Miss Amherst's "History of Gardening" that the 

 earliest original known work written in English on gardening is 

 by John Gardener ; the MSS., which is dated 1440, is still to be 

 found at Trinity College, Cambridge. 



It may not be altogether without interest to briefly refer 

 to a few of the more prominent gardeners of the past, the 

 work they have done, and the difficulties they had to fight 

 against. In the writings of Thomas Hill, who was a compiler 

 of books and a prolific writer on all subjects, we find many 

 absurdities on horticultural matters which need pointing out 

 to those who are totally uninitiated in the art of gardening. 

 In one of his works he states that " when the first of Januarie 

 beginneth on the Wednesday, then shall the winter be warm and 

 calme, the spring wette, and disposed to sicknesse, the summer 

 hotte, and the harvest unprofitable. Yet plentie of oyle and 

 wines." In referring to grafting he says that if the small end 

 of the scion is inserted in the stock the " fruit shal have no 

 core," and that if apples be grafted on elm or elder "it shal 

 beare red apples." He also recommended planting when the 

 moon was in Taurus ; and the " sowing of pepins and kernels," 

 so that the end which was next the root should be placed to 

 point north-east. From his writings we should imagine he was 

 more theoretical than practical. 



John Gerarde, who was born at Nantwich, Cheshire, 1545, 

 and died 1007, was undoubtedly the most practical gardener of 

 the lGth century. He founded the first regular establishment 

 for the scientific cultivation of plants, and laboured unceasingly 

 for many years in the true interests of horticulture. He was for 

 many years gardener to Lord Burleigh, to whom he dedicated 

 his great work on the " History of Plants." The principles 

 he adopted in the cultivating of plants, the objects he aimed at, 

 and tho assiduousness with which he laboured are worthy 

 examples for present and future gardeners to adopt. Speaking 



