366 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October IB, 188?. 
is'difficult to decide. For vases, again, they are most useful, the beau¬ 
tiful white flowers, borne on long wiry stems, exactly meeting the re¬ 
quirements of all who delight in light and tasteful arrangements. 
Plants ought to be found in the shrubberries and in the back rows of 
the herbaceous or mixed borders everywhere.—W. I. 
- I have noticed your various correspondents’ remarks on the 
resting of Euchaeis grandiflora as a means of flowering it success¬ 
fully. Many cultivators, no doubt, have tried the resting. Some have 
tried it to their cost, others to their profit. Still resting, to be of the 
right benefit, requires t-o be proceeded with cautiously. I could quote 
plenty of instances where taking the plants into cool houses had not the 
desired effect, when they flowered equally well with never having 
been taken out of the stove, only being kept dry there. During June 
and July I would not hesitate much to put Eucharises outside to rest in 
a sheltered and suitable place, but at any other time, cool houses, I think, 
would be risky, weakening the plants and bringing on diseases. There 
is apparently no accounting for how they do so well at times and at other 
times so poorly. I have just been pleased to count seventeen spikes of 
flowers coming up on a plant now ; and the same had over fifty spikes of 
flowers on it when we exhibited it last August, since which time it has 
not been out of the stove.—E. M. 
EOTAL PATRONAGE OF THE ROSE. 
We understand that H.R.H. the Princess of Wales has kindly con¬ 
sented to become the Patroness of the National Rose Society. 
THE MANETTI STOCK. 
Mr. B. R. Cant’s communication on page 342 is very interesting, 
and in the face of what he says I suppose I must admit that Roses will 
do on the Manetti, at any rate in some favoured neighbourhoods. Messrs. 
Baker and Jowitt I think both reside in very genial climates, as does 
Mr. Cant himself. In such situations the Manetti may answer, but how 
many of us can reside in places with a climate like Hereford or 
■Colchester.? I think the secret of Messrs. Jowitt and Baker’s success, 
extending over several years, was owing more to the fact of their going 
in for big batallions more than anything else, and I have a shrewd 
suspicion that had they grown their Roses on the Briar, own root, or 
any other stock the result would have been the same. Mr. Cant says 
(page 343) : “For choice I prefer the Briar cutting to ... . any other 
stock,” so I suppose I may fairly conclude that if he were a small 
amateur about to plant a few dozens of Rose trees he would not go in 
for the Manetti even at Colchester. If Mr. Cant has four acres of 
cutbacks, I think he is the exception that proves the rule, and his state¬ 
ment surprises me very much. Mr. Cant objects to my printing his 
opinion of the Briar without putting in his remarks about the Manetti. 
I gave the authority chapter and verse, and his statement, “ the Briar 
cutting is my especial favourite ” was so straight, that I did not feel 
called upon to insert anything further. It was open to any reader 
to procure the “ Rosarians’ Year Book” and read the whole article. 
It is quite sufficient for me to know that Mr. Cant’s favourite stock is 
the Briar; so it is mine, and so it is that of a good many others, and 
their number is growing larger every day. I should very much like 
somebody to come to Sheffield and plant a six-acre field with Roses on 
the Manetti, the result would be such a triumph for the Briar men. In 
conclusion, all I can say is that my opinion of the Manetti has been 
gained from hard-bought experience only, and my fertile imagination 
has not been in any way exercised for facts. For the first few years 
of my Rose-growing life l used Manetti only, and the result was so 
disheartening, and the loss so great, that I was very nearly at one 
time giving the whole thing up in despair. Then I tried the Briar. 
The losses ceased, and now I would be sorry indeed to have to do 
without my Roses -but no more Manetti, please.—D. Gilmour, jun. 
THE UNITED HORTICULTURAL BENEFIT AND 
PROVIDENT SOCIETY. 
The anniversary dinner of the above named Society was held in the 
Cannon Street Hotel on Thursday evening, October 11th, Dr. Robert 
Hogg presiding, and H. J. Veitch; Esq., in the vice-chair. There was a 
large attendance of members and visitors, over one hundred bein°- 
present, the Chairman being supported by Mr. John Laing, Mr. G. Pauf 
Mr. N. Sherwood, Mr. II. Herbst, Mr. G. Deal, Mr. Nutting, Mr. w! 
Collins (Secretary), and others. The chair was taken at 5.30 P.M., ’and 
after an excellent dinner had been disposed of, a long and interesting 
programme of toasts and songs was proceeded with, the latter portion of 
the entertainment being admirably rendered by Miss Mary Belval and 
friends. 
