604 
JOURXAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
r June 19, 890. 
for the amount invested for her benefit. The thanks of the Com¬ 
mittee are due to Mr. Harry Veitch and Mr. W. H. Protheroe for 
the great pains they have taken in securing such a good and safe 
investment, and we trust the subscribers will be well satisfied with 
the results.—F eed. Hoes.m.\n, Hon. Sec. 
GARDENERS’ ROYAL BENEVOLENT INSTITUPION. 
The fifty-first anniversary festival of this Institution took place on 
Thursday evening, June 12th, at the “ Albion,” Aldersgate Street, when 
a large number of members from all parts of the United Kingdom sat 
down to dinner. Mr. Harry J. Veitch, the Treasurer, presided, and 
he was supported by Canon Cromwell, Dr. Robert Hogg, W. T. 
Thiselton Dyer, Esq., and the Rev. W. Wilks, about two hundred of 
the leading horticulturists in the kingdom being present, together with 
several from Belgium. One of the best representative gatherings yet 
held. The room was beautifully decorated with choice flowers and 
Ferns, the tables being especially attractive. After dinner 
The Chairman proposed the toasts of the Queen, the Prince and 
Princess of Wales, and the other members of the Royal Family. He 
alluded to the fact that Her Majesty had been a patron of the Institution 
since 18.51, and dwelt upon the services rendered to their cause by His 
Royal Highness in being present at the E.vhibition of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society in the Temple, an event which he characterised as of 
great moment to gardeners. 
The Chairman, on rising to propose the toast of the evening, was 
receiveil with loud cheers. He said : —The toast which I now beg to 
offer for your acceptance is that of “ Continued Success and Prosperity 
of the Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution, now in its fifty-first year.” 
(Cheers). In the first place I would beg you not to expect from me any 
of that grand oratory which it has been our privilege and pleasure to 
hear from those who have occupied the position I have the honour to 
hold to-night ; but if oratory fails me, I yield to none of my pre¬ 
decessors in the desire to .seethe Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution 
progress and do well. (Cheers). And from that point of view I beg 
you will bear with me for a few moments. (Hear, hear). Our Institu¬ 
tion, as some of you are aware, was founded in 1839, and we to-night, 
therefore, are ee'ebrating its fifty-first anniversary. (Cheers). Those 
to whom is due the honour of founding this Institution have since 
passed away, but the names of Henderson, Noble, Lane, Dickson, Osborn, 
and Webber must ever remain green in the memories of all who have 
this Institution at heart. (Cheers). Nor could they have left behind 
them a more honourable memorial. (Cheers). But although those 
worthies are no longer with us, I am sure you will join with me in 
acknowledging how glad we are to see still amongst us one who, if notone 
of the actual founders, has been one of the greatest friends of the Insti¬ 
tution from the time of its founding, and I am sure you will join with 
me in offering our warmest congratulations to our worthy friend 
Mr. John Lee, rightly called the father of the Institution, and 
expressing the hope that he may be spared to be with us on many 
similar future occasions. (Cheers). Our Institution was founded in 
1839, and wehadavery small beginning. In 1810 our income was £12 3, 
on the strength of which the first pensioner was elected. In 1841—I am 
not going through all the years—we had advanccid so far that 
we were able to elect the second pensioner, and in 1842 we elected 
two more. (Hear, hear). After that matters seem to have 
gone rather more rapidly, until at present we have 154 pen¬ 
sioners on the list, these pensioners being drawn from all parts of 
the United Kingdom. Our oldest pensioner at the present time is 
102 years of age. (Laughter and cheers). He subscribed eighteen 
guineas to the Institution, and up to the present time he has received 
£490. (Laughter). Notavery bad investment I thinkyou will say. (Hear, 
hear). Since the commencement of the Institution we have had on the 
books 547 pensioners, expending an amount in pensions and office 
expenses of about £53,000. (Hear, hear). Nor is that all. When first 
the Institution was founded the pensions for men were fi.xed at £1(3, 
and for women £12 ; but through the liberality of the supporters we 
were enabled a few years since to increase the pensions, those of the 
men from £16 to £20, and the women from £12 to £1(3. (Cheers). Nor 
is that all. In the year of Her Majesty’s Jubilee, through your 
liberality, we were enabled to make a present to every pensioner and 
every non-successful candidate of the sum of £5, that they might have 
their share in the enjoyments of the Jubilee year. (Hear, hear). And 
now comes the question, “ For whom are the benefits of the Institution 
intended ? ” and with your permission I will read an extract which I 
find in one of the leading gardening papers recently—the Gardeners' 
Chronicle for May 31st, 1890 :—“At present the general public hardly 
recognise what horticulture really is. They look upon it too much in 
the light of a mere recreation and a gratification of the senses, but it is 
far more than that. Intellectually it ranks as an applied science, 
demanding for its study the highest powers of the mind. Economically 
it is of the greatest importance as an industry, in which vast capital is 
sunk, providing occupation for an army of workers, enlarging and improv¬ 
ing the food supplies of the nation, whilst nothing is more certain than 
that the agriculturists of the future must study the methods and practices 
of their horticultural brethren if they wish to turn the land they occupy 
to the best advantage.” Gentlemen, it is for the unfortunate amongst 
that army of workers that we are asking your help to-night, and I don’t 
think I can more strongly recommend them to you. As regards the 
candidates, they are not admitted indiscriminately. They have to pass the 
scrutiny of the Committee, headed by our honoured friend, Mr. John Lee, 
and they have to produce testimonials of good conduct showing that they 
have conducted themselves as those should do who apply for a pension 
such as we offer. (Hear, hear). Now it is argued by some that many 
of these poor people have brought distress upon themselves. I have 
been told it often that if only people in the prime of life took the 
necessary precautions they would be able to save sufficient for the old 
or rainy day as it is called. Gentlemen, there are some no doubt who 
do bring trouble on themselves, but I venture to ask you to believe that 
they are a very small minority. (Hear, hear). There are some who are 
in want who have probably only done what a great many of us have 
done—endeavoured to increase what little money they may have had by 
what they believed to be a fair and sound speculation. They have not 
always succeeded, and I appeal to every gentleman here to-night 
whether he has always succeeded. (Laughter). We are not in the 
position in which they are, and I ask you to remember those who have 
been less fortunate than ourselves. The life and occupation of a 
gardener is in many senses a very precarious one. When bad times set 
in, I appeal to you, is it not the gardener who is first made to feel it ? Is 
not the gardener frequently called upon to accept a lower rate of wages, 
or to make room for a cheaper man as he is called, and falsely so called. 
