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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  15,  1900. 
GARDENS  AND  GARDEN  MANAGEMENT. 
China  has  probably  been  possessed  of  gardens  in  a  general  sense 
lonser  than  any  other  country,  except  those  recorded  in  the  oldest 
and  best  book  in  the  world.  So  far  as  I  can  learn  no  other  country 
takes  more  interest  in  the  culture  of  small  plots  of  land,  which  may 
be  called  gardens,  than  China  to-day.  Greece  and  Eomo  paid  some 
attention  to  the  subject  when  in  the  heyday  of  their  prosperity,  but 
it  was  confined  more  to  the  large  towns  and  cities  than  to  the 
country  districts. 
Coining  to  our  own  country,  we  have  to  admit  that  gardens,  as  we 
understand  them,  are  of  comparatively  modern  creation.  Climatic 
causes  probably  had  much  to  do  with  this,  though  no  doubt  the 
cultivation  of  small  plots  of  land  was  more  general  in  the  midseason 
of  our  civilisation  than  is  the  case  now — in  making  this  assertion  I 
mean^ro  rata  to  the  population.  Various  causes  have  brought  about 
the  great  development  of  gardens  in  our  time.  I  would  fain  hope 
that  one  of  the  greatest  of  these  is  the  increased  love  of  and  interest  in 
the  purer  pleasures  of  life,  which  must  result  from  the  work  and 
reaping  the  produce  of  a  well  tilled  and  dressed  garden,  whether  it  be 
a  large  or  a  small  one. 
The  extension  of  commerce  caused  by  steam  has  no  doubt  added 
to  our  national  wealth,  whilst  at  the  same  lime  there  has  been  a  more 
equal  distribution  of  it.  Hence  much  larger  numbers  of  the  popula¬ 
tion  are  enabled  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  produced  by  gardens  than 
bt-fore.  I  am  one  of  those  practical  enthusiasts  who  think  that  we 
are  a  long  way  from  being  at  the  end  of  our  efforts  in  this  respect — I 
allude  to  public  and  private  gardens  of  all  sorts  and  sizes,  such  as 
allotment  gardens,  botanic  gardens,  village  gardens  or  playgrounds. 
Rose  gardens,  perennial  gardens,  alpine  gardens,  fruit  gardens,  school 
gardens,  window  gardens,  and  other  forms.  Of  course^  once  we  admit 
a  covering  of  glass  we  may  go  on  much  further. 
I  must  not  now  enter  into  the  question  of  exhibitions  of  garden 
produce,  the  subject  being  too  large.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  they  are  a 
nineteenth  century  creation,  and  so  far  as  my  experience  goes  have 
dune  much  good  on  the  whole,  in  increasing  the  interest  in  and  the 
pleasures  to  be  derived  from  gardens. 
We  now  come  to  the  management  of  gardens.  For  this,  practice  is 
obviously  the  first  essential.  Where  should  this  practice  be  acquired  ? 
I  would  reply  in  a  moderate-sized,  well-managed  garden,  where  good 
average  results  are  obtained.  On  this  subject  I  would  say  to  young 
men — Do  not  be  too  anxious  for  a  time  to  get  under  a  glass  roof.  In 
these  days  of  multiplication  of  glass  houses,  and  the  consequent 
interest  in  what  is  grown  therein,  there  is  danger  of  outdoor  practice 
being  looked  down  upon.  Most  gardeners  who  have  passed  the 
meiidian  of  life  will  bear  me  out  when  I  say  that  the  base  of  all 
sound  gardening  is  to  be  well  grounded  in  outdoor  work.  A  period 
of  not  less  than  three  years  is  essential  for  this '  purpose.  Apart  from 
the  necessary  but  somewhat  limited  demand  for  specialists,  more  men 
fail  in  outdoor  than  indoor  gardening.  By  no  means  do  I  wish  to 
speak  lightly  of  wha+  may  be  fitly  termed  the  higher  duties  of  a 
skilled  gardener — viz.,  under  glass  culture.  I  only  wish  to  show  that 
in  my  experience  more  young  men  fail  in  managing  the  outside  than 
the  indoor  department.  I  know  of  a  garden  owner  who,  when 
selecting  a  new  garden  manager,  said,  “  I  want  a  man  who  will  give 
us  a  regular  supply  of  the  best  vegetables.  My  place  smells  of  Fine 
Apples,  but  we  have  not  a  fresh  young  Cabbage  fit  for  thq  table.” 
