July 19, 1888. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
45 
attended the Fund. (Cheers.) It was only twelve months since the 
Fund had been established, and already they had had an election of 
■candidates who had had the benefits of the Fund conferred upon them. 
•In order to show them in what a good cause they had [enlisted, he 
desired to direct their attention to two of the families who had been 
relieved. He mentioned one case of a gardener who had died leaving a 
widow with nine children. They had no income whatever, and no man 
would imagine that one poor woman could earn by her labour sufficient 
to maintain a family of nine children. Consequently they saw what a 
gaod work they had done in establishing a fund that could afford the 
necessary relief. Another case which was equally interesting was that 
of a gardener who had left ten children, the eldest nineteen and the 
youngest three years of age. The mother did a little needlework, and the 
elder children did something, still there was room for the charitable work 
which had been done by a Society such as that. (Cheers.) He thought 
they could see by those two examples how much room there was fur 
the aid of such a Society, and to what good results it was likely 
to lead. They had had that day an election, and six candidates 
were chosen ; but fortunately the success of the Fund had been 
so great that the Committee had generously decided that they 
would elect all the candidates to the benefits of the Society. (Cheers.) 
Consequently instead of having only six, they had now altogether ten 
annuitants on the list. (Cheers.) There were others still waiting, and 
even since the election that afternoon one most deserving case had 
applied for the benefits of that charity. So that they would see that 
there was yet much for them to do. They would remember that many 
of their friends in Covent Garden assisted that Fund by a magnificent 
fete, the like of which he for one had never seen. (Cheers.) He 
trusted that something of the kind might become one of the establishe 1 
institutions of the Metropolis in aid of the Gardeners’ Fund. (Cheers.) 
He would venture to suggest to the Committee that on a future occasion 
there should be a universal charge for admission, which should apply to 
the Committee and everybody else. (Cheers.) He believed that the 
result would be that a considerable sum would be added to the funds of 
that laudable institution. He would like to say a word in approbation 
of Mr. Laing and Messrs. Wills and Segar for the way in which they 
had decorated the tables and room with magnificent plants and flowers, 
and of friends who had sent splendid fruit. (Cheers.) Such a display 
was seldom seen. 
Now as to the financial position of this yearling—the Gardeners’ 
Orphan Fund. It was a yearling on the previous day, and he found 
that already the donations, including the Covent Garden fete, amounted 
to £1131, and the general subscriptions, including Covent Garden fete, 
amounted to £302. What was more important was that the local 
secretaries’ donations and subscriptions amounted to £382. The life of 
an institution like that was in the local interest and local support, and 
consequently he was delighted to see that a large sum had been received 
from the different parts of the country. He trusted that that sum would 
go on increasing. In addition to that there was the modest sum of 
dividend upon £.500 consols amounting to £1 17s. 10d., so that the total 
receipts were £1821 8s. 9d. (Cheers.) The expenditure had amounted 
to £1003. Two sums of £508 and £495 had been invested. The ex¬ 
penses of management had not amounted to a sum of £200, so that 
for that sum the Fund had been established and managed, and made 
known to all the horticulturists of England. (Cheers.) It was the most 
economical start he had ever heard of, and it promised well for the 
future. In addition to that Mr. Deal, like a wise man, liked to have 
■at the first of their annual dinners a good balance at the bankers, and 
he found that he had the very handsome sum of £604 14s. 8d. 
there, in addition to the £1003 invested ; so that the Society really 
-started with money invested, or ready for investment amounting to 
£1600. He would like to know where there was another Society of 
-such a kind as that which had had such a promising start. (Hear, 
hear.) The Fund had appealed to a large number of the public 
because they saw that the cause in which they were enlisted was a good 
•cause, which commended itself to the heart of every man. It was the 
cause of the widow and the orphan. (Cheers.) The widow and the 
orphan were the source of deep interest to every man at that table. The 
appeal was an appeal to the best instincts of the human heart.. He 
rejoiced that the effort which had been made had been so successful, 
and he ventured to prognosticate much greater success in the future, 
and that this would be one of the most popular institution of that ex¬ 
cellent and highly intelligent class the gardeners. (Cheers.) He had 
been talking to some neighbours about the difference which existed 
between the English and the foreign workmen as to technical education. 
Fortunately for them and the general public the gardeners had never 
been deficient in that first element of education which was requisite for 
every trade and profession, because there was not one gardener who 
had not had to learn something scientific and something technical in 
order to obtain the position which he occupied. (Hear, hear.) He re¬ 
joiced to think that England was not behind other countries in the in¬ 
telligence and interest which was devoted to horticultural pursuits. It 
was therefore with the greatest pleasure that he accepted last year the 
office of President, and it was with equal pleasure that he presided over 
that dinner. He rejoiced to see so many assembled to give an earnest 
and hearty support to the Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. (Cheers.) 
Mr. G. Deal responded. After returning thanks for the manner in 
which the toast had been proposed, he mentioned that Mr. Willing had 
kindly given him 10 guineas towards the Fund. (Cheer*). Ever since 
they put him into the position which he occupied he had received the 
most cordial support from the gentlemen who had assisted him at 
the various meetings. When they looked at the splendid result of tbei r 
efforts they might say that as they had sown so they had reaped. 
