Ma7 10, 1888. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
' S75 
PRIZE ESSAYS AND PRIZE 
i 
WINNING. 
S OME time ago Mr. S. Thacker, a gi’eat supporter of the Notts 
Horticultural Society, offered prizes for essays on the duty 
of the gardener to his employer, to be sent under seal with a 
motto, and to be read by a gentleman at one of the Society’s 
meetings. The essays were admirably read on April 11th by a 
Nottingham gentleman, Mr. Woodward, though he had not seen 
the MSS. until just before the meeting. The. first prize of 20s., 
accompanied by the first-class certificate of the Society, was ad¬ 
judged to “ Excelsior,” the nom deplume that was first adopted by 
Mr. N. H. Pownall, Lenton Gardens, Nottingham, in his contri- 
biutions to the Cottage Gardener many years ago, and who has 
subsequently enriched the pages of the Journal of Horticidture. 
The certificate he has won will be prized by him, and he deserves 
it better than many deserve the prizes they win at shows. There 
are able gardeners in various parts of the kingdom who have done 
much more towards the advancement of horticulture, and in pro¬ 
moting superior cultivation, than half the showmen have ; but the 
■cduc-itional work of the former, in the form of essays, read or 
published, founded on useful knowledge acquired by long practice, 
is seldom recognised, while “honours” without number have been 
dispensed to exhibitors for plants, fruit, and vegetables, that have, 
on the face of them, the stamp of inferiority, and not only so, but 
prizes havo been adjudged to men for what they never grew, but 
bought, begged, or borrowed for the occasion. Thus the pot¬ 
hunters and schemers are rewarded, while the brain-workers, who 
■strive and study to improve themselves and benefit others, are, with 
few exceptions, severely overlooked. Offering prizes for essays on 
subjects pertaining to gardening, and as affecting those engaged in 
it, whether as masters or men, is a step in the right direction ; but 
power should be reserved to withhold them when devoid of sub¬ 
stantial value and literary merit, as some we have seen undoubtedly 
are. iMr. Pownall’s is not one of them, and we have pleasure in 
assigning it a place in our columns. Here it is :—• 
SUBJECT ; THE DUTY OF THE GARDENER TO HIS EMPLOYER. 
A general subject, dealing with the gardener in general, or the 
profession as a whole, and the employer in general, or the body of 
employers as a whole. The connection between these two repre¬ 
sentative people is the duty of the one to the other, the lesser to 
-the greater, the servant’s duty to the master ; and that connection, 
seeing that no special type of employer or master is indicated, and 
no particular gardener specified, whether the gardener with “ acres 
of glass and regiments of men” under him, or the gardener of spade 
and wheelbarrow, worked by himself, can only be treated in a 
general way, broadly and comprehensively, primarily and essen¬ 
tially so as to principles, and only relatively so and in a lesser 
degree as to details. To attempt to go into details, having no guide 
in what direction to go, would most surely laud the writer in un¬ 
certainty and confusion. There are great principles which embrace 
all the relations of employer and employe, and these should 
govern, and must govern, the gardener’s duty to his employer^ 
whatever sort of gardener or employer each respectively may be. 
It is clearly impossible to reduce the subject to one class of 
gardeners and one particular section of employers. The foundation 
of the principles alluded to lie in two wise sayings—“ Do as you 
No. 411.—VoL. XVI., Third Series, 
would be done by,” and “ Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do 
it with all thy might.” 
The first thing between the gardener and his employer is the 
contract, or engagement. It is the duty of the gardener toward.s 
himself, as well as tow.ards his master, to see that his engagement 
is based on fair, honourable, and profitable lines, and that that 
engagement is made perfectly clear and open, and as far as possible 
put into “ black and white.” It is his duty in this contract to see 
that he gets proper remuneration—a cheaply paid servant is often 
a dear one to the master ; the time or hours of work positively 
fixed, holidays arranged, severance of connection provided for, the 
privileges and allowances as to house, coals, light, vegetables, com¬ 
mission on sales, if any, &c., all made plain and unmistakeablo, so 
that there may be no after difference, but that everything may 
work smoothly. In these arrangements, and in all others which 
may arise, the gardener must consider and act upon the golden rule 
of “ Doing as he would be done by.” The contract or engagement 
concluded, the gardener must see that the engagement thus entered 
upon be loyally and efficiently carried out. 
It may appear to some a small matter and a superfluous one, 
but it is none the less the duty, the bounden duty, of the gardener 
to his employer, that he, the gardener, personally respect himself, 
and order himself rightly. “ Know thyself ” is the teaching of the 
ancients, and means very largely respect thyself, reverence thyself, 
rise to the level (and above, if possible !) of thyself. This done, 
there will be no room for pride and self-conceit. In person the 
gardener should be scrupulously clean and tidy, appropriately', 
becomingly', and serviceably dressed. He must be sober and 
industrious, courteous in manner and speech, faultlessly honest in 
everything, and careful that all who are in any way' connected with 
the garden be honest also. Whilst his hands are fully occupied he 
must be constant in filling his brain with wholesome ideas by 
observation and reading. He must be quick as well as sound in 
judgment, and prompt and decisive in action. He must economise 
his time so as to get the most out of it he can, and always on the 
watch to make his time and labour bulk out into usefully resultful 
ends. He must keep down bad personal habits as drinking, 
smoking (if a smoker the habit must never be indulged in in 
working hours), gambling, flirting with his female fellow-servants, 
dawdling, or, as it is commonly expressed “ awming,” about, late 
hours, &c., as well as fussines'^, faddiness, and fidgettiness in his 
work, and also conceitedness, previo’usly hinted at. These habits 
all apply with strong force to the young gardener, and some of 
them to the elder gardener. The first-named bad habit, it 
must be said with sorrow, unfortunately seems to beset the elder 
gardener, and has been the ruin of many a good man. Loss of 
interest in his work and neglect of his personal appearance, to say 
nothing of other things, often come out of this habit, and both are 
a breach of the gardener’s duty to his employer. Bad habits are 
easily formed, but are not so easily broken off. 
The gardener’s duty to his employer in all money matters 
must be exercised wisely and conscientiously as to what he buys 
himself, in plants, seeds, manures, or other garden necessities. 
He must see to it that he does not get anything but what will 
do good to his employer or his estate, not indulging in fanciful 
purchases but only in really necessary things, and taking great 
care that what he gets shall be equal to the money spent. It 
must be also a duty with him to see that his work be well done, 
and constantly, not just once or twice and then left off ; to see 
that whatever comes into the garden, whether by his orders or 
his employer’s, shall be true and good in quality and of full value 
as to weight and quantity. His garden accounts must be kept with 
the strictest regard to economy, and so managed and cared for as 
if he had to pay them himself. It is his duty to his employer, and 
very much so to himself, that Le krrp correct account of the 
produce of the garden and how consumed or disposed of. His 
tools and implements must be always kept in workmanlike order 
No. 20G7.—VoL. LXXVIII., Old Series. 