Having  become  expert  in  the  use  of  a  spade  and  all  other  garden 
implements,  the  most  important  help  for  a  young  man  is  a  well-kept 
memorandum  book  of  times  of  sowing  and  planting  and  other  necessary 
operations  of  outdoor  crops.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  write  these  in  the 
left  hand  page,  and  leave  the  right  hand  one  blank  for  remarks  thereon. 
Attend  to  the  smaller  details  of  all  outdoor  work  as  closely  as  to  the 
potting  of  a  20-guinea  Orchid  or  other  valuable  plant.  When  changing 
situations  try  to  get  into  one  where  the  general  culture  is  on  somewhat 
different  lines  from  the  one  you  are  leaving.  Use  a  portion  of  your 
leisure  time  in  reading  and  mastering  good  books  and  papers  bearing 
upon  the  vocation  you  have  chosen.  As  time  goes  on  extend  this 
reading  and  writing  to  other  books.  I  do  not  say  young  men  should 
not  have  recreation,  far  from  it,  I  only  wish  to  infer  there  is  a  time 
for  all  things. 
After,  say,  ten  years  or  upwards  of  such  experience  as  I  have 
hinted  at,  the  time  will  come  to  look  out  for  a  garden  to  manage. 
The  young  man's  first  charge  in  this  respect  is  a  very  important  epoch 
in  his  life.  Careful  bearings  should  be  taken.  Besides  the  eyes  of 
those  who  employ  you  tho^e  of  your  confreres  will  be  more  or  less 
upon  you.  Fay  strict  attention  to  the  wishes  and  instructions  of  the 
former;  remember  that,  in  the  main,  it  is  their  time  and  means  you 
are  using.  Do  not  be  afraid  of  unthinking,  if  not  ignorant,  people 
classing  you  as  merely  a  servant.  To  my  mind  the  motto,  “  I  serve,” 
is  a  noble  one,  and  the  College  of  Heralds  has  not  a  better  one  inscribed 
on  its  records.  Always  be  loyal  to  those  who  employ  you.  If  a  man 
is  found  faithful  in  small  matters  it  may  be  the  passport  to  a  better 
p(  sition;  if  not  so,  you  have  the  coosolation  of  knowing  that  yi>; 
have  tried  to  do  your  duty  to  the  best  of  your  ability. 
When  circumstances  prevent  this  loyal  service,  seek  the  first 
opportunity  of  securing  another  situation ;  but  have  good  grounds 
tor  your  action.  Of  course  there  are  unprincipled  and  unreasonable 
employers  as  well  as  servants  of  that  sort.  As  a  rule  the  former  do 
not  keep  efificient  gardeners  very  long,  nor  the  latter  succeed  in  life. 
Ascertain  the  likes  and  dislikes  of  those  who  employ  you,  and  try  to 
meet  them.  Aim  at  having  all  departments  of  the  garden  in  as  good 
general  condition  as  the  means  at  hand  will  allow  ;  do  not  get  ship¬ 
wrecked  at  the  outset  in  wanting  to  exhibit  the  produce  grown  under 
your  management,  if  your  employer  objects.  Most  of  them  will  grant 
this  privilege  in  due  time,  if  they  find  the  general  work  well  done.  I 
once  heard  an  employer  remark  “  that  the  best  exhibition  table  for  his 
■garden  was  his  dinner  table,  drawing  rooms,  and  garden  generally.” 
At  the  present  day  the  majority  of  employers  take  a  reasonable  and 
liberal  view  of  exhibiting. 
Avoid  trying  to  prove  to  your  employer  the  incompetence  of 
your  predecessor.  To  mo  this  is  a  blot  on  the  fair  fame  of  a 
body  of  men,  who,  in  the  main,  sympathise  with  their  fellow 
workers  in  our  ancient  craft.  If  things  are  in  a  neglected  condition 
all  the  better  for  the  new  comer  to  show  his  skill  and  management. 
Visit  other  gardens  when  opportunity  occurs.  Few  observant  men 
can  go  into  gardens  without  learning  something  either  to  imitate  or 
avoid.  In  your  dealings  with  those  under  your  management  try  and 
secure  their  respect.  This  is  best  done  by  fair  and  consistent  treat¬ 
ment.  Do  not  always  act  as  if  the  garden  you  are  managing  was 
especially  made  for  your  own  pleasure.  Of  course,  as  manager,  you 
are  responsible  for  results,  and  must  have  orders  obeyed. 
