60 
ON GARDENERS’ SOCIETIES. 
should appear in a gardening periodical, inquisitiveness is called imme¬ 
diately into exercise to ascertain the author. If it should be the work 
of a gardener in some celebrated establishment, it passes, with very 
little scrutiny, as sterling truth; if the effusion of some intelligent 
journeyman, the merits of the essay are tossed to the winds, while his 
presumption is spoken of in the most contemptuous terms; or if it 
should be the production of a gardener holding a small or formerly 
unheard-of situation, who, feeling his own deficiencies, advocates the 
formation of something like mutual instruction societies, vituperative 
exclamations are immediately put in requisition, while some of the 
swiftest footed of their would-be mightinesses scour the country, not 
more breathless with haste than with proclaiming (aperto ore ) the 
infatuation of such an individual imagining for a moment that they 
would consent to impart to him the results of their experience, or 
humbly condescend to go to him for instruction or improvement. 
I reluctantly advert to these things, not only for the purpose of 
exposing such a deteriorating principle, but also for the purpose of 
impressing upon the minds of those individuals who, like W. P. A., are 
anxious for the formation of societies upon a liberal extended principle, 
that they need not be disappointed, if many whom they have reckoned 
upon would never countenance their meetings. However extended my 
views respecting what such societies might finally become, I deem it to 
be of importance that a commencement should be made upon the simple 
principle of mutual instruction, as thus a society, or a branch, may be 
formed wherever a sufficient number of individuals can be collected. 
The only indispensable qualifications necessary for members of such 
unions are, first, that a man feels himself to be ignorant, and, secondly, 
that he feels that his acting upon the principles of true benevolence is 
absolutely essential to his happiness and enjoyment. Thus qualified, a 
man will freely communicate, without ostentation, what he knows; 
listen patiently to the sentiments of others, however homely the manner 
of expressing them ; treat with gentleness, yet with honest plainness, 
those ideas which may appear to him untenable ; submit his opinions 
to the test of scrutiny and the touchstone of investigation, never 
rejoicing more than when convinced of an error, knowing that from the 
arena of discussion, and the conflict of opinion, truth in all its brilliancy 
shall finally triumphantly emerge. 
But what is to be done ? Let every gardener impressed with the 
importance of such measures, lose no time in tendering his name as 
willing to become a member of a central society, or to endeavour to 
form a branch in his own neighbourhood. It is true that there are great 
difficulties in the way, but they are not so great as they have been; we 
