American Toby Jug Museum 

Gardener 3/4 body toby jug in a blue and white colorway produced in Germany circa 1910 and marked Ges Gesch. Given that Adam was a gardener, gardening must be man's oldest profession. Millions make their living by helping to feed the rest of the world; others find it a pleasant recreation, while still others regard it as an absorbing hobby. The first gardens were made by primitive peoples as soon as they discovered that they could settle down in one spot and bring in wild roots and other edible plants to grow near their homes. Using irrigation techniques, the Egyptians grew vegetables, fruits and flowers. The Mesopotamians constructed private parks such as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. However, these fellows here are more likely to be working on a smaller scale. One will have been a gardener all his life, someone who "knew his onions," not to mention his marrows, carrots and other prize-winning garden produce. The mark Ges Gesch is short for "Gesetzlich geschuzt" meaning registered in German. Ware marked in this way is commonly referred to as Ges Gesch ware.