210  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  September  3,  1903. 
human  breast — that  somehow,  at  some  time,  things  will 
right  themselves  ;  and,  of  course,  there  is  the  friendly  advice 
always  to  hand,  if  he  does  not  like  it  he  can  leave  it.  Is  he 
hot  free  I  Yes.  , 
Free,  yet  in  fetters  liekl  till  his  last  liouiy 
(iyves  that  no  smith  cm  welil  n(|r  rust  devour. 
t 
A  poor  consolation,  a  wretched  |i’emedy.  hint  “  our 
remedies  oft  in  ourselves  do  lie  which  \Ve  ascribe  to  heaven.” 
In -the  dim  and  distant  future  things  may  right  themselves, 
but  benefits  which  are  wholly  and  solely  for  posterity  do  not 
commend  themselves  as  grateful  or  jeomforting  to  those 
bearing  the  burden  of  their  own  particular  day. 
Granted  that  the  only  remedy  lies!  in  concerted  action, 
why  is  it  such  a  hideous  thing  to  contemplate  1  Surely  from 
the.  misunderstanding  that  such  will  result  in  setting  class 
against  class,  master  against  man.  Js  it  not  a  common 
mistake  springing  from  other  lines  of  i  life  in  the  working 
world,  but  from  lines  which  do  not  run  parallel  with  ours  ? 
And  is  it  not  a  stupid  mistake  1  Diffiitult  to  deal  with,  for, 
as  Schiller  says,  against  stupidity  the  >very  gods  fight  invic- 
torious.  However,  it  is  hoped  our  casd  is  not  so  hopeless  as 
that ;  yet  it  is  strange,  passing  strange,  that  whenever  this 
theme  is  broached  a  vision  of  strikes  and  all  that  follows  in 
their  wake  blinds  the  sight  of  otherwise  far-seeing  men.  Ere 
attempting  to  focus  the  matter  on  a  less  distorted  mirror,  it 
may  be  as  well  to  consider  the  grievance  under  its  four  heads, 
for  to  be  clear  and  defined  in  the  knowledge  of  Avhat  is 
Avanted  is,  in  a  measure,  paving  the  ■yvay  to  obtain  it,  and 
“  Thrice  is  he  armed  Avho  liatu  his  quarrel  just.” 
Wages,  at  first  sight,  impress  one  , as  being  the  most 
important  phase  of  the  question.  With  some  it  is  the  alpha 
and  omega  of  it,  and  “nothing  comes, amiss  (bad  lodgings, 
long  hours,  and  no  holidays),  though  money  come  Avithak” 
The  very  nature  of  a  gardener’s  work  prohibits  all  hope  of 
its  ever  being  directly  measured  by  money.  He  is  so 
indissolubly  bound  up  with  it — his  work — that  it  is  impos¬ 
sible  to  see  the  dividing  line  betAveen  his  own  time  and  his-, 
master’s :  impossible,  for  there  is  none,  and  Avhen  he  is  not 
actually  working  he  is  thinking  and  planning  for  its  advance¬ 
ment,  not  his  OAvn.  The  man  Avho  can  switch  off  gardening 
from  his  mind  at  home,  at  church,  or  anywhere  else,  at  any 
time,  morning,  noon  or  night,  is  a  rara  avis  seldom  caught, 
and  when  caught  Avill  be  invariably  found  posing  under 
borrowed  plumes  and  only  a  counterfeit  of  the  true  garden 
variety.  A  liberal-minded  master  (liberal-handed,  too)  Avas 
wont  to  say  a  gardener’s  work  is  never  done,  and  never  paid 
for.  Would  that  there  Avere  more  such  masters,  for  hosts 
of  men,  and  good  men  too,  are  Avorking  for.  a  pittance  but 
little  more  than  a  labourer’s  pay. 
The  Avages  question  is,  of  course,  open'  to  arguments 
ad  libitum,  and  might  be  prolonged  indefinitely,  but  cui  bono'f 
A  gardener’s  work  is  not  reducible  to  a  fixed  quantity,  and 
the  mass  of  facts  which  might  be  advanced  are  superimposed 
upon  the  principle  that  it  cannot  be  measured  by  money. 
