546 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  28,  1900. 
that  the  “^plodder  ”  with  perhaps  few  natural  talents  frequently  out¬ 
distances  his  fellows  who  rise  above  him  in  real  ability,  which  they 
turn  to  little  account,  simply  because  they  lack  energy  or  possess  it 
only  in  a  spasmodic  sense,  and  are  therefore  wanting  in  stamina. 
But  [what  about  “  the  lady  gardener  ?  ”  some  may  ask.  Is  she 
destined  to  become  a  real  and  serious  force  in  the  horticulture  of  the 
future  ?  I  think  not.  Let  us  admit  that  those  who  conceived  the 
idea  of  founding  establishments  for  the  training  of  lady  gardeners 
were  actuated  by  the  best  of  motives  in  opening  up  new  fields  of 
employment — new  spheres  of  influence — for  the  gentler  sex,  yet  I 
think  there  are  few  practical  horticulturists  who  have  much  faith  in 
the  movement.  They  hold  that  women  as  a  rule  are  physically 
unfit  to  accomplish  the  laborious  work  which  it  is  necessary  for 
them  to  undergo  in  order  to  become  well  trained  gardeners.  I  will 
go  biiill  further  and  say  that  99  per  cent,  of  those  who  have  intelli¬ 
gence  and  ambition  enough  to  aspire  to  become  the  gardener-in-chief 
in  some  extensive  establishment  have  not  the  inclination  to  undergo 
the  necessary  drudgery,  or  if  they  possessed  the  inclination  for  a  time 
it  would  disappear  before  their  object  was  attained.  The  desire  to 
secure  a  post  which  to  many  seems  an  ideal  one  may  be  strong  in  hosts 
of  women,  but  between  the  wish  and  the  accomplishment  thereof 
arises  a  mountain  of  difficulties  which  not  more  than  1  per  cent,  can 
hope  to  surmount.  In  the  lighter  tasks  of  horticulture  connected  with 
the  businesses  of  florists,  there  is  a  great  and  remunerative  sphere  of 
work  open  to  women,  work  which  is  in  every  way  suitable  for  them, 
and  for  the  performance  of  which  they  have  intuitive  talent,  but  as 
real  all-round  gardeners  the  ladies  are  a  failure,  unless  their  object  is 
to  qualify  for  becoming  the  wives  of  mere  men  gardeners.  As  a 
matter  of  fact  many  gardeners’  wives  have  a  fund  of  horticultural 
knowledge,  that  many  a  college-trained  lady  gardener  would  envy  did 
she  but  suspect  its  existence. 
Gardening  for  pleasure  is  a  delightful  pastime  for  any  lady, 
but  it  is  a  totally  different  matter  to  enter  upon  the  work  with 
the  object  of  getting  a  living  at  it,  and  I  fear  that  many  have  already 
been  induced  to  take  up  gardening  as  a  serious  business  of  life  only  to 
meet  with  bitter  d  sappointment,  as  they  gradually  find  out  that  in 
the  occupation  which  looks  so  pleasant  upon  the  surface  there  is  such 
constant  laborious  work  to  be  done  and  so  much  dogged  perseverance 
needed.  Youths  do  not  how  take  to  gardening  as  a  calling  so  readily  as 
formerly,  because  they  find  so  many  opportunities  of  starting  in  other 
occupations  which  offer  better  prospects  and  less  drudgery  in  the  early 
stages.  Is  it  therefore  likely  that  wmmen  will  be  long  in  finding  this 
out  ?  I  think  not ;  the  lady  gardener  has  not  come  to  stay,  but  will 
change  her  calling  as  quickly  as  the  fashions  change.  There  are,  one 
must  admit,  advantages  to  be  found  for  women  in  gardens,  but  these 
lie  rather  in  the  health-giving  fresh  air  of  some  of  the  work  than  in 
the  avocation  as  a  means  of  livelihood. 
There  is,  however,  a  great  problem  in  connection  with  both  horti¬ 
culture  and  agriculture  which  will  have  to  be  dealt  with  before  long, 
as  the  depopulation  of  villages  and  great  scarcity  of  labour  during  the 
summer  months  are  more  apparent  each  year.  This  problem,  in  my 
opinion,  will  only  be  solved  by  the  importation  of  foreign  labour. 
Education  has  done,  and  is  doing,  a  great  work  in  fitting  the  British 
for  the  parts  they  are  to  play  in  the  progress  of  the  world.  With  a 
splendid  world-wide  empire  which  is  daily  becoming  more  solidified, 
there  will  be  a  growing  demand  for  men  with  energy  and  brains  in  all 
parts  to  act  as  the  guiding  spirits  in  horticultural  undertakings  where 
native  labour  is  abundant ;  and  those  who  shirk  no  task  during  the 
training  they  receive  in  their  early  days — and  thus  make  themselves 
proficient  in  both  science  and  practice — will  meet  with  their  reward. 
They  will  also  help  to  uphold  the  supremacy  of  the  Empire  in  distant 
lands,  while  to  perform  the  menial  work  in  Britain,  Kaffirs,  China¬ 
men,  and  perhaps  Japs,  will  be  imported.  This  seems  to  me  to  be  a 
gradual  process  of  evolution  which  education  is  working  in’ the  British 
race.  In  time  it  will  bring  prosperity  by  leaps  and  bounds,  and  when 
that  time  comes  the  great  problem  as  to  “  spheres  of  influence  ”  for 
women  •will  solve  itself — there  will  be  no  necessity  for  them  to  compete 
with  men  in  the  labour  markets  of  the  world. — Oxward. 
