The times., 1899-08-13
A WORK WITHOUT A NAME.
Miss Flatt Tells How She Earns
Handsome Income.

visiting gardener. but have never given
my work a name, Miss Della Platt replied
when asked about her profession.
Il am twenty three years old and have
been engaged in the work for nearly FIVE
years, and last year cleared 81. .S0e." Here
Miss Platt laughed, and continued: Now
1 think | deserve scme praise for answer
| ing those two questions before they were
asked and telling the truth in each in
stance.
| My father was Jersey farmer. and |,
as the eldest Of FIVE girls. was being edu-
i Gated fer teacher. Just a few months
before | was to have begun course in
normal college my father died very sud
denly. We found he had nothing free from
mortgage excepting our household furni-
/ ture and one hcrse. IL was the middle of
the season, and the crop an which We de-
pended had TO be worked and gathered. I
was the eldest OF the family, there was
nothing for me but to take up the farm
where our father had left IL.
when the end OF the year came and
1t was discovered | had managed WE'LL
| that is had paid the interest on our mort
gagged property, kept the girls at school
and had small surplus laid by. it was de-
cided l run the place another twelve
months.
'sro make a long story short. soon after
the purchase OF another horse gentleman
living In South Orange rode over my farm
and was go pleased with its appearances
that he asked why I couldn't come and
break up his garden He IL seems, asked
the question in jest, but found me willing
to take the matter up in a business way. |
went over the next week and laid out and
planted his garden. He was pleased with
| my work. and being man inclined 10
praise his own, fell to Dragging about that
garden before the seeds came up. The re-
suit of his boasting induced several per-
sons who had never thought of raising
their own vegetables to hunt me up and
offer their work.
Fortunately that season proved good
| growing one and owners of the gardens
had planted and continued TO work were
well pleased with the result in a financial
way, as well as having enjoyed the pleas
ure OF picking their own vegetables.
Before the beginning of a second sea-
son | made calls on a number of persons
living in the Oranges and Montclair. and
engaged to take the planting and working
of their kitchen gardens for the coming
season. Don't think l went TO the veal
thiest families. They are the very people
a woman wishing TO engage in this work
must avoid. Such people are able TO EN-
full of horses to do any sort of work they
fancy. / applied to those who kept neither
horse nor man, but whose lot contained a
good garden plot. In the majority OF in
stances this was not very big piece OF
land and had been allowed to run to weed
and was, therefore, useless TO the owner.
II take my gardens in rotation. that is,
break up the whole of them in the au-
tumn; in the spring / give them the sec
I On
them all off, plant the earlier varieties Of
seeds and so my gardens all come on to-
gether.
"As | always supply the seeds and plants.
| I get them at the wholesale prices. which
| greatly reduces the cost. | have my own
greenhouses and forcing beds, so raise all
the plants used. Then, too, | make on my
farm all the compost needed as fertilizer.
may also add that there are many veg
etables the seeds OF which are saved each
year. But that is a department looked aft
| er by my younger sister, who declares
| that she intends becoming seed farmer
..As the result of my FIVE years work on
our farm and as visiting gardener. / have
4 | paid eff the mortgages on our property
9 have carried out my fathers plans as tC
| the education of my sisters. have added
many new implements. own four instead
of two horses. and am beginning TO lay BY
I | with the intention of buying more land anC
giving each of my sisters as good star
in life as 1 had. OF course, this has beer
done with money made on the farm. TO-
gether with that earned by my gardening
Z but in stating that ! had cleared Sl,Sot
l last year l meant on my visiting worh
1 alone.
y Zone great advantage of my profession
[ is that the pay is sure. 1t is In no way
dependent on the season for the yield o.
the land / agree to plant the gardens fol
J a stated sum. Then, having the horse:
and labor at command and supplying seeds
etc, it is like buying at wholesale and
: selling at retail. When / engage to attenC
u entirely to the garden for the Whole sea
son, my profits as a rule are proportion
c ately larger And where flower gardeI
J, ON the same premises is also added, con
: slider myself fortunate.
Q Il always make at least weekly IN
speetion of every garden and direct m!
:, men when and where to go and what L
8 do. If have a new hand, break him un
der my own eye and on our own garden
. and consequently l know exactly how ia
!, the labor / send out can be relied on.
. use wheel in going about, and you ma
be sure no grass grows under that bicycle
: ! hut neither do / work myself TO death. a
/ see so many teachers doing.
= ITO any woman desiring to take up thi
q work. l would advise her TO begin in
a suburban place, where people are in com
Portable circumstances. That is, own thei
own homes and can afford to live at cas-
r somewhat. IN such localities the lots near
,e | ly always contain a garden plot which.
> properly worked, will produce all the veg
etabIes, flowers, and melons the family ca
use She may have some difficulty in per
suading the owners TO make beginnin
1 the first year. but after that, II she ha
managed properly, will guarantee she wi
have no difficulty in holding her job.
ID have never found family who were vii
ling TO go back to buying vegetables afte
ID experiencing the pleasure OF picking the'
t. from their own gardens.