[arch 26, 1904. 
fHE Gardening World 
MOTTO FOR THE WEEK: 
“Daffodils, that come before the swallow dares, and take the winds of March with beauty.’ 1 — Shakspere. 
Weekly Prize 
FOR 
Short Articles. 
The Proprietors of The Gardening World 
rill give a oash prize of Ten Shillings for 
HI BEST PARAGRAPH, or SHORT ARTICLE, sent 
j readers during the week. The Editor’. 4 
udgment must be considered final, and he will 
)e at liberty to use any of the contributions 
dent in. The paragraph, or article, must not 
5XCEED ONE COLUMN IN LENGTH, but the Value, 
rather than the length, of the article will be 
wnsidered in making the award. Competitors 
nay send in items of news or comments on 
lews; hints of practical interest to gar- 
leners or growers of plants, fruits, or flowers; 
raccessful methods of propagating plants 
usually considered difficult; or contributions 
N ANT SUBJECT COMING WITHIN THE SPHERE 
7 gardening proper. Letters should be 
ddressed to The Editor, marked “ Competi¬ 
tor,” and posted not later than Friday night 
o ensure insertion in the issue of next week. 
The following Coloured 
Plates have appeared in 
•ccent numbers:— 
May 23 — SAXIFRAGA GRISEBACHII, 
May 30. — DENDROBIUM NOBILE 
iOTUNDIFLORUM and D.n. NOBILIUS. 
July 4.—APHELANDRA AURANTIACA 
IOEZLII. 
August 1— BORONIA HETEROPHYLLA. 
September 12.— SIX NEW DAFFODILS. 
.October 3-LILIUM AURATUM PLA- 
YPHYLLUM SHIRLEY VAR. 
November 14.—ROSE MME. N. LEVA 
’ASSEUR. 
January 2— HYBRID TEA-SCENTED 
10SE IRENE. 
January 30. — TUBEROUS BEGONIA 
.lOUNTESS OF WARWICK. 
Back numbers may be obtained from the 
ublishers, price 2£d. post free. 
This week we present a Half-tone 
Plate of 
IRIS SINDJARENSIS 
lext week we shall give a Coloured 
Plate of 
WISTARIA MULTIJUGA 
RUSSELLIANA. 
*** The prize last week in the Headers’ 
ompetition was awarded to “ H. 
i.rnold,’’for his article on “Bog and 
Fater Garden?,” page 234. 
Views and Reviews. 
The Gardener as a Man. 
On March 3rd last year a paper by Mr. 
F. W. Burbidge, M.A., F.L.S., on the above 
subject was read at a meeting of the Scottish 
Horticultural Association. One or two quota¬ 
tions from this paper appeared in TAe Gar¬ 
dening World last year, but it is now printed 
and published in the “ Transactions of the 
Scottish Horticultural Association.” He 
takes as his test a very good quotation from 
the Bishop cf Ripon, two sentences of which 
we may cite—namely, “ The world is crowded 
with a. number of well-educated young fellows 
who know much but are fit for nothing. It 
is not knowledge but the ability to use it 
which is of importance.” 
Mi'. Burbidge roughly divides gardeners 
into' two classes—good men who are gar¬ 
deners, and good gardeners who' are men. 
Everybody desires that these two- com¬ 
mendable qualities should be united in one. 
M ith this we perfectly agree, but since that 
cannot always be realised it follows that 
people should make the most of the talent 
which each individual already possesses, and, 
of course, it behove® the individual himself to 
develop his talent to its legitimate scope, 
while doing his best to' make good the natural 
deficiencies. 
The writer of the article admits that there 
is yet some levelling up to be done, as every¬ 
body will admit. We think that will always 
continue to be the case. Each generation of 
gardeners will have some members, if not 
many, who require levelling up, and the 
agency or means for doing that is education, 
both practical and literary, or scientific if 
that should be considered a better word. 
Some people are born geniuses 1 , and can 
struggle through life or even reach the top 
rung of the ladder without education or 
polishing, but there are a vast number of 
men, including gardeners; who require to be 
brought up to the level of the most talented, 
or even to a lower level, in order to enable 
them to' carry out their duties efficiently 
either on their own behalf or in the interest 
of their employer. We have before stated 
that it is not the education which a man re¬ 
ceives at school that serves him in the highest 
stead. It is rather the education which he 
gives himself after he leaves school and comes 
to the years of discretion, and begins to 
realise his responsibilities. This is a time 
when hei can lay in a store of knowledge which 
he will most likely be able to turn to prac¬ 
tical account if be rises to the level of his own 
responsibilities, or if allowed to do so by 
those who reckon themselves his superiors. 
The full utilisation of anyone’s particular 
talent does not always depend upon oneself, 
but one may rise superior and in spite of en¬ 
vironment if one has been endowed with suffi¬ 
cient strength of mind to do so. For in¬ 
stance, we remember that Ruskin, in seme 
of his celebrated paragraphs, stated that the 
sons should follow the occupation of the 
father. In some vocations we know that this 
cannot be. It depends to some extent upon 
the father’s occupation and the opportunities 
in hist line that offer themselves. 
The question becomes- more complicated 
and difficult if the sons are numerous and the 
scope limited. Soane sons have neither the 
talent nor the inclination for strenuous en¬ 
deavour in the same occupation as the father, 
and for a father or guardian to exercise any 
compulsion in a. case of that kind would be 
extremely inadvisable. When song come to 
years of discretion they should have some 
choice in the matter, even guided by advice. 
It sometimes happens that one or two in a 
family will rise superior in intellect to all the 
others. We have known two' that had suffi¬ 
cient intellectual capacity to become univer¬ 
sity professors, while another in the same 
family had not the intellect cf the lowest and 
most illiterate of the labourers on the farm. 
The gift had been denied him, as a certain 
notable writer would say. 
These remarks apply to gardeners as well 
as men in all other walks of life. In all ages 
of the world these differences in the intel¬ 
lectual capacity of families have existed, and 
it must remain an open question in all 
nations that will progress and neither stand 
still or retrograde. Many of the most ener¬ 
getic of this country have been forced to 
emigrate for lack of outlet to their intellect 
and inherent talent to push the business of 
life. These men go to swell the volume of 
workers in other countries and communities 
in league against us, either in the commercial 
or 'scient ific world. Mr. Burbidge also quotes 
another text on “ equal social opportunity.” 
He speaks of a time when many had to 
educate themselves individually, and to fit. 
themselves for the struggle in life either in 
the garden or elsewhere. He admits that 
young gardeners near populous centres pos¬ 
sess a great advantage over others who may 
be more isolated in the country and left very 
much to their own resources. While that is 
