March  10,  1898. 
218  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
- - 
PHILOSOPHY  IN  OAEDENINO. 
Is  there  any?  What  is  it?  Ta  order  to  start  upon  the  level 
ground  of  reason  it  is  important  that  no  misconception  should  handicap 
the  effort  to  run  beyond  dispute,  and  it  will  clear  the  way  consider¬ 
ably  to  have  the  simplest  definition  possible  of  the  term  philosophy. 
Possibly  there  are  as  many  so-called  philosophies  as  there  are  varieties 
of  Potatoes,  but  after  all  the  one  is  philosophy,  the  other  the  Potato 
till  the  end  of  the  chapter. 
For  present  purposes  our  subject  may  be  divided  into  two  phases, 
the  one  in  direct  relation  to  garden  work,  the  other  more  or  less  so  to 
the  worker.  These  harmoniously  blended  represent,  to  my  mind,  the 
highest  potential  of  power  that  the  worker  can  wield.  Some  there  are, 
perhaps,  who  have  little  or  no  faith  in  things  they  can  neither  hear, 
see,  smell,  taste,  nor  feel,  and  one  cannot  but  admit  that  it  is  the 
commonest  of  common  sense  to  find  in  the  senses  a  proof  of  existence  ; 
but  it  appears  to  be  the  vague  application  of  the  term  which  is  at 
fault,  resulting  chiefly  in  an  intangible  quantity  that  some  practical 
men  will  have  none  of  so  far  as  gardening  is  concerned.  Others,  with 
more  faith  and  probably  less  reason,  have  regarded  it  as  a  kind  of 
sterilising  substance  detrimental  to  the  felicities  of  life. 
In  a  standard  ivork,  “The  Imperial  Dictionary,”  philosophy  is 
described  as  “  the  hypothesis  or  system  on  which  natural  effects  are 
explained.”  Gardeners  dealing  with  the  best  illustrated  work  of 
Nature,  so  far  as  its  flora  is  concerned,  have,  I  think,  every  right  to 
be  placed  in  the  higher  ranks  of  the  great  school  of  philosophy.  “  The 
Imperial  Dictionary  ”  also  informs  me  that  to  reason  philosophically  is 
to  reason  “  calmly,”  “  wisely,”  “  rationally,”  and  conclusively  settles 
the  question  of  meaning,  so  far  as  we  are  concerned,  by  further  stating 
“it  is  to  search  into  the  reason  of  things;  to  investigate  phenomena, 
and  assign  rational  causes  for  their  existence.”  To  sum  up  the  matter 
in  a  few  words,  philosophic  inquiry  is  the  searching  for  truth,  and  the 
aim  of  the  philosopher  is  to  find  it. 
The  object  of  this  paper  is  rather  to  show  the  value  of  philosophy 
relative  to  our  work,  and  its  influence  over  the  worker,  than  to 
prove  the  existence  of  what  probably  but  little  real  scepticism 
obtains,  any  that  does  remain  being  accounted  for  by  a  conservatism 
which  confines  it  to  the  higher  exposition — viz.,  that  in  which  the 
mind  is  engaged  in  the  analytical  researches  of  its  own  attributes, 
such  as  is  exemplified  in  Locke’s  “Essays  on  the  Human  Under¬ 
standing.”  Beyond  this  there  are  but  the  dizzy  heights  leading  to 
the  First  Great  Cause  that  few  dare  explore.  It  is,  however,  a 
pleasing  task  to  work  out  the  connection  with,  and  trace  the  bearings 
of,  our  subject  relative  to  gardening  and  gardeners. 
The  Work. 
To  work  upon  philosophic  principles  is  to  understand  and  to  obey 
certain  natural  laws ;  and  in  this  intelligent  recognition  and  obedience 
is  derived  the  power  to  command  success.  All  else  is  chance,  and 
chance  is  often  the  road  to  chaos.  Whether  it  is  an  Orchid  or  an 
Apple  tree,  a  Mushroom  or  a  Mangold,  all  equally  important  in  their 
way,  they  are  subjected  to  certain  natural  laws  of  life  which  may 
never  be  ruthlessly  broken  or  seldom  evaded  with  impunity ;  in  fact, 
if  we  treat  them  philosophically  we  treat  them  rationally,  and,  as  a 
rule,  successfully.  Any  exceptions — failures — must  proceed  either 
from  a  subversion  of  those  laws,  or  from  one  or  other  of  those 
peculiar  natural  methods  employed  for  a  higher  design  than  enters 
into  the  scope  of  our  mental  vision. 