Managers  of  most  large  gardens  have  more  responsible  positions 
than  they  used  to  have.  Much  more  is  expected  than  formerly,  and 
too  frequently  the  means  to  acquire  these  increased  wants  are  more  or 
less  curtailed,  hence  the  necessity  of  garden  managers  keeping  their 
minds  open  to  the  best  ideas  and  methods  of  production.  A  chief 
who  has  a  loyal  staff  can  make  things  meet  far  better  than  with  a 
disloyal  one.  Do  not  neglect  to  take  a  personal  interest  in  the  general 
welfare  of  those  employed  under  yon.  Try  to  be  courteous  and  civil 
to  all,  and  give  help  and  encouragement  when  you  can. 
In  conclusion  I  Avould  say.  Try  to  obtain  as  much  produce  and 
advantage  from  the  means  at  hand  as  is  possible,  and  speaking 
generally,  you  will  be  rewarded  with  a  comfortable  home,  a  clear 
conscience,  and  the  respect  of  those  who  employ  you.— (A  Paper 
read  hy  Mr.  H.  J.  Clayton,  Grimston,  at  the  Hessle  Gardeners' 
Mutual  Improvement  Society.') 
RHODODENDRONS  IN  THE  WOODLAND. 
If  the  task  were  put  before  me  to  pick  out  the  most  indispensable 
shrub  in  the  garden  I  should  have  no  hesitation  in  naming  the 
Rhododendron.  When  in  full  bloom  in  the  early  summer  it  is 
unsurpassed,  and  after  the  flowers  have  gone  the  habit  of  the  plant 
and  the  bright  green  of  its  foliage  make  it  a  suitable  specimen  for  any 
position.  The  Rhododendron,  like  other  shrubs,  has  its  likes  and 
dislikes,  though  it  is  by  no  means  fastidious.  It  delights  in  a  light 
sandy  compost  well  supplied  with  humus,  and  it  shows  a  distaste  for 
very  heavy  land  and  soil  in  which  lime  prevails.  Thus  we  have  it 
that  in  some  places  Rhododendrons  grow  so  freely  and  increase  so 
rapidly  that  they  are  almost  weeds,  while  in  others,  in  spite  of  made 
beds,  there  is  difficulty  in  getting  them  to  thrive.  Fortunate,  then,  is 
the  landscape  gardener  who  pursues  his  occupation  where  Rhodo¬ 
dendrons  do  well. 
The  garden  culture  of  this  useful  shrub  is  an  old  theme,  so  I  will 
extend  my  observations  beyond  the  precincts  of  the  garden  to  the 
woodland.  In  the  first  place  my  ideal  pleasure  ground  is  not  that 
which  surrounds  so  many  English  mansions,  standing  in  the  middle 
of  parks,  and  having  a  forbidding  fence  encircling  the  domain.  The 
happiest  idea  of  a  garden  is  seen  in  instances  where  the  pleasure 
grounds  blend  naturally  into  the  woodland  without  any  definite 
boundary  line,  so  that  one  really  becomes  part  of  the  other.  What  a 
relie:  it  is  alter  the  garden  to  find  yourself  almost  unconsciously  in  the 
wild  luxuriance  of  the  woodland,  about  whose  grass  walks  there  is  a 
soltuess  and  springiness  that  encourages  one  to  proceed.  A  garden 
that  ends  abruptly  lacks  a  great  charm  compared  with  that  which 
loses  itself  gradually  in  woodland  or  wilderness. 
The  woodland,  like  the  garden,  may  be  well  furnished,  or  it  may 
be  bare  and  uninteresting.  Some  woods  can  never  be  the  latter,  because 
Nature  does  the  furni  hing.  She  provides  the  Aconites  and  Blue¬ 
bells,  the  Forget-me-nots  and  Periwinkles,  and  clothes  the  slopes  and 
dells  with  Bracken  and  other  Ferns,  which  have  always  a  touch  of 
beauty,  whether  it  be  in  the  bright  emerald  of  early  growth,  the 
darker  green  of  matured  life,  the  yellow  and  golden  brown  of  decay, 
