September 8. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
435 
Society, up to the first day of September, 1853, shall pay 
the sum of sixpence, for which he will receive a copy of the 
printed Rules of the Society; but after that period there 
will be charged a Registration fee of two shillings for a 
head Gardener, and one shilling for an under Gardener, in 
addition to the price of the Rules. 
X. All members, who receive situations through the 
efforts of the Society, shall pay to the funds of the Society 
as follows:—For the situation of head Gardener, if his 
wages do not exceed twenty-two shillings per week, the sum 
of five shillings; if twenty-three shillings and upwards, the 
sum of ten shillings. For all under Gardeners, the sum 
of two shillings and sixpence. 
Not willing to rely upon our own unaided judgment, 
we applied for an opinion to a head-gardener, upon 
whose clear-sightedness, and long connection with the 
employment, we place great reliance. The following is 
his very just reply:— 
“ Many men of honourable feeling would desire that 
something were done in this direction, and yet cannot 
see their way clearly. I have had something to do in 
kindred matters; and it grieves me to say, that hitherto 
gardeners have been too envious, narrow-minded, or 
selfish, to guarantee success to any object emanating 
from, and conducted by, themselves alone. I do not, 
by any means, think that the present plan of filling 
gardener’s places is at all like perfection; but yet I do 
not think it has sent more unsuitable men to places than 
the proposed one would be likely to do. The best 
places are now filled by applications to gentlemens’ 
gardeners, or to first-rate nurserymen, both of whom 
take a trouble in investigating matters, so as to secure, 
as far as possible, their own character for fidelity and 
discernment. Even under such a Society, the matter, 
at length, must be left with an acting secretary. The 
great advantage to such a system, to all minds of inde¬ 
pendent feeling, is, that you would pay a stipulated sum 
on receiving a place through them, while, in the case 
of a nurseryman, unless something of the same sort 
wei’e done, you never know when the obligation of 
gratitude should be considered as discharged. The 
prospectus seems to go no farther than the registry at 
Mr. Week’s, and, perhaps, not so far as the qualification- 
paper of the firm of Knight and Perry. I had my 
doubts of the propriety of some of the last gentlemens’ 
tests; inasmuch as I saw that it was wholly an em¬ 
ployer’s question, every care being taken to obtain a 
good gardener; but nothing whatever to secure that 
deserving man a good master; whilst the implied re¬ 
fusal of the firm to give their countenance to those 
whose late employers did not satisfactorily sign a quali¬ 
fication-paper, might easily ^be turned into an instru¬ 
ment of wrong. I only gave up the idea of noticing 
these matters publicly, when the firm told me, that 
when a qualification-test could not be obtained, they 
would be satisfied with the verdict of several of the best 
gardeners in the neighbourhood. Now, this seems to 
be the principal object of the Registration Society. 
There is nothing at all of the nature of a trade protec¬ 
tion society mooted; and yet I fear that the employers of 
gardeners would be too apt to look upon it as such, 
and, therefore, would sooner see such a registry in the 
hands of neutral persons, or in that of a tradesman, 
than in that of professional gardeners. Besides, the 
Society seems to go on the assumption that places are 
filled by unsuitable persons; but I have always found 
that really good places are generally occupied by men 
of fair professional reputation, and that the causes of 
discomfort too often lie deeper—namely, in moral con¬ 
duct—than such a Society can well attempt to cure. I 
know not of one uncomfortable collision, but other 
matters than gardening were generally the cause. 
“ Wishing to act in a straightforward, independent 
manner, I would, however, sooner pay a trifle, than 
incur a lasting obligation. But let us just cursorily 
enquire, if the prospectus before us is all that is wanted. 
“ 1st. It should unhesitatingly command our confidence. 
But where has the Society met? Who constituted the 
committee? Who are the committee? The names of 
most of them are known to me, and all known honour¬ 
able men; but we have often more than one person of 
the same name ; then why withhold the full address of 
the committee, with a preamble as to when and how 
constituted, and the address, for further information ? 
“ 2nd. The title of the Society shoidd be suitable. 
Then what is the use of the word united ? Many 
knew the ill-effects of the title of the ‘ United Gar¬ 
deners’ and Land Stewards’ Journal,’ though started for 
a truly benevolent object. There is much ‘ in a name.’ 
The very word united kept gentlemen from patronising 
it. Visions of tenure clubs, united Irishmen, &c., 
floated through their mind, and they left the concern to 
sink ; as many gardeners, though professing adherence 
to the object, allowed it to sink, so far as the primary 
object was concerned. Will it be believed, that the 
very class to be benefited became the most callous. 
Preserve this name, and no prophesy is needed to 
chronicle the number of applications for gardeners. 
“ Now for a few comments on the Rules:— II. Treats 
of investigating and registering the capabilities of gar¬ 
deners. This is done already in many establishments. 
How is it to be done better ? 
“ IV. Has reference to protect the profession being 
encroached upon by pretenders. But will not this smack 
a little of the tenure club, that would attempt to regulate 
free trade in labour ? Also, he must encourage, where- 
ever practicable, the employment of under gardeners, 
in preference to ordinary labourers. Now, have the 
framers thought of this in relation to social economics? 
Why are there so many gardeners wanting places, even 
now, when most trades are brisk? Is it not because 
the supply greatly exceeds the demand—and what is 
the remedy ? Increase the blue aproners; employ none 
but young gardeners, to bring down still farther the 
wages of a good gardener in the market; and because 
for every good place there are so many candidates, it 
is desirable to have still more. I would reduce the 
number of gardeners, by making it more difficult, in a 
pecuniary view, to be got. The striking young gar¬ 
deners by cuttings, as it were, as they do in some parts 
of the north, employing scarcely any but apprentices, 
has overstocked the trade. In many parts of England 
we may have some trouble with labourers, but we do 