“We  know  all  this;  it  is  what  every  intelligent  worker  brings 
into  his  practice,”  may  be  remarked.  Exactly  so.  But  there  are  a 
few  things,  and  rather  important  ones  too,  which  are  apt  to  be 
overlooked.  There  are  more  things  that  enter  into  our  work  than  in 
our  philosophy.  Many  men,  many  methods — various  means  to  the 
same  end.  Foresight  keeps  the  one  object  in  view,  but  views  it  from 
different  angles,  each  angle  being  represented  by  certain  local  circum¬ 
stances  which  all  the  windy  argument  available  will  never  square  one 
with  the  other. 
In  our  prospective  reckonings  we  too  often  calculate  without  our 
host — Nature  ;  for  in  the  sum  total  of  those  computations  not  only  is 
all  that  is  probable  to  be  taken  into  account,  but  all  that  is  possible  may 
not  wisely  be  ignored.  If  success  in  any  particular  direction  is  not 
achieved  it  is  either  that  the  estimate  has  been  too  high  or  that  some¬ 
thing  has  been  omitted  in  the  calculation,  for  it  must  be  admitted 
that  there  is  a  cause  for  every  effect,  be  that  effect  what  it  may. 
Apparent  inconsistencies  will  disappear  if  the  subject  is  considered 
comprehensively. 
We  may  say — do  say — that  all  calculations  are  liable  to  be  upset 
by  the  forces  of  Nature ;  by  the  May  frost  which  comes  in  every,  say, 
three  or  four  years,  or  the  hailstorm  to  smash  the  glass  once  in  a 
decade;  but  what  has  happened  is  always  liable  to  be  repeated 
whether  on  the  larger  scale  of  a  cataclysm  or  the  smaller  —  the 
catastrophies — we  are  dealing  with.  The  wise  man  never  omits  them 
from  his  estimate,  making  due  provision  with  his  covering  material 
against  the  frost,  and  with  the  insurance  company  against  the  hail ; 
hence  his  reckonings  cannot  be  upset,  and  the  foolish  man,  having  not 
calculated  upon  these  always  possible  contingencies,  the  upsetting  of 
his  calculations  are  out  of  the  question.  If  he  calculated  to  escape, 
then,  indeed,  he  reckoned  without  his  host,  who  is  too  imperious  to  be 
so  slighted.  It  is  a  grand  thing,  doubtless,  to  trust  in  providence  if,  and 
I  trust  no  wrong  inference  may  be  drawm  in  saying  so,  if  it  is  the 
providence  of  bast  mats  and  hailstorm  insurance  premiums,  otherwise 
it  is  merely  tempting  providence  and  courting  the  catastrophe.  In 
the  first  instance  I  hope  to  have  shown  that  positive  philosophy  was 
evident  with  the  wise  man,  and  sufficient  of  the  negative  kind  in  his 
antitype  to  point  a  moral. 
When  planting  a  number  of  common  Laurels  some  years  since  I 
was  asked  what  they  cost.  “  Sixpence  each,”  was  the  reply.  “  Oh, 
I  bought  a  quantity  from  So-and-So,  even  larger  than  those,  at  the 
rate  of  a  penny  each  ;  you  know  he  is  not  a  professional  nurseryman, 
and  does  not  look  for  large  profits.”  The  result  was,  I  sent  for  500 ; 
they  proved  to  be  straggling  things,  which  had  never  been  trans¬ 
planted,  with  a  few  thongs  where  a  mass  of  fibrous  roots  should  have 
been ;  in  fact,  dear  at  the  price.  I  need  hardly  say  that  the  extra 
fivepence  paid  for  the  good  plants  partly  represented  the  care  and 
labour  spent  in  consecutive  replanting,  with  the  necessary  time  taken 
to  build  them  up,  and  the  space  required  for  doing  so.  In  regarding 
the  matter  philosophically  the  plants  were  full  value  for  the  money. 
