January 24,1895. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
81 
Hkrris of Manchester, aged sixty-seven, gardener, life member for 
fifteen years; H. Parsons of Foot’s Cray, aged sixty-five, gardener, 
annual subscriber of £1 Is. for eighteen years; M. Reed of Abbots 
Langley, aged sixty-nine, gardener, annual subscriber of £1 Is. for 
fifteen years; Susan Ridout of Reigate, aged sixty-one, widow of John 
Ridout, gardener, who was an annual subscriber of £1 Is. for twenty- 
two years, and a contributor of £63; and Eliza Burrell of Esher, aged 
seventy-eight, widow of Edward Burrell, a gardener, who was an annual 
subscriber of £1 Is. for twenty years, be placed on the list of pensioners 
without election from December 31?t last,” was unanimously adopted. 
Messrs. B. Wynne, John A. Laing, George Munro, and James Webber 
were then elected Scrutineers, and it was agreed that all questions 
arising out of the voting be referred to them. The meeting was then 
adjourned until the polling, which closed at 4.30, could be declared. 
Result of the Poll. 
About a quarter past five the poll was declared. It was an exceed¬ 
ingly heavy one, and only those candidates who gained over 2000 votes 
were successful; the six names with an asterisk affixed will be duly 
placed upon the Institution’s list of pensioners. 
The following is a list of the candidates, with the number of votes 
gained ; those with asterisks affixed were successful;—Clara E. Brown, 
2188* ; John Collier, 769 ; Henry Fielder, 2261* ; Thomas Thomas, 2735* ; 
Thomas Bundy, 711; James Clarren, 2824* ; David Cornell, 356; Hester 
Falconer, 1608; Ambrose Minty, 364 ; John Pearcy, 1569 ; Robert 
Petitt, 2024* ; Eliza Webb, 1033 ; Thomas Bannister, 1765 ; Robert 
Begbie, 519 ; Thomas Cawley, 1463 ; William Croshier, 1200 ; Samuel 
Hicks, 109; Emma A. Ivery, 2500* ; Joseph Monk, 513 ; Joseph Shearn, 
1130; Charles Smith, 1213 ; J. Akehurst, 70; H. C. Allman, 10; George 
Ashby, 542 ; W. Bishop, 1139 ; S. Chinery, 1506 ; W, Dean, 864 ; F. W. 
Durrant, 1006 ; J. Field, 1142 ; George Fletcher, 1033 : Eliza Gardner, 
95; Elizabeth Hepburn, 514 ; Rachel Jefferson, 560; William Lee, 1022 ; 
James Lonsdale, 855 ; S. Pickstone, 1004 ; W. Rose, 369 ; Anne Smith, 
23 ; John Thomas, 28 ; Caroline Wood, 492 ; Henry Wood, 1560; and 
W. Wood, 596. 
Votes of thanks to the Chairman for presiding, and to the Scrutineers 
for their help, were, on the motion of Mr. Melady, unanimously tendered. 
The meeting then closed. 
Annual Fbiendly Supper. 
After the general meeting the members and friends of the Institu¬ 
tion, to the number of about 130, gathered under the presidency of Mr. 
George Dickson of Cheater, to a supper at Simpsons’. On former occasions 
this gathering has been known as “ The Lark Pudding Dinner,” and the 
dainty dish which gave rise to that title will doubtless figure in the 
menu on future occasions, as it did on this one. The Chairman was 
supported by Mr. H. J. Veitch and Mr, N. N. Sherwood. Other horti¬ 
cultural notabilities present were;—Messrs. H. Turner, H. Williams, 
J. Webber, P. Kay, P. 'Barr, G. Bunyard, J. H. Veitch, P. C. Veitch, 
A. Moss, Cutbush, Outram, Assbee, Watkins, J, Laing, and A. F. Barron. 
The supper having concluded, and the usual loyal toasts honoured, 
Mr. George Dickson proposed, ” Continued Prosperity to the Gardeners’ 
Royal Benevolent Institution.” The Institution, he said, was now doing 
more to alleviate the sufferings of distressed gardeners or their widows 
than it had previously done, while the reinvestment of the funds would 
bring in sufficient extra money to maintain two more pensioners. Mr, 
Dickson spoke highly of the auxiliary branches formed and forming, 
and hinted that if the Institution saw fit to open an auxiliary farther 
north than it yet had done, it would doubtless meet with approval and 
support. The Chairman regretted, as did the meeting, the enforced 
absence through ill health of Mr. J. Lee, who had for so many years 
been Chairman of Committee. The Chairman appealed to the friends 
to re-double their efforts for obtaining subscriptions, and so enable the 
Institution to extend its usefulness and bring relief to many more of 
those who were candidates for pensions. Mr. Dickson’s speech was 
humorous yet forcible, and well received ; the name of Mr. H. J. Veitch 
was coupled with the toast. 
Mr. H. J. Veitch said he was pleased to respond, for as its Treasurer 
he could state the Institution was in a sound financial condition, and 
had a solid basis of well invested funds. Mr. Veitch referred to Mr. 
Lee’s absence, and deeply lamented the recent decease of Mr. W. Thomson 
of Clovenfords, whose interest in the Institution had been unflagging 
during the past forty-seven years. When alluding to the auxiliaries, from 
which he expected much, Mr. Veitch took up the hint dropped by Mr, 
G. Dickson, and thanked him for what he considered was an invitation 
to Chester. There were three good reasons why gardeners should sub¬ 
scribe to the Institution; these, said Mr. Veitch, were self-interest, duty, 
and human sympathy, and no better arguments in its favour could be 
raised. In concluding his vigorous speech Mr. Veitch warmly thanked 
Mr. Dickson for coming to preside at a meeting so far from his home. 
