64 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
r January 2S, ISDOi 
recently exhibited at the Drill Hall. The sepals and petals also 
more closely surround the lip, being less spreading, and consequently 
the colouring is not well seen.— L. Castle. 
THE GARDENERS’ ROYAL BENEVOLENT 
INSTITUTION. 
Election op Officers and Pensioners. 
Last week we published the statement of accounts of this valuable 
Institution, and on the date of its appearance officers were elected for 
the ensuing year, and fifteen candidates placed on the pension list, six 
without ballot in accordance with the rules, and nine by the election of 
members. The oflScers chosen were H. J. Veitch, Esq., re-elected 
Treasurer, and Mr. K. Cutler, Secretary. Lord Eevelstoke and 0. Czar- 
nikow. Esq., were elected Vice-Presidents, in the place of the late Sir 
M. Peto, Bart., and the late Mr. K. Marnock. Messrs. H. Turner and 
G. Wythes were elected, and Messrs. J. H. Weston, J. Webber, W. T. 
Baker and S. Osborne re-elected members of Committee. 
The six candidates placed on the pension list as stated were Emily 
Friend, Mark Hebblethwaite, Eden Georgina Murray, John Skene, John 
Trotter and John Wainwright. The candidates elected by votes were 
James Baillie, 3211 ; Sophia Burt, 2369; Mary Ann Milroy, 1890 ; 
Elizabeth Parker, 1668 ; Sarah Brush, 1543 ; Robert Cox, 1.537 ; George 
W. Young, 1493 ; Maria Milley, 1430, and James Robinson, 1213. 
The Dinner. 
In the evening about seventy members and friends of the Institution 
celebrated the election by a social dinner where many similar gather¬ 
ings have been he’d in previous years—namely, Simpson’s Hotel, in 
the Strand. Mr. Edmund Yates presided, and all who were present 
will admit that he did so most happily. Mr. Yates is one of the literary 
celebrities of London—a man of the “ World ” in more respects than 
one—who can make a much better speech with a cigar in his mouth, 
and keep it (or both) goiug, than many persons could with all they 
desired to say written out before them. Loyal toasts, however, came 
before cigars, and were proposed befittingly and accepted joyously. 
The Chairman then proposed “ Success to the Gardeners’ Royal 
Benevolent Institution.” He said he had been supplied with figures 
bewildering and statistics appalling, showing the good that had been 
done, and of which his hearers probably knew better than he did ; but 
he would say, and he said it gladly, that the Institution was the most 
prosperous of the many w’ith which he was pleased to be connected. 
He had been interested in horticulture from childhood, commencing 
with growing Mustard and Cress, and he hoped the pursuit would afford 
him and all pleasure till all were sown. He thought no profession in 
the world was so natural, so wholesome, so helpful, and so suggestive of 
what was pure and good, and so stimulating to the finer feelings of man, 
as that of gardening. The speaker gave examples of this from poets, 
and concluded by expressing his delight in engaging in horticulture, 
particularly as he found it that night, for it tempered labour with 
refreshment, dealt hospitably with friends, and he hoped he should be 
among them again when prosperity was drunk to the Gardeners’ Royal 
Benevolent Institution. 
Mr. John Lee in rising to respond met, as he always does as the 
venerable father of the charity, with an ovation, and many were the 
expressions of pleasure on seeing him look so hale and well. After an 
allusion to his acquaintance with the Yates family, many years ago in 
Hammersmith, he referred to the election of pensioners, observing that 
out of the list of twenty-five candidates only some half dozen had been 
supporters of the Institution, and the fact of so many having to wait 
still longer for election proved the necessity for more subscribers. He 
earnestly hoped that gardeners as a body would see the advisability of 
associating themselves with it early in life. 
Mr. H. J. Veitch, rising in response to the toast of his health as 
President of the next anniversary dinner in June, was loudly cheered. 
He said, though no one rejoiced more than he did with the candidates 
who were elected, he would have been glad if more of them had been 
subscribers. He was particularly pleased to see that Mrs. Milroy had 
been placed on the pension list. Her husband joined the Institution 
many years ago, at a time when he had no reason to think either he or 
his would be likely to require its assistance. He joined for the good of 
others, subscribed for twelve years, then was called away. His widow 
might have long ago sought benefit from the fund, but by great 
endeavour supported herself for twenty years before making application 
for election. This example of self-denial he thought worth mention, 
and he was delighted to see Mrs. Milroy now on the list. Referring to 
the position that he accepted, almost with fear and trembling, to preside 
at the next anniversary, he could not but remember that he was succeed¬ 
ing a munificent friend of the Institution (Mr. Leopold de Rothschild), 
whose presence at the dinner brought an increase to the fund of nearly 
£3000. Still, someone must succeed him, and he, after much considera¬ 
tion, consented to do so. Having done this it was his intention to do 
his very best for the charity, and called on all to do their best in helping 
him to increase its means for doing good. With the co-operation of 
many friends, though he could not hope to approach the results of his 
great predecessor, he must confess he should like to accomplish some¬ 
thing that his successor would not find it easy to beat, especially when 
he announced, and he knew the announcement would be warmly 
received, that the gentleman who had consented to follow him and 
preside next year was no other than the talented Chairman of the 
evening, Mr. Edmund Yates. (Loud cheers). 
