Horticulture as a Profession From the Standpoint 
of a Gardener 
By John Johnson, New York 
WE live in an age of educational progress, of indus- 
trial evolution, and herein to each and every 
private gardener is given inducement and an 
opportunity of asserting his right in the rank of prog- 
ressiveness of this country. We cannot imagine, much 
less realize, the possibilities which lie before us, or yet 
conceive the far-reaching influence which friendly and 
wholesome intercourse effect. 
This is essentially an age of co-operation, and co- 
operation at best is only what individuals choose to make 
it. While recognizing and appreciating, we must admit, 
that usually such means of co-operation as the press af- 
fords gardeners, is but meagerly sought after. Is this 
not regrettable since all of us know only too well that 
even though a lifetime be spent in quest of horticultural 
knowledge, our efforts would lead only to the conviction 
that we would be learned eternally in an art which has 
no finality? Not so much, one might say, is it he who 
knows but rather he who acts, that supplies the necessary 
impulse to advancement. 
Gardening has long been recognized as the most 
healthful and pleasant occupation in which human beings 
could engage, a fact sometimes advanced in argument 
against the low standard of remuneration. Whether the 
gardener does, or does not, receive adequate reward for 
his labor is an open question. The sentiment most lucidly 
expressive of my own in this regard, has already ap- 
peared in the Gardeners' Chronicle of America: — 
"The person buying service and material has the mak- 
ing of terms ; it is left to the seller to accept or reject as 
he sees fit." The gardener works in very diversified 
fields and consequently, to make a bold assertion, more 
often than not receives wages amenable to the position 
he holds ; if he does not receive adequate payment then 
it is up to the individual to seek means of readjustment. 
I personally cannot see the whole status of remuneration 
being raised by mere twaddle on the part of gardeners. 
No, rather must we aim to elicit and establish universally 
the same appreciable attitude toward the gardening com- 
munity, as that already evinced by the noted amateur 
Mrs. Francis King. This can only be accomplished by- 
apt appropriation of individual effort. Let ambition 
emulate high standard efficiency, and in the matter of 
wages let the gardener be deliberate and prudent in his 
demands, always remembering that the status is gov- 
erned by the quality of service rendered. 
That the whole basis of horticulture has changed dur- 
ing the past fifty years is undeniable, and that science has 
invaded the realm of gardening must be obvious to any- 
one having read and imagined the state of affairs, or is 
able to remember it. This is no long period in the his- 
tory of a nation yet we cannot fully conceive to what 
real extent this revolution in horticultural method has 
been wrought, so persistent and so momentous have been 
the developments enacted. 
To the gardening community then belongs the attri- 
bute of national service in the development, at least, of 
its own peculiar sphere. 
Yet in a field so comprehensive, is it not a pity that 
we so often fail in our object of rising above what many 
people only too frequently regard tillers of soil strug- 
gling, as it were, for a mere pittance? Instead of being 
the acknowledged practitioners in an honorable and illus- 
trious enterprise. When we consider the drudgery to 
which some gardeners subject themselves, is it surpris- 
ing that not a few employers become reserved, or even 
cynical in their esteem? Albeit, there are gardeners and 
gardeners ! 
The man patient and diligent in his research, who 
labors with enthusiasm and cherishes everything nature 
endows to his care, who not only fully enjoys the con- 
sciousness of skill applied but tangibly the elevating in- 
fluence which the love of horticulture exerts. Yes, this 
is the true gardener — the horticultural zealot. 
Horticultural practice then is something more noble 
than the mere exertion of muscle. 
The real gardener must be a real and apt student, per- 
sistently endeavoring to hall-mark his efforts with posi- 
tive individuality, which is not only the keynote to, but 
the criterion of successful gardening. There is abso- 
lutely no room for the rule of thumb man in the horti- 
cultural profession ; and he would set on a plane to which 
it rightly belongs, and have horticulture rank with the 
fine arts, must equip accordingly. Right within the realm 
of gardening we have that diversity of employment 
which is almost essential to life happiness. The charac- 
teristic enthusiast not only devotes himself to the study 
of botany, chemistry, architecture or any other science 
furnishing the source of fundamental knowledge, but 
diverts a little of his time and energy in the social field 
as well. He joins one or more of the horticultural mu- 
tual improvement societies, perhaps becomes an exhib- 
itor, or seeks to be a live-wire in still some other direc- 
tion. No matter what course he chooses, he knows that 
association with men of kindred interests invariably cre- 
ates the stimulus for the accomplishment of something 
worth while, and that due appropriation of this incentive 
will beget its reward. 
In the daily routine of gardening nothing is irksome 
or monotonous even though difficulties bestrew the way 
as in no other profession. Often the gardener finds him- 
self under the influence of some unreasonable or whim- 
sical employer who, metaphorically, would have him grow 
alpines in aquatic conditions, or plant some "pet" fern 
on the pinnacle of a rockery exposed to the full force of 
sun and wind. From time to time we witness floral 
gems fretting, so to speak, for a more wholesome and 
natural treatment, and occasionally evidence misspent en- 
ergy in other directions for which the gardener should 
not be, although almost invariably is blamed. Yet. be 
it said, despite these or similar circumstances the true 
gardener finds ample reparation and complacency in his 
environment. Indeed, experience has matured him with 
such keen yet simple perception of natural forms, that 
each change of season instils him with its own peculiar 
charm. 
The present day gardener is equally in sympathy with 
the strictly architectural pastime, which years ago hap- 
pened to be the ruling element in flower garden design, 
and the more informal lay-out such as a well planned 
and constructed alpine rockery affords. A knowledge of 
the means and requirements of the employer, and a vivid 
conception of what the finished picture shall be like, are 
the first problems of garden making. These fully under- 
192 