Within  the  radius  of  my  gardening  world  is  an  amateur  rosarian 
who  says,  “  I  must  have  Roses,  but  I  have  to  buy  in  every  year.  My 
soil  is  bad,  I  think;  and  I  fear  my  man  does  not  understand  them,  for 
I  can  never  crow  them  like  yours.”  He  is  fond  of  his  Roses;  but 
above  and  beyond  that  is  his  love  of  a  bargain  (?)  So  each  spring 
finds  him  at  a  certain  auction  room  where  “  splendid  (?)  stuff,”  the 
clearings  of  some  nursery  plot,  is  obtained  for  a  “  song,”  to  the  joy 
of  the  frugal  mind.  It  would  be  better  for  this  gentleman,  who 
really  loves  his  garden ;  and  for  his  man,  who  loves  his  work,  if  a 
little  philosophy  went  into  his  Rose  dealings.  I  will  not  say  that 
what  is  cheap  is  not  always  honest.  He  probably  gets  his  money’s 
worth,  but  no  more,  for  the  money  in  this  case,  both  literally  and 
figuratively,  represent  very  little.  So  I  take  it  that  there  is  philosophy 
in  a  Laurel,  in  a  Rose ;  in  fact  all  through  garden  work,  which,  having 
to  reckon  with  a  philosophic  Editor,  must  no  longer  detain,  so  I  hasten 
to  conclude  with 
The  Worker. 
If  we  could  understand  ourselves  as  well  as  we  understand  our 
plants,  there  would,  perhaps,  be  fewer  blighted  lives  and  less  need  for 
any  remarks  here.  “An  Old  Provincial”  has  so  ably  and  so  perti¬ 
nently  pointed  a  moral  on  page  166,  that  whether  he  will  or  will  not 
allow  the  existence  of  what  not  a  few  deny,  I  regard  him  as  a  Knight 
Grand  Cross  of  the  noble  army  of  philosophers ;  the  garden  variety,  of 
course.  This  “  provincial  ”  philosophy,  which  few  could  read  and 
interpret,  “  calmly,”  “  wisely,”  “  rationally,”  without  both  pleasure 
and  profit,  lightens  my  labours  considerably.  The  way  in  which  the 
chivalrous  knight  dashed  in  upon  two  good  men  and  true,  playing  a 
little  at  cross  purposes,  and  switched  them  safely  and  comfortably 
upon  parallel  lines,  without  wounding  either,  afforded  me  delight,  and 
he  is  “  An  Old  Provincial  philosopher  ”  to  me  henceforth. 
There  is,  I  believe,  more  philosophy  to  be  found  in  a  flower  show' 
— that  is,  in  the  showers  themselves,  in  their  victories  and  defeats, 
than  a  whole  series  of  philosophical  lectures  could  exhibit.  Now  and 
again  we  find  a  defeated  man  impartially  tracing  the  effect  to  the 
cause,  and  duly  and  deliberately  reorganising  his  plans  for  another 
campaign.  He  is  a  grand  type  of  the  British  gardener,  but  his 
presence  is  rather  the  exception  than  the  rule.  Cause  and  effect ! 
How  hard  it  is  sometimes  to  trace  the  connection,  but  by  all  the  ethics 
of  natural  philosophy — of  truth,  it  is  there.  Men  may  deceive  them¬ 
selves,  but  this  never  can  deceive  them.  It  is  the  lifting  of  a  big 
cloud  of  illusions.  Passing  strange  it  is  to  see  how  comfortably  we 
clothe  ourselves  in  the  fancy  garments  of  spurious  reasoning ;  anything 
rather  than  the  bare  truth,  which  is  as  plain  as  a  pikestaff  when  the 
air  is  cleared  of  hallucinations,  and  reason  occupies  her  throne. 
“  Very  sad,”  we  too  often  have  to  hear,  that  “  So-and-so,”  a  well 
known  name  in  the  gardening  world,  is  applying  for  the  benefits  of 
the  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution.  Sad,  in  a  way,  surely  ; 
but  sadder  by  far  to  see  men  deluding  themselves  by  the  false  hope 
that  such  a  fate  is  impossible  to  them.  Is  there  no  moral  conveyed  in 
the  story  of  a  broken  life,  the  effects  of  which  are  so  visible  ?  the 
cause  of  which  delicacy  forbids  us  to  seek.  The  man  who  reasons 
calmly,  wisely,  rationally,  cannot  shut  such  possibilities  out  of  his 
calculations — ergo,  he  is  calm,  wise,  rational ;  he  is  a  philosopher,  but 
he  is,  too,  alas  !  the  exception.  But  what  of  the  great  majority,  what 
are  they  ? 
Philosophy  in  gardening  ?  Yes,  certainly,  and  room  for  more. 
Let  no  one  think  it  a  phantom  or  doubt  its  verity.  There  is  no  false 
philosophy,  for  there  can  be  no  false  truth. — The  Squire. 
