June  13,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
495 
Scarcity  of  Journeymen  Gardeners. 
That  a  scarcity  of  young  gardeners  exists  appears  to  have  been 
proved  in  many  directions,  and  some  causes  have  lately  been  advanced 
accounting  for  it,  though,  to  my  mind,  all  have  not  been  touched  upon 
or  is  known.  Khaki  fever,  low  wages,  few  emoluments,  uncertainty 
of  prospect  in  the  distant  future,  and  long  hours,  are  some  put 
forward,  but  there  must  be  others.  If  a  little  study  is  made  of  the 
census  returns,  as  affecting  the  rural  population,  it  will  be  clearly  seen 
that  in  country  districts,  where  gardening  becomes  so  often  localised, 
there  is  a  decline,  and  in  some  instances  a  serious  one,  of  the  population. 
The  country  is  slowly,  but  surely,  becoming  depopulated,  while  the 
towns  increase  their  census  returns  almost  by  leaps  and  bounds. 
Town  gardening  is  not  that  which  is  likely  to  raise  a  supply  of 
journeymen  gardeners  for  exportation  to  the  country,  and  for  some 
reason  young  men  trained  in  the  suburbs  are  failures  when  a  change 
of  situation  removes  them  from  town  environment.  There  was  a  time 
when  in  this  neighbourhood  no  difficulty  was  experienced  in  getting 
lads  as  learners  or  improvers  in  garden  work  from  adjacent  villages, 
and  a  like  experience  was  contiguous  to  the  farm.  Now,  however,  the 
numerical  strength  of  aspirants  for  gardening  is,  as  in  other  work, 
anything  but  vigorous.  There  is  none  the  less  desire  than  formerly  to 
take  up  the  initial  stages  of  the  work,  but  the  supply  is  inadequate. 
This,  if  true  in  one  locality,  must  be  equally  applicable  to  another,  and 
so  long  as  this  state  of  things  continues,  so  long  will  gardening  suffer  in 
the  supply  of  suitable  youDg  men.  Who  can  tell  what  difficulties  the 
next  decade  may  unfold  as  affecting  the  labour  market? 
It  is  known  only  too  well  that  gardening  is  an  underpaid  calling 
when  comparisons  are  made  with  trades — some  of  them.  Even  admitting 
this,  there  are  plenty  who,  despite  the  low  pay,  would  elect  to  remain 
gardeners  rather  than  choose  the  dull,  endless  monotony,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  unhealthy  nature  of  some  mechanical  pursuits.  An  argument 
advanced  against  gardening,  beside  the  low  pay,  is  that  it  takes  so 
long  to  become  really  proficient,  and  while  this  is  quite  true  there  is 
something  in  it  decidedly  favourable,  because  in  horticultural  pursuits 
there  is  such  an  endless  limit  shrouded  in  magnetic  foils,  that  enlist 
undying  affections  among  those  who  can  appreciate  Nature’s  charm  of 
life  in  its  many  and  varied  forms.  There  are  so  many  aspects  that 
may  collectively  form  the  gardener’s  daily  vocation  furnished  in  the 
growth  of,  for  instance,  Orchids  ;  stove  and  greenhouse  plants,  both  of 
soft  and  hardwooded  kinds,  flowering  and  foliage  ;  fruit,  both  forced 
and  hardy  ;  vegetables  of  so  many  kinds ;  flower  garden,  shrubs  and 
trees,  lawns  and  borders ;  flowers  herbaceous,  biennial,  annual,  alpine, 
bog  and  water ;  Ferns  tropical  and  hardy.  The  enumeration  oif  these 
few  subjects  opens  up  a  vast  field,  and  an  illimitable  scope  for  the  man 
who  chooses  gardening  as  his  vocation,  to  pass  this  life  in  agreeable  and 
pleasant  surroundings  The  work  is  hard,  and  there  are  troubles  that 
come  with  almost  every  day,  but  as  there  is  such  diversity  there  is  no 
permanent  blank,  for  while  one  object  may  fail  another  will  flourish — 
there  is  no  conflicting  influence  that  can  treat  all  alike,  for  evil. 