The  lodging,  cottage,  house,  bothy,  or  whatever  style  or 
title  our  gardener-tenant  chooses  to  dignify  his  dwelling  by, 
must  always  be  considered  an  important  part  of  his  quid  pro 
quo.  Masters  who  have  proA'ided  their  men  with  comfortable, 
decent,  and  adequate  accommodation  in  this  respect  are,  it 
is.  feared,  the  exception  rather  than  the  rule  ;  and  many  a 
man  who  holds  a  fairly  good  position  in  the  gardening  Avorld 
is  quartered  in  a  scanty,  ill-built,  badly  situated  structure 
detrimental  to  his  physical  welfare,  his  oAvn  self-respect,  as 
well  as  being  derogatory  to  his  rank  as  commander-in-cliief 
of  the  gardening  staff. 
Men  are  oftener  judged  by  the  house  they  inhabit  than 
by  the  clothes  they  wear  or  the  wages  they  are. paid.  There 
has  been  but  little  or  nothing  said  about  the  head  gardener’s 
abode,  whilst  there  has,  of  late,  been  much  talk  about  the 
young  men’s  quarters — the  bothy.  Plans  of  bothies,  and 
prizes  for  them.  Illustrations  of  fine  bothies  and  gloAvung 
descriptions  of  the  benefits  conferred  on  those  who  dwell 
therein.  Baths,  reading-rooms,  separate  dormitories,  inside  ; 
cricket  pitches  and  what  not  outside,  that  those  who  hear 
the  praises  trumpeted  forth  of  these  generous  doings  for 
young  gardeners  may,  in  the  spirit  of  emulation,  go  and  do 
likewise.  Very  good  ;  very  good  indeed,  so  far  as  it  goes, 
but  it  does  not  go  far  enough  when  the  unselfish  gardener, 
having  shown  his  Ausitors  this  spirited  example  of  thought¬ 
fulness  for  his  pupils,  feels  constrained  to  offer  an  apology 
for  his  own  poor  habitation  when  entertaining  them  in  it 
(which  has  actually  occurred). 
The  spirit  of  loyalty  Avhich  prompts  men  to  invent  all 
sorts  of  excuses  to  shield  masters  from  the  onus  of  short¬ 
comings  toAvards  themselves  is  commendable,  commendable 
to. a  fault.  Were  ever  men  so  utterly  unselfish  Avhere  they 
tnem'selyes  are  concerned  1  I  troAv  not.  Truly,  they  make 
the  best-  of  things,  even  comforting  themselves  Avith  the 
polite  fiction  of  heading  their  correspondence  “  The  Gar¬ 
dens,”  Avheri' perhaps  dAvelling  outside  in  the  background  or 
domiciled  in  a  gate  lodge.  A  few  Avho  folloAv  these  remarks 
may,  of  course,  have  in  their  mind's  eye  some  '  head  gar¬ 
dener’s  house  really  Avorthy  of  the  man  and  his  position  ;  if 
so,  perhaps  they  Avill  kindly  keep  it  there— in  their  mind’s 
eye  -for  use  ere  conclusion.— Quiz, 
(Tg  be  continued.) 
- ^ - 
Bedding  in  London  Paris. 
Each  year  the  Royal  parks  of  London  attract  hosts  of  gar¬ 
deners,  AAdiose  chief  object  in  visiting  them  is  to  note  the  high- 
class  bedding.  But  for  one  that  has  the  privilege  of  seeing  the 
actual  bedding,  a  hundred  have  not  ;  and  for  all  such,  the  folloAv- 
ing  notes  may  .stand  in  .stead.  And  even  though  the  choice 
bedding  cannot  be  Amry  generally  followed,  one  likes  to  read  of 
the  achievements  in  tliis  line,  and,  »o  far  as  circumstances  may 
permit,  to  folloAV  it. 
Ha:tnpton  Court. 
.stands  in  the  front  rank  as  a  place  Avhero  choice  floAvering  and 
foliage  lAlants  are  arranged  Avith  experienced  and  AA'ell-trained 
skill  bj'  the  superintendent,  Mr.  J.  A.  Gardiner. 
The  long  floAver  border  facing  the  fountains  is  a  splendid  pat¬ 
tern  of  an  English  summer  garden  display  in  these  days.  The 
groups  or  masses  of  plants  would  possibly  be  more  effective  if 
planted  in  larger  breadths,  but  the  shoAv  at  this  season  cannot 
fairly  be  criticised. 
(in  the  brick  Avail  Avhich  backs  the  border  Ave  find  a  continued 
series  of  rampant,  healthy  climbers,  Avhich  include  Roses,  Vines 
(Ampelopsis),  Clematis  viticella  varieties,  and  also  the  Traveller’s 
Joy;  also  Everlasting  Peas,  Magnolia  grandiflora,  Kerrias,  and 
other  subjects;  the  little  Toadflax,  too,  clings  thickly  from  every 
seam. 