Bouquets  of  Wild  Flowers. 
It  was  a  matter  of  common  observation  that  wild  flowers  proved 
scarce  during  the  summer  of  1899  in  many  parts  of  Kent,  and 
probably  elsewhere  also.  Familiar  species  of  the  fields,  hedgerows, 
and  woods  which  had  struggled  into  bloom  speedily  disappeared, 
and  others,  which  are  usually  abundant,  never  flowered.  This  we 
assume  was  to  be  attributed  to  the  dryness  of  the  year,  both 
spring  and  summer  being  very  deficient  in  rainfall,  while  the 
intense  heat  of  the  sun  dried  up  many  plants,  even  to  the  roots. 
We  had  plentiful  rains  in  the  early  months  of  1900,  and  though 
April  was  a  little  dry,  if  we  get  some  pleasant  showers  during 
June  it  is  likely  we  shall  have  soon  a  good  display  of  wild  flowers 
generally. 
This  is  of  interest  to  large  numbers  who  live  far  away  from  the 
country,  as  it  is  one  of  the  philanthropic  agencies  of  our  day,  for¬ 
warding  newly  gathered  wild  flowers  to  hospitals,  workhouses,  schools, 
and  sick  persons  in  towns,  the  occupation  of  collecting  and  packing 
affording  agreeable  employment  to  those  having  the  opportunity,  with 
spare  time.  Unfortunately,  it  sometimes  happens  that  bouquets  or 
parcels  of  flowers  arrive  in  a  condition  which  is  disappointing  to  the 
receivers  ;  possibly  the  weather  may  be  blameable,  or  the  postal 
authorities,  but  often  the  cause  is  injudicious  picking  and  packing. 
For  one  thing,  with  the  majority  of  wild  species,  it  is  no  use  to  send 
fully  expanded  flowers ;  they  dry  or  fall  to  pieces.  Sprigs  and  stems, 
severed  by  a  pull,  will  fade  more  rapidly  than  if  cut  off  with  a 
knife  or  scissors.  Nor  is  it  advisable  when  that  can  be  avoided 
to  gather  flowers  which  are  to  travel  during  the  heat  of  a  summer’s 
day  ;  it  is  better  to  take  them  in  the  cool  of  early  morning  or  evening. 
We  frequently  see  children  carrying  bunches  of  wild  flowers  in  their 
warm  hands,  they  are  seldom  worth  keeping  if  taken  far  exposed  to 
the  air.  Should  they  not  be  enclosed  pro  tern,  in  a  tin  box  or  case,, 
like  the  botanist’s  vasculum,  they  may  be  laid  in  a  basket  of  some 
kind,  where  they  can  retain  any  moisture  there  is  about  them,  and 
even  in  a  bag  of  cloth  or  leather  they  will  not  be  injured,  only  a  mixed 
gathering  of  plants,  tough  and  tender,  must  not  be  pressed  closely 
together  in  transit. 
Some  people  say  that  if  wild  plants  are  lifted  by  the  roots  and 
then  sent  away,  they  keep  fresher  than  do  portions  cut  off  ;  but  it  is 
not  always  convenient  to  remove  them  thus,  and  except  in  the  case  of 
very  common  species  it  is  scarcely  advisable  to  carry  them  from  their 
habitats  bodily.  It  is  this  digging  up  of  specimens  which  has  almost 
denuded  many  woods  of  Primroses  and  Violets,  though  it  has  enriched 
gardens  for  a  time.  Again,  some  persons  think  that  when  wild 
flowers  have  had  an  hour’s  journey  or  more,  before  they  are  brought 
indoors  they  should  be  freshened  up  by  putting  the  stalks  in  water 
before  they  are  packed  to  send  away.  “Wood  Anemones,”  remarks 
Miss  Jekyll,  “protest  against  being  picked,  and  come  home  limp, 
closed,  and  looking  very  unhappy ;  all  the  same  they  will  recover  if 
they  have  a  bath  for  an  hour  or  two.”  Certain  delicate  Umbellifers 
suffer,  and  rosaceous  species,  too,  unless  carefully  dealt  with,  but  we 
have  sturdy  wildlings  which  do  not  mind  rough  treatment.  Then 
there  are  some  wild  flowers  that  appear  averse  to  living  in  water  even 
for  a  brief  period,  in  spite  of  such  expedients  as  putting  fragments  of 
charcoal  in,  or  adding  a  little  ammonia  and  other  contrivances  for 
vitalising  them.  The  lady  above  named  also  tells  us  that  sprigs  or 
branches  taken  from  hardwooded  trees  and  shrubs  should  have  the  cut 
end  sliced  up  one  side,  or  cut  through  the  middle,  which  enables  the 
water  to  enter  more  readily.  She  has  even  found  it  serviceable  to  give 
an  end  of  a  twig  a  smart  blow  with  a  heavy  hammer. 
When  it  comes  to  packing  wild  flowers  to  travel  by  post  or  rail,. 
I  think,  while  all  crushing  should  be  avoided,  it  is  desirable  to  put 
them  together  closely.  Nor  do  they  require  air  while  travelling.  A 
loose  arrangement  in  packing  causes  a  vibration,  or  perhaps  abrasions, 
which  are  damaging  to  many  flowers.  Tin  boxes  might  be  considered 
preferable,  though  some  prefer  a  light  wood  to  these,  because  the  tin 
is  more  affected  by  the  sun  or  other  heat  if  the  package  should. 