Though  there  are,  perhaps,  a  scarcity  of  young  gardeners,  horticulture 
is  not  yet  a  decaying  institution,  and  it  is  not  well  to  take  a  too  serious 
view  of  the  present  state  of  the  labour  market.  One  aspect  of  the  case 
seems  to  have  escaped  the  notice  of  your  several  correspondents,  and 
that  is  gardening  is  a  vocation  almost  entirely  evolved  out  of  pleasure, 
and  unconnected  with  profit,  that  is  in  private  gardens,  and  to  form 
unions  with  the  object  of  materially  raising  the  standard  of  wages 
would  result  only  in  the  reduction  of  labour,  so  as  to  bring  about  a 
balance  of  expenses ;  and,  it  might  be  asked,  which  of  the  two  would 
be  the  greater  evil  or  the  most  desirable  end.  There  is  already  an 
upward  tendency  in  the  matter  of  wages,  and  if  this  can  only  be 
continued  without  friction  between  employer  and  employe,  good  will 
result,  but  it  is  a  hopeless  case  to  fight  on  the  lines  of  trade  unionism. 
We  are  living  in  an  age  of  ambition,  and  from  some  of  this  endowment 
comes  a  cause  of  the  scarcity  complained  of.  Many  young  men  fired 
with  this  quality  solicit  the  higher  term  and  rank  of  foreman,  when 
their  age  and  qualification  fit  them  only  for  positions  as  journeymen, 
hence  a  superabundance  of  one  exist  at  the  expense  of  another.  There 
are  many  who,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  or  twenty-two,  claim  to  have 
mastered  the  duties  pertaining  to  the  office  of  journeyman,  and  step  up 
with  self-confidence  into  the  higher  scale  ;  and  with  what  result  often  ? 
Certainly  they  cannot  invoke  that  confidence  that  becomes  the  due  of 
the  higher  subordinate  from  the  gardener  and  employer.  There  are, 
admittedly,  exceptions  to  every  rule,  but  it  is  not  an  invariable  one  to 
find  the  riper  and  respected  judgment  in  an  age  that  allows  of  so  short 
a  time  for  graduated  training. 
The  cessation  of  work  at  one  o’clock  on  Saturdays  is  a  great 
relief  to  the  boredom  of  the  week,  and  I  take  it  to  be  a  healthy  sign 
this  desire  among  employers  to  grant  this  half-holiday  when  circum¬ 
stances  permit,  and  it  is  proved  both  by  nurserymen  and  gardeners 
that  this  one  o’clock  rule  answers  admirably,  and  far  beyond  the 
expectations  of  the  early  pioneers.  Its  adoption  places  young  men  on 
an  equal  footing  with  other  trades,  and  recreations  afforded  in  the 
cricket  and  football  fields  are  not  denied  one  class  more  than  another. 
If  gardeners  and  employers  will  only  recognise  the  importance  of  this 
movement  for  short  hours  on  Saturdays,  and  make  it  a  national  custom, 
it  will  remove  a  baneful  influence  existing  against  the  adoption  of 
gardening  as  a  profession.  In  theory  it  would  appear  impossible;  in 
practioe  it  becomes  easy. — W.  S. 
- «.#.* - 
Tl\e  Fuchsia. 
The  Fuchsia,  named  after  a  German  botanist,  Leonard  Fuchs,  has 
been  cultivated  in  this  country  for  a  long  period,  and  its  popularity  is 
still  in  the  ascendant.  The  species  of  Fuchsia  are  almost  entirely 
natives  of  Central  and  Southern  America,  originally  introduced  from 
Chili,  Mexico,  and  Peru.  The  first  plant  is  stated  to  have  been  brought 
to  this  country  by  a  sailor  about  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
The  raising  of  new  varieties  from  seed  commenced  about  the  year 
1840,  and  has  been  continued  down  to  the  present  time  with 
marvellous  success,  which  is  apparent  to  everyone  who  compares  the 
old  with  many  of  the  more  recently  introduced  varieties.  Cuttings 
should  be  inserted  round  the  side  of  60’s  or  48-pots ;  better  still 
in  shallow  boxes  if  they  are  required  in  large  quantities  using  light 
sandy  soil,  and  placing  the  pots  or  boxes  where  they  will  get  a  genial 
bottom  heat.  Give  them  a  gentle  watering  through  a  fine-rosed  can 
to  keep  the  foliage  fresh  and  settle  the  sand  round  the  cuttings.  In  a 
few  weeks  they  will  emit  roots,  when  they  should  be  potted  off  singly 
in  small  60’s.  They  should  be  kept  close  for  a  few  days,  until  the 
roots  begin  to  push  into  the  new  soil.  A  good  compost  for  Fuchsias 
is  a  mixture  of  fibry  loam,  leaf  mould,  and  either  cow  manure  or 
horse  droppings  in  a  decomposed  and  pulverised  state,  about  three 
parts  of  the  former  to  one  part  each  of  the  latter,  with  a  good  dash  of 
sand  to  keep  the  whole  porous.  Mix  all  well  together  previous  to 
potting.  When  the  young  plant  begins  to  grow,  the  shape  and  size 
of  the  plant  should  be  determined  ;  if  for  a  standard  the  leading 
shoot  should  receive  every  encouragement,  and  be  kept  tied  to  an 
upright  stake,  rubbing  out  all  side  eyes  until  the  desired  height  is 
reached,  when  the  formation  of  the  head  should  be  encouraged  by 
removing  the  points  of  the  leaders,  and  afterwards  pinching  to  every 
pair  of  leaves  made  until  the  desired  size  of  head  is  obtained.  If  a 
pyramid  be  the  shape  aimed  at,  it  will  be  necessary  to  pinch  the  leaders 
at  an  early  stage  of  growth.  If  this  method  of  pinching  be  neglected 
in  the  earlier  stages  of  cultivation  it  will  be  almost  impossible  to 
obtain  well  grown  pyramidal  specimens. 
