436 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  5,  18)8, 
are  but  seldom  followed  by  equally  favourable  ones.  In  wet 
weather,  too,  there  is  always  plenty  of  work  to  be  done, 
and  it  should  be  performed  systematically.  These  and  hosts  of 
other  matters  are  constantly  requiring  the  supervision  of  our 
mental  powers,  and  then  from  beginning  to  end  there  is  usually 
that  giant  of  “  strict  economy  ”  to  be  grappled  with.  Yes  !  These 
are  influences,  which,  if  used  aright,  will  make  us  not  only  good 
gardeners,  but  worthy  representatives  of  all  that  is  best  in  the 
Anglo-Saxon  race. 
This  necessity  for  acquiring  knowledge  upon  a  variety  of 
subjects  naturally  tends  in  a  large  degree  to  broaden  the  views  of 
gardeners.  This  breadth  of  view  is  of  course  more  demonstrated 
in  some  than  in  others,  simply  because  Nature  has  bestowed  upon 
a  few  the  “  lion’s  ”  share  ;  but  the  most  narrow-minded  member  of 
our  craft  who  loves  his  work,  and  uses  his  brains  as  well  as  his 
hands,  most  inevitably  materially  develop  his  reasoning  powers,  for 
in  our  feeble  attempts  to  unravel  the  mysteries  which  connect 
cause  and  effect  how  often  are  we  baffled  and  forced  to  see  how 
profound  are  the  workings  of  Nature,  and  so  mighty,  that  before 
them  our  petty  differences  in  regard  to  thought  and  methods 
of  culture  dwindle  into  insignificance,  and  in  consequence  make 
ns  more  tolerant  of  the  opinions  of  others,  and  should  teach 
us  to  form  a  more  noble  conception  of  our  life’s  work  and 
our  duties. 
How  eagerly  does  the  true  gardener  look  forward  to  the 
beginning  of  each  day’s  work.  To  him  it  is  not  a  time  he  wishes 
to  pass  swiftly  by,  for  it  gives  him  the  opportunity  of  doing  some¬ 
thing  useful,  something  that  contributes  to  the  enjoyment  of 
others,  and  therefore  to  his  own.  Each  day  with  its  duties  is  to 
him  indeed  a  day  well  spent ;  each  one  so  passed  must  have  an 
elevating  effect  upon  us  all.  How  real  is  the  pleasure  afforded  us 
as  we  watch  the  daily  progress  of  the  plants  and  crops  under  our 
charge  !  To  see  them  responding  to  suitable  treatment  involved  in 
high  culture  quickens  our  pulses  and  makes  us  more  determined 
than  ever  to  do  our  part  toward  wresting  the  secrets  of  Nature 
from  her,  and  thus  strive  to  secure  the  fullest  possible  development 
in  vegetation  generally.  I  doubt  if  we  shall  ever  attain  that 
distinction,  for  no  matter  how  successful  we  be  there  seems 
always  a  still  higher  point  to  aim  at,  till  the  thought  is  forced 
upon  us,  Surely  “  there  is  no  such  thing  as  perfection,”  but  in 
striving  for  that  “  myth  ”  how  great  a  harvest  of  enjoyment  do 
we  reap. 
In  our  daily  life  we  meet  with  interests  innumerable  at  every 
step,  for  new  species  of  flowers,  fruits,  and  vegetables  are  con¬ 
stantly  launched  upon  the  horticultural  world.  In  some  we  get 
delightful  shades  of  colour  hitherto  unheard  of,  in  others  a  shapely 
form  in  times  gone  by  thought  to  be  impossible  of  attainment,  and 
still  our  hybridists  work  on  to  produce  something  new,  something 
better  in  vegetable  life  than  anything  we  have  already.  New 
tracts  of  country  are  also  being  constantly  opened  in  dark  and 
distant  continents  ;  to  them  our  indefatigable  collectors  speedily 
repair,  braving  the  dangers  of  land  and  sea — and  sometimes 
meeting  death — in  their  attempts  to  find  and  send  us  new  gems 
from  other  lands.  And  thus  the  years  roll  on,  bringing  with  them 
their  ever  widening  sphere  of  interests,  the  influences  of  which 
must  be  good,  and  should  therefore  inspire  us  with  the  wish  to  do 
good  to  others. 