(Cheers.) He thought that they had laid the foundation upon which 
he trusted they would erect a fabric that should extend its shelter 
throughout the length and breadth of the land. (Cheers.) Nothing 
could be more gratifying than to find that they had touched the hearts 
of gardeners throughout the kingdom. That was shown by the manner 
in which they had responded to the appeal that had been made t > 
them. Having once put their hands to the plough he hoped that they 
would never leave it. (Cheers.) Having thanked them for drinking 
the toast of the Gardeners’ Orphan Fund he hail now to propose another 
toast, namely—that of “ Kindred Institutions.” (Cheers.) It seemed to 
him that they had now a complete chain of institutions for the gardening 
fraternity. They had their Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution 
for decayed, their Benefit and Provident Society for sick, and now they 
had added just the last link—namely, the Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. He 
was quite sure that he expressed the most hearty and cordial sentiment 
of all the gentlemen with whom he had the honour to work, when he 
said that while they gloried in and were proud of the success of their 
own institution, the Gardeners’ Orphan Fund, they heartily wished equal 
success to kindred institutions. (Cheers.) Therefore lie had much 
pleasure in proposing that toast. (Cheers.) 
Mr. Sherwood, in responding to the toast, said he could con¬ 
gratulate them most heartily on the success attending their first dinner. 
He had been told that it was some forty-eight years ago that the first 
dinner of the Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution took place, when 
only some thirteen or fourteen were present. He felt that the greatest 
thanks were due to Mr. Penny and Mr. Deal for having originated that 
Fund. He hoped that the institution would flourish as the Gardeners’ 
Benevolent had done. 
Mr. Hudson, on behalf of the Gardeners’ Sick Fund, also replied. 
He said that he was happy to say that the fund which he represented 
was doing a considerable amount of good work. Like a good many 
other societies, however, they had had a struggle, but he was glad to say 
that this year they were increasing in numbers at the rate of about 
33 per cent., and now had some 300 members. 
Dr. Masters, who next proposed “ Success to Horticulture,” said 
that everyone in the room he presumed lived by and for horticulture, 
and therefore when they drank success to horticulture they really in 
fact drank to their noble selves. (Laughter.) If he might be allowed 
to say so, his experience was that horticulturists as a body seemed 
rather deficient in co-operative power. They had allowed the public to 
look upon horticulture as something exceedingly pleasant and pretty, 
very nice for recreation ; but they had not educated the public at 
present up to the view that horticulture was a national industry. 
(Cheers.) He should like to ask them what national industry they could 
mention which would surpass horticulture. All were absolutely 
dependent upon horticulture, and he did not know any single industry 
in this country of more importance. If he were at an assembly of 
farmers he should be told that agriculture was the most important. But 
let them read their Bible, and they would find that gardeners existed 
before the plough. (Laughter and cheers.) But coming to modern 
times, he asked them whether they could not get three and four times as 
much out of the land as the farmers did. (Hear, hear.) They might 
depend upon it that farmers must to a great, extent be dependent upon 
the methods which the gardener followed with so much success. He 
was glad to see symptoms of their co-operation—one was the present 
gathe'ing. Never in his own experience had he known gardeners jump 
at anything as they had at that institution. (Hear, hear.) They had 
now before them a splendid instance of co-operation. Gardeners had in 
this instance pulled together more constantly than ever they hail done ; 
but if they had always done it, horticulture would have taken the 
position which he claimed for it in the industries of the country. 
They now heard that it was proposed to appoint a Minister of Agri¬ 
culture, Horticulture, and Forestry. Now, he was not one of those who 
thought that gardening wanted any thing from the State. He did not 
believe, in this country at any rate, that State-aided institutions 
were any good, but he did believe that gardeners cou'd aid the State, 
and therefore he rejoiced that there was some prospect of a Minister 
of Agriculture and Horticulture, because then the gardeners could 
exercise their influence upon the powers that be for the good of the 
State in general. (Cheers.) 
Mr. H. J. Veitch proceeded to reply to the toast after it had been 
warmly honoured. He said he had been at some loss to understand why 
he had been selected to reply to that toast. Perhaps it was because he 
was a gardener, as a gardener should be-a married man without 
encumbrance. (Laughter). There were, it seemed to him, three 
classes of the trade associated with the toast, the first being the nursery 
and seed trade, who in their corporate capacity employed a great 
number of persons, and with them he should not forget the horticul¬ 
tural building trade. The next class of persons who were concerned 
particularly wore the gardeners, of whom he believed there were at least 
20,000 names enumerated. Let them also remember the number of 
people employed in fruit gardening on land which had been converted 
from farming purposes. That brought in another class of people— 
those who were occupied in preserving the products of those gardens. 
Thus the number of people dependent upon horticulture in Great 
Britain was immense, and he felt proud to be called upon to speak for 
such a representative body. There were then numbers of employers who 
derived pleasure from their gardens in this country. If gardens were 
done away with his hearers could imagine the loss of pleasure tha 
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