better for all concerned if instead of tolerating the gardener's in- 
efficiency, he were replaced with one possessing the necessary abihty, 
for the disposed-of gardener, if he has the qualifications to entitle 
him to the calling of gardener, will find his right place. 
That the gardener, in common with those of some of the other pro- 
fessions, has not found the dollar the cheapest thing to acquire, as the 
workers of the protected industries proclaim it is, but instead is feeling 
the sting of the high cost of everything, is generally true. His com- 
pensation is practically the same as it was before war conditions ad- 
vanced the wage of labor and the consequent cost of living. Yet he 
finds he must pay the same price for his baby's shoes as the eight 
dollar a day mechanic of the thirty-six working hour week, on a salary 
which makes it a problem to the gardener how to make both ends 
meet. 
^\^ile it is justly claimed that the average gardener does not receive 
in monetary consideration the equivalent per month that the laborer 
on the estate receives, ranging from $3.25 to $5.00 a day, according to 
the locality, for eight to nine hours work, it is also conceded that the 
gardener has his cottage and other privileges in the nature of products 
raised on the place, but for these privileges the employer usually 
acquires the gardener's presence on the place for practically twenty- 
four hours a day for thirty days of the month. Possibty the gardener 
has himself to blame for being over-looked in the readjustment of 
affairs that has brought about an increase in the cost of practically 
everything. He is, as a rule, inclined to hesitancy, whereas if he were 
to approach his employer in a business-like manner on matters con- 
cerning himself, he could expect treatment in accordance. 
I have refrained from referring to the gardener-superintendent in 
charge of the management of extensive countr}'' estates. As he must 
possess so much knowledge outside of the various phases of horti- 
culture, such as agriculture, construction, and often engineering, 
besides executive ability, he should also possess the initiative to 
negotiate with his employer for remuneration according to the value 
of the service he is called upon to render, without the necessity of 
another pleading his cause. 
Some of the highly esteemed professions have not always borne 
the high standard they bear today, and they still possess their short- 
comings. The profession of gardening is striving to elevate its standard 
and those who have followed its progress during recent years, must 
agree that it has met with some measure of success. 
The future of the profession now confronts a situation, however, 
that concerns the owner of the country estate, as much as it does the 
professional gardener. This is the matter of providing the material 
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