Gardeners  are  acknowledged  to  be  a  long-lived  race.  Can  this 
be  wondered  at,  when  we  note  how  their  time  is  passed  among  healthy 
surroundings,  and  their  thoughts  are  led  to  take  an  elevated  train, 
rather  than  to  trend  in  that  direction  which  leads  to  coarse  and 
wanton  pleasures.  Yet  notwithstanding  all  these  good  influences, 
all  these  pleasant  surroundings,  some  there  are  who  vote  the  life 
of  a  gardener  to  be  a  dull  one  when  it  happens  to  be  cast  in  rural 
seclusion,  far  from  the  din  and  gaiety  of  toiling  cities  ;  but  who,  I 
ask,  could  feel  dull,  or  fancy  each  day  anything  but  all  too  short, 
when  surrounded  by  the  treasures,  beauty,  and  influences  of  a 
well-ordered  garden  ? — A  Gardener. 
THE  GARDENERS’  PATH. 
[^Continued  from  page  392.) 
Gardeners  are  not,  a^  a  rule,  men  with  many  friends,  althongb- 
under  some  circumstances,  and  within  a  certain  local  radius,  not  a 
few  people  seem  imbued  with  some  anxiety  to  be  friends  with  the 
new  gardener.  This  may  be  so  to  a  flattering  extent,  for  here 
apparently  is  a  superior  order  of  beings  descending  upon  us  from 
a  higher  sphere  ;  or  else  one  feels  that  his  social  position  is  even- 
higher  than  he  anticipated.  In  either  case  it  comes  as  a  pleasant 
surprise  ;  but  be  not  deceived,  there  are  too  often  friends  who  will 
choose  you  for  what  you  have,  and  not  for  what  you  are.  Thoae 
few,  and  perhaps  very  few,  amongst  them,  of  whatever  status,  who 
have  the  genuine  kindred  feeling  are  most  desirable  to  know  and 
to  have  as  friends.  There  is  not  really  any  need  to  say  so,  for 
there  is  a  kind  of  animal  magnetism,  from  which  commnnion< 
ensues.  One  may  be  frequently  favoured  with  fair-weather  friends 
of  the  flighty  kind,  who,  like  the  swallows,  fly  at  the  approach  of 
winter — the  winter  of  adversity.  Apparent  as  this  is  to  thoie  well 
on  the  journey,  a  young  “  head  ”  is  still  enveloped  in  some  illusive 
glamour. 
“  So  happy  to  make  your  acquaintance  ;  I  am  passionately  fond 
of  gardening  ;  ”  it  might  be  added,  “  of  gardeners  too,”  your  prede¬ 
cessor  being  extolled  for  his  “goodness.”  This  is  one  form  (not 
fictional)  of  self-introduction.  Another  with  less  diplomacy,  but 
more  candour,  says,  ‘  ‘  Oh  !  Mr.  Old  Boy,  you  know  I’m  a  regular 
beggar  (the  knowledge  was  denied).  Oh !  but  I  am  ;  dear  me,, 
what  thousand*  of  bedding  plants  you  have  ;  you  must  be  a  very 
clever  man.”  This  is  another  attack  verbatim,  but  the  carriage 
which  was  waiting  outside  to  load  up  my  “  goodness  ”  went  empty 
away.  However,  it  came  again,  resulting  in  some  fine  bits  of 
skirmishing  to  effect  the  object.  My  memory  is  less  faulty  of 
such  friends  as  apparently  theirs  is,  for  with  the  first  frost  of 
fortune  this  warmth  was  exchanged  for  the  stiff est  of  nodding 
recognitions.  When  there  is  any  doubt  as  to  how  far,  if  at  all, 
your  “  goodness”  may  be  disbursed,  I  would  say  settle  the  matter 
at  headquarters,  lest  it  be  one  of  those  little  recks  by  the  way. 
