100 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, June 23, 1857. 
NEW BOOK. 
Bread.* —We recommend this little volume to all who 
wish to know how they can make at home each kind of good 
wholesome bread; for they will learn from its pages how 
very little difficulty there is in effecting this most desirable 
end—desirable not only for pleasing the palate, but for 
preserving the health of the community. Like Miss Acton’s 
Cookery Book, it is the best work which has appeared upon 
the subject of which it treats. Nor is the work confined to 
the mere details of manufacturing bread, for there is a 
history of its preparation from the earliest times, and warn¬ 
ings against its adulterations. We wonder how few bakers’ 
shops would be without their proprietors being fixed to the 
door-post, if, as in China, fraudulent bakers were nailed to 
them by the ear; or how often our churches would be 
without a baker penitential procession if the following pro¬ 
cedure was adopted as described by Miss Acton:— 
“Formerly in France, when the infliction of heavy fines 
proved insufficient to prevent dishonest practices on the 
part of the bakers, the following modes of punishment were 
resorted to. In one or two instances, if not more, the 
offenders were condemned to be ‘whipped naked at the 
cross roads;’ and in 1521 four of their number were 
sentenced to be taken by the police from the chdtelet to the 
porch of Notre Dame bare-headed, and each one carrying a 
taper two pounds’ weight, ‘ there to beg pardon of God, of the 
King , and of Justice, for the frauds which they had com¬ 
mitted in the fabrication and in the deficient weight of 
their bread.’ This done, they were to be conducted into 
the church, and to offer their tapers to be burned in it; they, 
in the meanwhile, exhorting all other bakers to make their 
bread of the weight and quality required by law, ‘ on pain 
of being scourged.’ This sentence was strictly executed. 
At subsequent periods many otherwell-deserved punishments 
of various kinds were inflicted for similar offences. At the 
present day the penalties incurred by the defrauders "are 
fines and imprisonment. In England the law deals even 
more leniently with such culprits, pecuniary loss being the 
only punishment allotted to them.” 
GARDENERS’ ROYAL BENEVOLENT 
INSTITUTION. 
• 
The Annual Dinner of the Gardeners’ Benevolent In¬ 
stitution was held at the London Tavern on the evening of 
Monday, the 15th inst., Mr. Sheriff Mechi in the chair, sup¬ 
ported by Mr. H. G. Bolin, Mr. Sheriff' Crossley, Mr. Rou- 
pell, M.P. for Lambeth, Mr. Robert Wrench, &c. 
The room was brilliantly decorated with a great profusion 
of flowers, consisting chiefly of Geraniums supplied by Mr. 
Turner, of Slough, which occupied the whole stage behind 
the Chairman, and completely filled one end of the room. 
At the head of the table were some beautiful exotics, prin¬ 
cipally Orchids, sent by Mr. Veitch, of Chelsea, which de¬ 
lighted by their elegance and beauty, no less than by their 
fragrance. 
After the dinner, which went off remarkably well, the 
Chairman proposed the usual loyal toasts—“The Queen, 
Prince Albert, and the rest of the Royal Family,”—“ The 
Army and Navy,”—“The Houses of Lords and Commons.” 
Sheriff Mechi, in rising to propose the toast of the 
evening, said that there was great selfishness in human 
nature; those who were blessed with much were too 
much disposed to look to and study their own comfort, 
and forget that they had a duty to perform to others, 
and hence it was that institutions such as these were 
formed. It is too much the case that when our gar¬ 
deners become old and enfeebled we cast them off, as 
being of no further use to us, much in the same way as we 
would an old horse to the knacker’s ; but some do not even 
treat their old horses so. He urged that it was our duty to 
consider the misfortunes of others as we would our own, 
particularly of those who contributed so much to our wants 
* T he English Bread Book for Domestic Use, adapted to families of 
every grade, containing the plainest and most minute instructions to 
the learner, &c. By Eliza Acton, Author of “Modern Cookery.” 