(Hear, hear). I think you will agree with me that thai is so. (Hear, hear). 
If you put the wages of a gardener at £70 a year, that I believe is s> 
high average. I am very thankful to say that there are exceptional 
cases, but taking the average at £70, I ask you if you would like to keep- 
yourselves respectably, pay a premium very likely for learning your 
business, and then keep a family out of £70 a year, and then perhaps to- 
be out of a situation for weeks and months. The case of the gardener 
is a hard case in many instances, and on that ground I appeal to your 
liberality to help those who are obliged to come to us in their old age. 
I know of no more deserving set of servants than the gardeners of this 
country, men who are obliged to be scientific as well as practical, and I 
earnestly ask you to be liberal to-night in the help you give to them.. 
(Hear, hear). That gardeners are anxious to help themselves I beg you 
to take my word. In my position as Chairman I have received a great 
many letters from gardeners in a'l parts of the country. Among them 
were the following ;—“ I enclose P.O., value £2 153., on behalf of the- 
Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution, and 1 am sorry that it is not 
in my power to help more, myself having a family of ten children.’” 
(Cheers). Another is—“ I enc’ose P.O. for £1 33. 61. I should very 
much like to have been in a position to subscribe more, but I have had 
my wife under the doctor’s hands for just upon nine years and myself 
for nearly two years on and off.” (Cheers.) These are some of the 
persons we ask you to assist. (Hear, hear). With regard to the cost 
of management it would be well if I gave you a few figures. Our 
principal expenses are conneeted with the office and two clerks,, 
one of them our most jolly Roger Cutler, and the youth with him. 
(Cheers). There are also incidental expenses such as postage, because 
our constituency is all over the country. But I should like to give you 
some figures to show you the progress of the Institution, and the 
decrease in the expenses of management. In 1830 we paid in pensions 
£492, in 1860 £733, in 1870 £787, in 1880 £1074, in 1889 £23415. 
(Cheers). The annual subscriptions in 1850 were £542 ; last year they 
were £1328. (Cheers). The donations in 1850 were £206 ; last year 
they were £3400. (Cheers). The invested capital in 1859 was £2250, 
and last year £23,000. The expenses of management were, in 1850, 20 
per cent., in 1860 21 per cent., in 1880 18 per cent; last year they were 
12 per cent. (Cheers). Again I ask your liberality on behalf of am 
Institution so beautifully managed. I am sorry to say that the fund,, 
however large, is not sufficient. At the last election we were able to^ 
elect only eight candidates by voting, and sixteen are still waiting- 
until we can afford to have another election, and there are others who 
are waiting to become candidates, and therefore without a liberal 
response to-night there are candidates who will probably have to wait 
until another year, and you can easily understand what hope deferred 
means when there is nothing before them except the workhouse. (Hear, 
hear). I beg you to think of those poor people who are waiting and 
endeavouring to make their remaining years in this world happy. T 
leave the matter in your hands. (Loud cheers). 
Mr. N. N. Sherwood, one of the Trustees, in responding to the- 
toast, said he had to thank the Chairman for the excellent way in 
which he had expounded the merits of this excellent Society. There- 
was no doubt about it that during the fifty-one years that the Institu¬ 
tion had existed it had made most rapid bounds. (Hear). He thought 
they would consider it a great deal when they came to consider that at 
the present time they had funded £23,000, and over 1200 yearly sub¬ 
scribers. (Hear). But still they wanted more. The Society had 
without doubt one of the most excellent Secretaries it was possible to 
have. (Cheers). Mr. Cutler’s exertions had brought the Society to its- 
present perfection. In c inclusion, he thanked those present for 
attending, and for the donations they have given on behalf of the 
gardeners whose hearts and homes they would make happy by their 
liberality. (Cheers). 
Mr. W. T. Thisleton Dyer, Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew, 
proposed the health of the Chairman, a toast which he said would need 
but very few words from him. (Cheers). Before asking them to drink, 
it he would like to say a few words. That was the first time he had 
had the honour of being present at the dinner of the Gardeners’ Royal 
Benevolent Institution. There was not one, perhaps, more than himself 
who felt for reasons they could easily imagine, that horticulture was an- 
arduous task. He believed it was the very first thing our progenitors- 
devoted themselves to, and they would call to mind that succCg^ 
