Gardening.

MR. EDITOR:—Among the various means
of our elevation and enfranchisement, I know
of none more efficient than wealth. I am
aware that learning is before wealth, but of
what advantage is learning without the means
of making a good use of it? Hence, when
you open up to us any practical avenue to
wealth, you confer upon us a real benefit—It is not our want of knowledge, in my hum
ble opinion, that causes our "friends" to re
volt at the thought of being led by us, as
some of them are now doing, or to wish the
failure of a press conducted by one of us,
but our want of wealth. If we were wealthy
and respectable, wealthy and powerful, no
body would think of revolting at our leader
ship, or of putting us down, for the very sim
ple, but potent reason that they couldn't do
it.

It is not my intention, at present, to write
an essay on the science of gardening, but to
give your numerous readers such results of
my reflections, on recent transactions in this
city, as may turn their attention to it as an
easy, practical, and certain means of better
ing their condition, and increasing their hap
piness and respectability.

The event of the past week, in Pittsburgh,
was the annual exhibition of the Horticultu
ral Society. It commenced on Wednesday,
and continued until Friday; and was attend
ed by hundreds of both sexes, and of all na
tions.

This Society has been in existence only
about ten years; but, such has been its rapid
improvement, to judge from the display of
last week, one would suppose it had existed
for an age. Compared with its first exhibi
tion, the present was an almost incredible
improvement. The first was held in one of
the smallest halls in the city, and consisted
of a small number of plants, flowers, fruits
and vegetables, contributed by a few mem
bers, and attracted such little notice and was
attended by so few visitors, that its friends
thought it needless to continue it longer than
a single day. The present was held in Ma
sonic, one of the largest halls in the city, and
three days was scarcely sufficient to afford
time to examine its numerous and various
contents.

Attracted by the reports of the multitude,
and desirous to improve in useful knowl
edge, I visited the exhibition. On entering
the hall through a splendid gothic arch, cov
ered with moss, and festooned with ever
greens, a scene of perfect enchantment was
presented. The entire circuit of the walks
of the vast saloon was covered with the
plants, shrubs, vines, and flowers of almost
every mountain, hill, valley, and plain on the
face of the globe. To attempt to enumerate
is needless. A bare catalogue of them
would fill a considerable pamphlet. Spell
bound, I gazed motionless for many minutes,
and at last, when self-consciousness returned,
I proceeded to examine the rest of the in
terior, involuntarily exclaiming, how could
such a vast number of articles be brought to
gether, from the ends of the earth, in such a
comparatively short time!

To the right of the entrance was the dis
play of fruits; to the left, of vegetables;
and in the centre was the display of the floral
works of art.

As to size, quality, and number of varieties,
the display of fruits was magnificent. There
were apples four inches in diameter; peach
es three; quinces three; pears three inches
in diameter and five inches in length; and
grapes, plums, and other fruits in like pro
portion.

Nor was the exhibition of vegetables in
any way inferior to the fruits. The first
thing which caught my eye, on turning to ex
amine the vegetables, was an enormous Peru
vian pumpkin, almost the size of a common
flower barrel. Near it lay three water-mel
lons of the size of half a bushel. On the
table next to them lay half a dozen egg
plants, each from five to seven inches in di
ameter. In addition to these, were all sorts
of vegetables, from every part of the tem
perate zones, of proportionate size, and un
exceptable quality.

When scientific gardening was first com
menced in this vicinity, it was thought im
possible to bring it to any degree of perfec
tion, on account of the rough, rocky, cold
nature of the soil, and changeable climate;
but you see from the short description which
I have just given, how completely art and in
dustry are capable of triumphing over natu
ral difficulties. But, least I should render
my article undesirably long, I proceed at
once to give your readers the results to which
I was led from my examination of this exhi
bition.

1. Gardening is a healthy invigorating
business. In this opinion I am confirmed by
the appearance and testimony of all engaged
in it. A more healthy, vigorous, and cheer
ful body of men and women I never wish to
see, than the gardeners of Pittsburgh; the
very opposite in appearance to shoe-makers,
tailors, and seamstresses.

2. Gardening is a virtuous business. Few
of the gardeners are addicted to drunkenness,
and other gross and sensual vices, compared
with those engaged in other pursuits. One
old gardener told me that he knew of but
three persons, out of more than a thousand,
who had committed any serious offence with
in the last ten years, and these were assault
upon persons who were robbing their gar
dens.

3. Gardening is an easy business. It does
not require much capital to commence it, or
much hard labor to carry it on. About five
years ago, a common mechanic of this city
found himself incumbered with a sickly wife,
four children, an orphan sister, and an aged
and infirm father-in-law. He knew not what
to do, as his wages was not sufficient to sup
port him in town; but his physician, a very
sensible man, advised him to go to the coun
try. He went out two miles, and bought three
acres of land, at one hundred dollars an
acre. He built upon it a small cottage, form
ed it into a garden, removed his family to it,
and set them to work, planting the whole in
strawberries, and similar valuable fruits. His
father-in-law superintended the work in the
garden, while his orphan sister carried the
fruits to market, and he continued working
most of his time in town at his trade. Ev
erything prospered; his wife's health was re
covered; and from being a scene of suffer
ing and wretchedness, his family became a
scene of health and happiness. This man
was at the fair, exhibiting some of his choice
fruit, and informed me that he had sold up
wards of twelve hundred dollars worth, the
present season. The capital with which he
commenced, was three hundred dollars, and
the whole balance of costs of grounds, build
ings, and utensils was paid from the products
of the garden, in less than four years.

4. It is a profitable business. From the
inquiries which I made, I am satisfied that
there is no business in which the same

amount of capital and labor invested, will
yield a greater return in profits. How can
gardeners fail to make money? I have seen
them, in the early part of the season in this
city, selling peaches of rare quality at the
rate of five dollars a bushel. I have myself
paid thirty-seven cents a quart for strawber
ries. Thousands of bushels of early toma
toes were sold at the rate of two dollars a
bushel; and every other early vegetable at
a proportionately high price. One gardener
informed me that with five hands besides
himself, three men and two lads, he would
raise upwards of three thousand dollars
worth of produce the present season, besides
feeding his family, and working animals. Is
there any other business, I would ask, in
which six persons, for the same amount of
labor, could realize such a large amount of
profits?

We are called upon by Horace Greeley
and his followers, to do something; and I ad
mit the propriety of the call. Here, then,
is something which we can do, and do to
profit. If we wish to escape the evils of sick
ly homes, in filthy streets, amid vicious so
ciety, and half-paid degrading drudgery,
here is an open door. If we wish to gain the
benefits of healthy homes, in fine localities,
amid virtuous society, and honorable and
lucrative employment, here is an easy, prac
tical, and certain way. Who will try?

Yours respectfully,

LEWIS WOODSON.

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 15, 1853.