When proposing the health of officers and Committee Mr. P. C. Veitch 
said the Institution was well managed in every way, and its officers 
deserved the heartiest thanks. He could not understand why so few 
gardeners subscribed, and he hoped to see the day when almost all the 
gardeners in the kingdom would recognise in a practical manner the 
value of the Institution. Mr. George Wythes responded to this toast. 
The health of the Chairman was given by Mr. N. N. Sherwood, who 
proposed that the heartiest thanks of the meeting be presented to Mr. 
Dickson for his presence at a gathering so far from his business, and for 
the ready help and support he had ever given to the Institution. Mr. 
George Dickson responded briefly, thanking the members for their 
good wishes and compliments. He concluded by proposing the health I 
of Mr. George J. Ingram, the Secretary of the Institution, than whom 
they could not find a man more suiteM to the position or better able to 
further the interests of the Institution. Mr. Ingram, who was greeted 
with applause, responded to the toast, and expressed his thanks for 
the good wishes tendered him. 
During the evening toasts and speeches were interspersed with vocal 
and instrumental music, Mr. H. Turner giving several solos on the 
English concertina and Mr. Munro on the cornet. The meeting closed 
at a comparatively early hour. 
MR. BLACKMORE’S CRITICS. 
I WAS very pleased at seeing the remarks of “ A. D.,” pages 34 and 35, 
and hope that more light may be thrown on profitable fruit growing, which 
Mr. Blackmore has denounced as being a “ fatal fad.” Nothing, how¬ 
ever, has been advanced to enable us to trace the cause of his failure ; 
there must be something to account for it since so many persons 
succeed in the work. In the first place, no man can expect to succeed 
with a muck rake in each hand.” 
Anyone who has read Mr. Blackmore’s novels will agree at once that 
only a man thoroughly conversant with horticulture could write those 
beautiful descriptions so true to nature ; and if Pomona has not presented 
M r. Blackmore with golden fruit, she has been a healthy inspiration to 
his literature. 
‘'A. D.” is not quite correct with regard to his description of 
Teddington, I have known Teddington between thirty and forty years, 
and have no hesitation in saying that as good Pears have been grown 
there as at any place in England. I have been gardening in eight 
counties in England and Wales, and I never met with better soil for 
Pear culture than at Teddington ; and the site of Mr. Backmore’s garden 
is perfect, in the eye of the sun, and part of the town shelters it from 
the worst winds. I never had the pleasure of being in Mr. Blackmore’s 
garden, and I am speaking of the natural soil of Teddington a quarter 
of a mile to the north of it. There was 3 feet of good light loam on 
gravel. 
Mr. Blackmore’s failure is not in soil and situation. My opinion is 
that his first expenses for walls, trellises, buildings, and labour was one 
cause ; he was too heavily handicapped at the start by his preparations 
on a very valuable site. And then I expect he has been a victim of the 
middleman. His fruit was well grown and good, but not well sold; but 
as he is a gardener and a gentleman I hope he will let us know the real 
cause of his failure to make fruit growing a pleasant and profitable 
undertaking, as it should be.—R. M., New})ury. 
I DO not propose to prolong farther than needful this very un¬ 
desirable controversy. A hasty rush into print re “ Profitable Fruit 
Culture” has evolved unanticipated criticisms. These would never 
have arisen but for the literary position of the writer, thus giving to his 
utterances an unduly authoritative character. Had the complaints 
originally sent to the press come (as they did not come) from professional 
growers of fruit for market, they would have been entitled to the fullest 
consideration, but they would not have evoked one tithe the attention, 
simply because they would not have been surrounded by any literary 
halo. I have written absolutely in the interests of fruit culture, and as 
deeply biassed in favour of fruit culture as a national industry as is 
clearly a biassed friend of Mr. Blackmore’s. Any reader can thus 
discern whose advocacy or criticism is most entitled to respect. What 
matters it whether the ground under Pear culture at Teddington be 
700 acres, the experience remains of the same value ; but if from out of 
the 10 acres he subtracted the ground occupied by houses, sheds, 
pleasure grounds, and paths, how much more than 7 acres under 
fruit actually remains ? It is no argument to quote Mr. Blackmore’s 
long position on the R.H.S. Fruit Committee. Did I not say that the 
Teddington fruit garden had been an experimental one, and, so 
far as Pears were concerned, calculated to give wide experience as to 
sorts, but it was impossible to expect with that market profits? Such 
knowledge, and the knowledge obtained by practical market culture 
and sale, are wide asunder. Desiring “ H.” to do the same, I append 
my name in full.— Alex. Dean. 
WOKK.F0i\.THE WEEK.. S 
HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 
Wall Trees. —If the pruning, cleansing, and regulating of Apples, 
Pears, Plums, and Cherries on walls have not yet been completed, the 
work ought to be pushed on at every favourable opportunity. After 
these hardier trees have been dealt with. Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, 
and Figs claim attention. 
Apples and Pears. —Branch Pruning .—If horizontally trained 
trees are allowed to retain too many branches the result is a crowded 
state of the trees in the summer. Young trees in the course of forma¬ 
tion need special attention so as to avoid originating the pairs of 
branches too closely together. Apples, as a rule, require more room than 
