Allow me, through the 'Gardener,' to thank Mr Hinds for his able article on the Balsam. I quite concur with him that it is almost forgotten by a great many gardeners, and not known how to be grown by a great many others; it certainly is one of our most beautiful of soft-wooded plants, although I am afraid it is ignored from the notice of a great many young gardeners, but certainly not from all, for the majority deserve more credit than is generally given them. Neither do I think that the majority of them are kidgloved ones, as some writers of the present day would have us believe: I am afraid that they judge the hundreds by a few exceptions they may have met with. Mr Hinds seems to think that young gardeners ought to work in the evenings, and not be paid for it; neither ought they to appear respectable and neat, with a collar around their neck, but throw the collar away. Now that style of young men may do for Mr Hinds, or Mr Hinds' employers, but they would not do for me, nor my employers, nor, in fact, for the majority of places.

In the situation I am now holding, I have three young men in the bothy, and I get as much work from them as any master could desire, yet they wear collars, paper ones or linen ones, I do not know; enough for me to know that they wear a collar; and one thing more, they polish their boots twice or thrice a-week, and consequently they are always respectable and tidy, and always ready to run to the mansion if required at a minute's notice, and not only that, but it teaches them and helps them to keep themselves above the labouring men in the garden, which every young gardener ought to do. Their evenings, with a few exceptions, they have always to themselves for study; and when they do work I always pay them so much per hour, which helps them to buy books, for gardeners are not overpaid, and especially young ones. I hope Mr Hinds will not think that I am criticising his writing, but I certainly think that young gardeners want a few encouraging words spoken for them occasionally, as well as a shake of the hand, and a few lines on a piece of paper.

An Old Gardener.

[You are quite right: slovenliness ought not to be regarded as anything else than a bad sign, and no young gardener should be called upon to work a moment's overtime without being paid time and a half for it. - Ed].

Young Gardeners #1

We are much indebted to Mr Hinds for his practical remarks on Balsam-culture, in the 'Gardener' for July, page 327. We quite agree with him that good examples of Balsam-growing are seldom to be met with, not even at our London shows, where we expect to find everything exhibited in connection with plant-growing.

Had the writer confined himself to the practical remarks of his article only, I think it would have been much more appreciated by those whom it was expected to benefit.

I cannot understand why throwing aside paper-collars could in any way affect the cultivation of the Balsam or the duties of a gardener.

I have always a suspicion of a man's genuineness when I see him divested of his clothes, as hinted at by Mr Hinds, and prefer to see a man neat and orderly at his work, as it will invariably be found that a young man who is inattentive to his outer person will degenerate into a sloven as he gets older.

I agree with him that overtime is almost indispensable in connection with indoor work; but that compensation must never be looked for, seems to be rather a weak point for a gardener to advocate, especially if he has undergone the course of treatment indicated by Mr Hinds: but, speaking personally, I have been treated with more respect from those I have served, and have received more than a few lines of a character and a shake of the hand, for even less than two or three years' service: and I may further state that where I am at present there is not a man or boy employed on Sunday duty, or for overtime, fumigating, etc, but receives his usual day's pay for the former, and double payment for every moment of the latter.

With all due respect to Mr Hinds, I cannot account for the reason why young gardeners, as a class, deserve the attacks which have lately been made upon us, in some cases from those that have recently risen from our ranks.

It was with no small amount of pleasure I noticed the Editor's remarks on overtime, and I feel pleased to think that young gardeners have a friend in one occupying his position, that is ever ready to defend our cause, not only in the pages of the 'Gardener/ but wherever "the young gardener of the period" is represented to be degenerating. J. M.