Mr. George Paul, in acknowledging the toast of the nursery trade 
(Mr. Moss having responded for the seed trade) made a strong appeal to 
all engaged in the industry of horticulture to support a representative 
as President of the year, his friend Mr. Veitch. He trusted that 
nurserymen and seedsmen all over the kingdom, also gardeners, would 
heartily co-operate, and he was confident if his hopes were realised ther 
year would be one of the best financially, and the dinner one of the 
most successful that had been experienced in the history of the institu¬ 
tion. (Cheers.) 
Mr. Parkinson proposed the President, Vice-Presidents, and Com¬ 
mittee, Mr. Herbert Adams and Mr. G. Monro responding. Somebody 
proposed the “ Guests,” for whom Sir John Monckton replied, and Mr. 
Sherwood introduced what he thought must be the toast of the evening. 
—“ Our Chairman.” 
Mr. Yates, in response thereto, remarked that he had been told— 
but he feared if they took a good look at him the statement would not 
be believed—that he was with them thirty years ago ; but it would be 
true if he lived, as he hoped, to take the chair as arranged in 1891, for it 
was in 1861 that he first sat down to a dinner of the Institution. He 
remembered that, because it was the first time he had addressed a public 
assembly. But, oh ! the dinners he had attended since ; the speeches 
he had made, the nonsense he had talked. That was not his fault : it 
was the fault of the Gardeners’ Benevolent Institution, and his services 
(whatever they might be worth) would always be at its disposal. 
(Cheers.) He was now going to perform an act they were told was 
good—forgive an enemy. He had been tormented by a man all the; 
evening who would not let him sit still, but he was in other respects such 
a good old frisky young fellow, such a true friend to and ardent worker 
for the Institution he had made to flourish, that he would ask them tc 
join heartily in drinking his health, for his name was Cutler : and again> 
with emphasis— Cutler. Then came a volume of sound, and " So say 
all of us.” 
Mr. Cutler, in responding, said he thought they were doing a little 
too much. He had, however, been elected to the position he held for 
the forty-ninth time that day, and hoped he should live to be chosen, 
once more. He could work better for gardeners than do his own gar¬ 
dening. He had tried to grow his own things, and put up a “ sort of a 
house.” He planted Melons, and they went on fine for a time till they 
had fruit as large as eggs, but hang him if they would get any bigger. 
He was in a quandary, when a friend came to the rescue and said,. 
“ What a fool you must be to bother with these things with so many 
gardening friends.” Well, he (Mr. Cutler) thought there was some¬ 
thing in that, so he trusted his friends to supply him with garden stuff, 
and they had not failed him ; and he would not fail so long as he had 
strength to do the best he could as Secretary for the Gardeners’ Royal 
Benevolent Institution. (Cheers). 
Miss Mary Belval, with her accomplished assistants, enlivened the 
proceedings by songs and glees delightfully rendered at intervals during 
the evening, which was of a very enjoyable character throughout. 
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS—A CATALOGUE COMMENTARY. 
(^Continued from page 43.') 
Madame Lacliarme (Lacharme, 1872).—Of fair growth and foliage,, 
with most characteristic habit. The shoots require to be severely 
thinned, and then they must be looked over from top to bottom several 
times during the growing season, as it is such a free bloomer that every 
wood bud will break and must be stopped before the top flower bud 
begins to swell. Very liable to mildew, and absolutely spoilt by any 
rain after the bud ’oegins to show colour. Even a heavy dew will some¬ 
times soil the blooms. These are of a pure white, and for years this- 
Rose was the best H.P. of its colour, a row of it in full bloom looking 
most charming just as the dusk of a July evening comes on. Water 
appears to wash the colour off the petals and leave them transparent, 
for they are of the most delicate texture, and will show the ravages of 
thrips sooner perhaps than any, and as these are sure to come in some 
places in hot dry weather, and wet is even more fatal, Madame 
Lacharme has often a bad time of it. The shape is good, globular, with 
the centre well filled, but the size is not generally more than 
medium. It will come again well in the autumn if it should be par¬ 
ticularly dry and fine, but as the best white H P. it has been completely 
eclipsed by Merveille de Lyon, and must put up with the qualification 
“ be.st under glass.” 
Madame Neman (Guillot, 1867).—Another pure white H.P., but a 
weak bad grower with small foliage. The blooms also are quite small^ 
but of exquisite form and the purest colour. This Rose and Boule d® 