The customary loyal toasts were duly honoured, and Dr. Hogg then 
proposed the toast of the evening, “ Continued Success to the United 
Horticultural Benefit and Provident Society.” He said that twenty-two 
years ago a society existed called the United Horticultural Society, 
which was composed of men of action and energy. They conceived the 
idea of holding an exhibition in the City of London, and the first was 
accordingly held in the Finsbury Square, another was held somewhere 
else, but the climax was that held in the Guildhall, which proved a 
great success. A number of gentlemen guaranteed £100 as the prize 
fund, and the results were so satisfactory that a considerable sum was left 
to the credit of the promoters. Although that society has disappeared 
it left behind it a bantling, and the profits of the above named shows 
formed the nucleus of the present fund. The Society is now flourishing, 
but not so well known as it should be, and he was glad to see the 
Committee had decided to come out into broad daylight. For many 
years they carried on their work with great caution, at one time nearly 
giving up in despair, but the tide turned, and they are now going on in a 
most satisfactory way. 
The details of the several rules were very intricate, but he had 
endeavoured to master them, and would give a few particulars of the 
way the Society is worked. The objects of this Society are to render 
assistance to gardeners in time of sickness, calamity, and old age. It is 
not a charity, it is not even a benevolent society subsisting on the 
benevolence of others, but it is essentially a thrift and self-help society. 
It is in fact a benefit society and savings’ bank combined, the payments 
not being more than those of the ordinary benefit societies whose 
members have no claim or surplus funds. There is, I believe, no other 
society which offers the same advantages. The overplus in this society 
is equitably divided amongst the members yearly, and invested for them 
in stock ; each member has a separate account, and the accumulated 
fund, with all interest accruing, is payable on the death of a member to 
his nominee, or can be drawn by himself at the age of seventy years. 
Sums amounting to between £50 and upwards are now credited to 
some members, and the yearly interest on the same closely approaches 
the annual payments to the Society. This is a point of the greatest 
importance, for it means that in the course of time nearly, or quite, all 
the sums paid as contributions will be added to the members’ deposit 
account, the interest meeting all liabilities that entitle such members to 
all the benefits of the Society. 
The organisation consists of three funds—the benefit or sick fund, 
the management fund, and the benevolent fund. The benefit or sick 
fund is to provide a weekly payment to members when they are in¬ 
capacitated from work through illness. When a member is wholly 
unable by sickness to follow his employment he is entitled to full sick 
pay ; but it is not necessary that he refrain from all work when able 
to do a little, to entitle him to a proportion cf sick pay. The 
management fund is to meet what may be called current expenses, 
such as rent, stationery, printing, &c. I would like to call special 
attention to this fund. The Committee, of course, as in other societies, 
give their services gratuitously ; but the Secretary, on whom the heavy 
work devolves, has hitherto only received a nominal sum, and the most 
he is entitled to receive is £20 annually, with fid. per annum for every 
member over 300. The benevolent fund is established to enable the 
Committee to grant extra allowances beyond sick pay where additional 
assistance is needed, as, for instance, to meet heavy doctors’ bills, 
accidents, and sudden unforeseen calamities. 
The payment of fid. a week, or 2Cs. a year, insures 10s. fid. weekly in 
case of sickness ; 9d. weekly, or 36s. a year, insuring 16s. weekly. 
Members contributing 26s. yearly to the sick fund pay 2s. annually to 
the benevolent fund ; those paying 39s. yearly contributing 3s. annually 
to the above fund ; and all pay 2s. fid. annually to the management 
fund. These are the whole of the liabilities ; and I may state, as showing 
the very light nature generally of the demands on members, that the 
payments to sick members during the present financial year have 
amounted to £30 11s. 8d., this being met by deducting only 2s. fid. from 
those members who contribute 2fis. a year, thus leaving £1 3s. fid. of 
their subscription to be added to their deposit account. After attaining 
seventy years of age the member ceases to pay into the sick fund at all, 
and he is provided for from the benevolent fund. The Society has 
been established twenty-two years, and the sum of £4200 is invested in 
consols, and is the property of the members, each member’s share being 
debited to him in a separate account. There could be no question 
respecting the advantages of such a Society, and he had great pleasure 
in proposing its continued success. (Cheers.) 
In replying, Mr. N. Cole briefly traced the progress of the Society, 
and referred to the valuable assistance Mr. J. Wright had rendered in 
making it so widely known, which had led to a large increase in the 
number of members. 
i 
: 
“ Success to Kindred Societies” was proposed by Mr. H. J. Veitch, who 
remarked that he was not prepared to furnish the meeting with such 
important statistics as the Chairman had done, but he could say that he 
was sure the kindred societies might and ought to help one another. As 
as example he stated that within a few months of the death of Mr. 
McElroy, the late Secretary of the United Horticultural Benefit 
Society, the Committee of the Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution 
was able to place the widow on the funds as a pensioner. Respecting 
the Gardeners’ Orphan Fund, Mr. G. Deal would be able to give them 
more particulars than he could do, and in the unavoidable absence of 
Mr. John Lee he called upon the veteran Secretary, Mr. Cutler, and 
Mr. G. Deal to respond for the two societies mentioned. Mr. Cutler 
regretted that he had been named to reply, and he would have preferred 