Cuttings  struck  in  September  (which  is  a  good  time  to  commence 
growing  specimen  Fuchsias)  should  make  thrifty  little  plants  by  the 
end  of  October.  They  should  then  occupy  a  position  near  the  glass, 
and  where  the  temperature  does  not  fall  below  50°,  bearing  in  mind 
that  it  is  not  desirable  to  encourage  much  growth  at  tnat  period. 
They  should  succeed  in  the  position  just  indicated  until  about  the 
beginning  of  January,  when  they  may  be  given  a  little  higher 
temperature,  such  as  that  of  a  vinery  which  is  being  forced  would 
afford — and  to  the  majority  of  gardeners  a  convenient  place — or,  better 
still,  a  position  in  a  bed  of  fermenting  material,  the  atmosphere  of 
which  appears  exactly  to  suit  them.  They  will  now  begin  to  grow 
freely  in  either  of  the  positions  just  named,  and  should  never  be 
allowed  to  flag  from  want  of  water. 
So  soon  as  the  roots  begin  to  show  themselves  at  the  sides  of  the 
60-size  pots  shift  into  48’s  or  32’s,  using  the  compost  already  recom¬ 
mended,  but  in  a  rougher  state  than  before,  and  with  the  addition  of 
a  little  bonemeal.  They  should  be  turned  round  to  the  light  at 
least  once  a  week  to  induce  a  uniformity  of  growth,  particularly  if 
grown  in  a  lean-to  structure.  Allow  them  all  the  sun  obtainable  for 
some  time  to  come.  A  moist  atmosphere  should  be  maintained,  there¬ 
fore  syringe  overhead  in  the  morning  and  afternoon  whenever  the 
weather  is  favourable.  When  giving  the  final  shift,  pot  rather  firmly ; 
the  soil  is  apt  to  retain  moisture  for  too  long  a  period  if  potted  loosely, 
and  consequently  it  may  become  sour  before  the  roots  occupy  it. 
Thorough  drainage  should  be  secured  during  all  stages  of  growth,  and 
the  plants  should  be  kept  in  a  warm,  moist  growing  atmosphere 
after  their  final  shift,  gradually  inuring  them  to  more  light  and  air. 
As  the  days  lengthen  and  the  weather  becomes  bright  it  may  be 
necessary  in  certain  cases  to  afford  them  a  little  shade  for  a  few 
hours  at  midday.  Fire  heat  may  be  entirely  dispensed  with  from  May 
onwards  ;  cold  draughts  and  sudden  changes  ot  temperature  should  be 
avoided. 
Training. — It  is  not  a  good  practice  to  stake  or  train  the  Fuchsia 
to  any  great  extent,  and,  indeed,  such  practice  would  be  superfluous  in 
the  case  of  many  varieties;  but,  while  bearing  this  in  mind,  I  have 
found  it  beneficial  to  insert  a  few  thin  short  sticks  around  the  sides 
of  the  pots  to  enable  me  to  tie  out  the  branches  of  some  of  the  denser 
growing  varieties  when  intended  for  specimens,  thus  forming  a  base- 
work  on  which  to  rear  the  future  specimen.  When  the  pots  in  which 
the  plants  are  to  be  flowered  are  well  filled  with  roots  liquid  manure 
may  be  given,  rather  weak  at  first,  but  increased  in  strength  as  the 