The  border  itself,  Avhich  is  broadly  margined  Avith  smooth 
grass,  and  has  a  line  of  A^ariegated  Cocksfoot  Grass  and  purple 
Pansies  all  along  the  front,  contains  shoAvy  masses  of  the  follow¬ 
ing  plants;  .named  as  Ave  Avalk  along.  Be  it  noted  that  all  the 
taller  plants,  i.e.,  Humea  elegans,  Montbretias,  Hydrangea 
Hortensia,  &e.,  are  not  in  the  middle  or_  at  the  backj  but  some 
brought  forward  to  give  breadth  to  the  vieAV.  Thus;  Single  and 
double  Hbllvhocks  in  endless  variety  (at  the  back) ;  Avith  Lilium 
.  tigrinum.  Plumbago  capensis.  Sunflowers,  Fuchsias  galore,  parti¬ 
cularly  fine  being  F.  gracilis;  Maize,  Abutilons,  Salvia  splendens, 
and  S.  Horminum  ;  Begonia  fuchsioides,  ascotensis,  AA’cltonensis, 
and  tuberous  varieties;  Solanum  jasminoides.  Dahlias,  Helio¬ 
tropes,  Iresines,  Lantana  delicatissima.  Phloxes,  Lilium  Harrisi, 
Nicotiana  sylvestris,  Streptosolen  Jamesoni,  Erigeron  speciosus, 
yellow  Privet,  Misoanthus  gracilis  (syn.  Eulalia),  Cosmos  bipin- 
nata, '  Alocasia  antiquorum,  Abutilon  Savitzi,  Kochia  scoparia, 
the  recently  “discovered”  swamp  Cypress,  and  besides  these 
there  are  Asclepias  tuberosa,  Pentsfemons,  Antirrhinums,  Hemp 
(at  the  back).  Acacia  lophantha,  Galega  officinalis  and  alba,  Ivy¬ 
leaved  and  Zonal  Pelargoniums,  Bouvardias  (Hurnboldti 
’corymbosa,  and  others);  Hydrangea  paniculata,  Ricinus  Gibsoni, 
Verbenas  (dAvarf) ;  Gladioli,  Cannas.  Celosia  pulmosa.  Coreopsis 
tinctoria,  Senecio  clivorum  (new),  Kalosanthes  ooccinea  (in  front 
masses).  Verbena  Miss  Willmott,  Tagetes  lucida,  a  dwarf  yelloAV 
species;  Salpiglossis,  Justicia  carnea.  Lobelia  cardinalis, 
L  syphilitica,  Arctotis  grandi.s,  Francoa  ramosa,  Agapanthus 
umbellatus,  Alstromerias,  Achillea  “The  Pearl,”  Gypsophila, 
Malope,5,  CEnotheras,  Monardas,  Asters,  Poppies,  and  Pyrethrums. 
The  beds,  CA^eii  in  such  a  sunless  year,  are  very  bright  and 
fre.sh,  the  combinations  in  some  of  the  best  being  formally  noted 
hereunder.  . 
1.  A  large,  flat,  oblong  bed  (27ft  by  15ft)  was  exceedingly  rich 
■with  selected  varieties  of  crimson  and  scarlet  tuberous  Begonias, 
remarkable  for  their  erect,  bushy  groAvth,  Avith  large  flowers  and 
great  floraison.  Mixed  with  them  was  Golden  Feather  Pyrethrum 
and  Fuchsia  gracilis ;  also  a  good  sprinkling  of  Grevillea  robusta 
(Itft  high),  and  Solanum  WariceAviezi.  The  bed  Avas  edged  AVith 
EcheA’erias.  ,  . 
2.  Foliage  bed  (27ft  by  15ft) :  Acalypha  musaica,  dense  and 
.strong,  2ift  high,  at  each  corner,  sides,  and  middle.  '  Iresine 
Herbsti,  and  I.  Lindeni,  over  6ft,  and  pyramidal  Lantana  delica- 
tissima,  fourteen  large  plants.  Abutilon  Savitzi,  seven  plants. 
Also  golden  cut-leaved  Elder,  Fuchsia  gracilis,  and  Grevillea.s, 
the  Avhole  edged  with  Anthericum  Liliago  variegata. 
Some  of  the  other  beds  Avill  be  noted,  along  with,  the  Hyde 
Park  and  Regent’s  Park  bedding,  in  a  .succeeding  paper.— J.  H.  D. 