Circumstances  considerably  alter  cases,  and  in  my  case  it  was 
generously  settled  by  the  information  that  it  was  entirely  my  own. 
concern. 
One  has  to  realise  the  meaning  of  that  little  word  “  out  ” — and’ 
there  is  no  sterner  word  in  the  gardener’s  dictionary — to  allow  the 
truth  of  what  I  repeat,  that  the  gardener  is  not  a  man  of  many 
friends.  The  hand  of  fellowship  in  the  day  of  prosperity  is  not 
always  the  hand  of  the  friend  in  need.  But  let  it  not  be  under¬ 
stood  that  any  suggestions  of  a  pecuniary  kind  are  here  intended 
such  would  insult  the  class  I  am  writing  for — that,  at  least,  is  my 
feeling,  and  few  probably  have  stronger  feelings  on  this  than 
myself.  True,  one  meets  in  their  daily  walk  of  life  with  examples 
which  cannot  be  mistaken  where  praise  and  compliments  are 
administered  ad  nauseam,',  but,  jper  coni?’®,  when  we  are  scratched 
by  the  rough  diamond  of  truth — of  true  friendship — it  may  not  feel 
pleasant  ;  but  what  is  unpleasant  is  very  often  what  is  alone  pro¬ 
fitable.  “  If  a  man  knows  what  he  is,  he  should  soon  be  what  he 
should  be,”  and  all  our  experience  of  life  tends  to  show  that  such 
knowledge  must  be  derived  from  an  outside  source.  As  you  are 
aware,  these  ingle-nook  thoughts  are  to  reach  you  via  Fleet  Street  ; 
but  had  it  not  been  for  some  right  good  raps  over  the  knuckles 
from  that  quarter  they—- such  as  they  are — might,  though  con¬ 
ceived,  have  been  still  unborn. 
Another  side  of  the  subject  is  one  which  is  so  practically  helpful 
that  it  must  be  included  here.  This  is  the  freedom  of  access 
gardeners  enjoy  to  each  other’s  sphere  of  work,  to  the  mutual 
advantage  of  themselves  and  the  object  they  are  devoted  to.  It  is* 
here  that  the  friendly  spirit  of  rivalry  presides  as  powerful  in  its- 
way  as  the  keener  competition  of  a  flower  show.  Some  few  are, 
certainly,  debarred  from  this  social  interconrte — these  neighbourly 
visits — by  reason  of  feeling,  perhaps  without  knowing,  that  they 
are  not  free  to  receive  the  visits  of  their  gardening  friends,  for' 
those  who  do  not  receive  are  unable  to  pay.  This,  1  think,  often 
proceeds  from  an  undefined  cause  which  by  proper  representation 
of  facts  would  disappear.  It  is  one  of  those  little  things  which,  iff 
occasion  appears  to  demand  it,  may  be  definitely  settled  on  enterinjg' 
the  new  position,  and  once  settled,  either  way,  there  is  no  more  to- 
be  said  upon  the  matter.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  good  taste  wiH 
direct  one,  wiether  as  the  visitor  or  the  visited,  to  behave  in  an. 
unobtrusive  manner.  It  is  helpful,  soothing,  and  sympathetic  to 
have  an  old  friend  to  whom  you  can,  now  and  again,  speak  in  con¬ 
fidence  of  those  little  hopes  and  fears,  joys  and  disappointments 
besetting  the  path.  Such  friendship  is  worth  cultivating  and  worth 
keeping.  Never  let  any  little  contemptible  differences  of  opinion 
weaken  it  on  this  side  of  the  inevitable. 
Ere  proceeding  farther  on  the  journey  I  would  like  you  to  look 
bftck  and  note  how  our  young  travellers  follow  in  onr  footsteps, 
