The real gardener is one who has made gardening his life study 
here or abroad. The bulk of professional gardeners have at least some 
European training. This is advantageous as he is more Likely to re- 
ceive a thorough grounding in the rudimentary parts of the profession 
than here. American boys are singularly reluctant to follow a calling 
which may be beautiful and enjoyable but cannot be learned in a 
year or two, no matter how bright and receptive the workers are. For 
this reason, commercial floriculture with its greater financial pos- 
sibiHties, landscape gardening and the mechanical trades are now 
taking practically all of our young men, a portion at least of whom we 
had hoped would have been training to fill the positions we older men 
must ere long vacate, and we must admit that in almost any other call- 
ing the learner secures a more adequate remuneration than in gar- 
dening. 
I have had assistants, in some cases purely unskilled laborers, who 
during the war made $40 to $75 per week in government work. Very 
few of these are returning to their old calling, now that more nearly 
normal conditions prevail, and in common with every man who has 
charge of a private estate I find it increasingly difficult to secure not 
only competent assistants, but laborers to perform the necessary work. 
Thousands of young gardeners joined the colors in the late European 
War and a large proportion were killed or maimed, and a decreasing 
number both here and abroad are taking up gardening as a profession. 
The "call of the wild" seems to be in the blood of many young men, 
and having helped to "save the world for democracy" they have 
greater visions and ambitions and seem unable to content themselves 
with so humble and humdrum a calling as gardening. 
How can we change these things? How can we induce some of our 
growing youths to follow a calling which is at once ancient and 
honorable? All honest labor is honorable we must admit, and can any 
work be more so than the tilling of the brown soil? What are some of 
the reasons that hold men back from following the profession of 
gardening? 
First. — It takes too long to acquire a knowledge of it which will 
bring the man (or woman) following it a moderate income. 
Second. — The fact that the gardener's life is in many respects a 
quiet not to say a lonely one for a large part of the year must be con- 
sidered. He is in many places situated long distances from towns, 
villages, churches, schools, railroads and places of amusement, and 
employers in many places are not very considerate in providing neces- 
sary locomotion to those thus situated. 
Third. — The gardener of whatever degree he may be is classed as 
a domestic servant, and oftimes treated with but scant courtesy. He 
is expected to be on hand three hundred sixty-five days in the year, 
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