London ; Longman and Co. 
and pleasures. Some gentlemen object to these dinners, 
but he (Mr. Mechi) thought that what was a productive 
source to a charity could not be a bad thing. “ After long 
observation,” he said, “ I have found that a dinner in con¬ 
nection with a charity is an essentiality. I knew a charity 
once whose officials thought they would save money by 
giving up their dinners, and in lieu of it send round a sub¬ 
scription paper. They tried it once, and after the subscrip¬ 
tion paper was sent round they found the sum contributed 
was T3 13s.” He strongly urged that the dinner should not | 
be discontinued, but that the institution should keep up its | 
connection with the City of London, where the Chancellor 
of the Exchequer amd all who wanted money were forced 
to come. He concluded by drinking “Success to the Gar¬ 
deners’ Benevolent Institution.” 
Mr. Roupell, M.P. for Lambeth, proposed “The health 
of the Chairman,” who he said had become public property, 
and it was not necessary to beat about the bush with 
any remarks he had to make upon him. He had ob- J 
served when abroad that there was no fruit like English 
fruit, no flowers like English flowers, and no agriculture 
like English agriculture, and it was to Mr. Mechi that the 
latter was in a great measure indebted for what it now was, 
and he trusted that the time would soon arrive when Mr. 
Mechi would take his seat in the House of Commons, which 
was his fitting place, so as to be* the true representative of 
British agriculture.* 
Mr. Mechi, in returning thanks, said that when he began 
to improve his own property he had no idea he was going to 
make so much noise in the world. At the time the food of 
the country was running short he w r rote to some of the 
agricultural papers explaining the mode of procedure he had. 
followed on his own land, and he was quite inundated with 
letters from some of the most eminent agriculturists, so 
that he had no alternative but to go on in the course in 
which he had begun ; “and now,” said he, “ I have fought 
the battle and won it.” 
Mr. Sheriff Crossley proposed “ The health of Mr. 
Wrench, the Treasurer,” who replied in a very neat and 
appropriate speech. 
The Chairman then proposed “ Success to the Horti¬ 
cultural Society of London,” coupled with the name of Mr. 
H. G. Bohn, a Member of Council. 
Mr. Bohn said that the Horticultural Society had come 
through a great struggle, but he thought that now light had 
begun to dawn upon it, and that it would yet be as great as 
ever it was. He had taken a very prominent and active 
part in the resuscitation of the Society, and so long as he 
saw that there were abuses existing which checked its 
onward progress he was determined he would use every 
effort to have them removed. 
Several other toasts were proposed, among which were 
“The Stewards;” “Mr. Cutler, the Secretary,” who replied 
in appropriate terms ; and “ The Ladies.” 
In addition to the other attractions the gallery was filled 
with ladies, to each of whom a handsome bouquet was pre¬ 
sented, and who formed an ensemble which harmonised 
admirably with Mr. Turner’s floral beauties at the opposite , 
end of the room. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Zinc Pipes for Hot Water (E. G.). —We have no experience as 
to their lasting for such purpose. We think that their great expansion 
and contraction would very soon render them leaky. 
Washaba Wood ( F . G.).~Can any of our readers tell us the name 
of the tree which produces this wood ? 
Gas Coke (it. anything, there is less gas left in this coke 
than in the oven coke. You may use it safely for flue-heating. \\ e have 
used it ourselves for years. 
Apple Tree ( Ayr ).—It appears to us that you have cut off all the 
spurs which were on the tree, as there can be no reason for supposing 
that the tree is dead. Court-pendu-plat is perhaps the latest of all 
Apples both in blooming and coming into leaf, and we have no doubt 
that by the time you read this you will see indications of vitality. The 
numbers had fallen from the plants you sent for name, and we could 
not distinguish to which they belonged; but the white flower is Podo¬ 
phyllum peltutum, Duck’s-foot or May Apple; but the other is too 
imperfect to be recognised. 
Names of Ferns {Caroline). —No. l,no doubt, is a varied form of 
Dilatata, which varies very much. No. 2 is a variety of the Athyrium, 
something in the way of Athyrium latifolium. No. 3, Adiantum pu - 
besccns, a hardy greenhouse species. 
