724 
July 16, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
At the Floral Committee meeting on Tuesday, Dr. 
Lowe showed a specimen of a Lose which this year 
had produced on the same stalk a red Rose and a white 
Rose. Dr. Lowe stated, on the authority of the late 
Rev. H. Ellacombe, that the Damask Rose with striped 
petals, now commonly called the York and Lancaster 
Rose, is not rightly so called, and that the true plant 
was the one of which he exhibited flowers. 
IVe are informed that the committee of the English 
subscribers to the Van Houtte Memorial Prizes 
have determined to offer two prizes of the value of £10 
each to be competed for at the next quinquennial inter¬ 
national exhibition to be held in April, 1888, at Ghent, 
under the auspices of the Societe Royale d’Agriculture 
et de Botanique—one prize for the best new varieties of 
Azalea indiea obtained since 1880, and one prize for the 
best collection of hardy trees and shrubs. The Conseil 
d’Administration of the society have intimated their 
acceptance of these prizes. 
The death is announced of the Rev. Thomas Stani- 
forth, of Storr’s Hall, Windermere, at the ripe old 
age of 80 years. In his college days, Mr. Staniforth 
was known as a first-class amateur oarsman, and has 
always been a good patron of horticulture ; one of his 
favourite flowers was the Amaryllis, in the cultivation 
and improvement of which he took great interest. He 
was, we believe, the “Amateur” who gave the prizes 
offered for seedling Amaryllis a year or two ago at the 
shows of the Royal Horticultural and Royal Botanical 
Societies. 
We have before us a copy of the schedule of prizes 
offered by the Sheffield and West Riding Chry¬ 
santhemum Society, and note with pleasure that 
very liberal inducements are offered to competitors in 
the open classes. The leading class is for forty-eight 
cut blooms, twenty-four incurved, and the same number 
of Japanese, in which the prizes are, first, a Silver Cup 
value 15 guineas, and £10 in money ; second, £10 ; and 
third, £5. Such handsome prizes as these should bring 
out a grand competition. Further particulars can be 
obtained from Mr. Woodcock, The Gardens, Oakbrook, 
Sheffield. 
-- 
THE GARDENERS’ ORPHAN 
FUND. 
The first general meeting of the supporters of this 
Fund was held at South Kensington on Tuesday 
afternoon, Sir Julian Goldsmid, Bart., M.P., presiding. 
There were also present Dr. Hogg, representing the 
Council of the Royal Horticultural Society ; several 
members of the Horticultural Club, representing that 
body ; Dr. Masters, Mr. Harry J. Veitch, Mr. Shirley 
Hibberd, Mr. G. Deal, and Messrs. J. Fraser, John 
Laing, D. T. Fish, C. Penny, J. Udale, C. Noble, 
W. Bull, W. Roupell, A. F. Barron, R. Dean, 
J. Roberts, J. Wright. H. Turner, B. Wynne, 
W. Holmes, H. Herbst, J. Smith, H. Cannell, 
J. Gibson, T. W. Saunders, C. Ross, J. Newton, 
W. Richards, G. T. Miles, W. G. Head, J. Withers, 
T. Griffin, J. Fromow, and others whose names we did 
not learn. 
Mr. Deal read the following report of the Provisional 
Committee :— 
TO THE DONORS AND SUBSCRIBERS TO THE 
GARDENERS’ ORPHAN FUND. 
Ladies and Gentlemen,— 
We, the members of the Provisional Committee, 
nominated to conduct the initiatory proceedings in 
connection with this Fund, have now the pleasure to 
present our report, which is, in fact, an epitomised 
statement of our labours, and will show how the idea 
of the “Gardeners’ Orphan Fund” originated, de¬ 
veloped, and step by step reached its present pro¬ 
portions. 
Early in March last Mr. Penny, gardener to His 
Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, Sandringham ; 
Mr. Clayton, of Griinston Hall, Tadcaster ; and Mr. 
Udale, Elford Hall, Tamworth, suggested in the horti¬ 
cultural papers that the most fitting way for the 
gardening community to commemorate Her Majesty’s 
Jubilee would be to establish a Gardeners’ Orphanage 
or Fund for the benefit of orphan children of gardeners. 
The idea met with approval, and a meeting was held 
on March 22nd in the Conservatory of the Royal 
Horticultural Society, South Kensington, to take into 
consideration the suggestion and the best means of 
furthering it. The subject having been fully discussed, 
a resolution was passed to the effect that it was 
desirable to establish such a Fund, but that it was not 
desirable to purchase or erect any building as an 
Orphanage. It was further resolved to appoint a 
Provisional Committee to prepare a scheme for carrying 
out the objects of the meeting, and the following 
gentlemen were nominated :—Dr. Masters ( Gardeners' 
Chronicle) ; Mr. Shirley Hibberd ( Gardeners' Magazine ) ; 
Mr. Deal (Weeks & Co., Chelsea) ; Mr. James Douglas, 
Great Gearies, Ilford ; Mr. C. Penny, Sandringham ; 
Mr. C. H. Sharman (James Carter & Co., Holborn) ; 
Mr. H. J. Veitch, Chelsea ; Mr. J. Roberts, Gunners- 
bury Park; Mr. J. Woodbridge, Syon House; Mr. 
A. F. Barron, Chiswick ; Mr. R. Dean, Ealing ; Mr. 
J. Matthews, Weston-super-Mare ; Mr. J. Wright 
{Journal of Horticulture ) ; Mr. B. S. Williams, Hol¬ 
loway ; Mr. W. Richards {Gardeners' Chronicle) ; and 
Mr. B. Wynne {Gardening World). 
This committee held its first meeting on March 25th, 
and again met on April 12th, when the members 
present (after first agreeing to defray the preliminary 
expenses should the scheme fail to mature), discussed 
the lines upon which the Fund should be organised 
and conducted. A circular letter was drawn up and 
widely circulated, with a view of testing the feelings 
of gardeners respecting the proposals. The result was 
highly gratifying, inasmuch as in a short time promises 
of support were received in the form of donations and 
subscriptions to the amount of £400. By May 24th 
the amount had reached nearly £600, and now ex¬ 
ceeded £980. 
At a meeting of the committee on the last-mentioned 
date, the progress made was considered sufficiently 
satisfactory to warrant the calling of a public meeting 
to establish the Fund. It was therefore resolved to 
convene such meeting for July 12th, and a sub¬ 
committee was appointed to make the necessary 
arrangements, also to draw up rules and regulations 
for the general management of the Fund. 
This sub-committee, consisting of Messrs. Barron, 
Deal, Dean, Roupell, Woodbridge, Wright, and Wynne, 
at once proceeded to consider and revise the draft rules 
submitted by the chairman, which, after much anxious 
consideration, were agreed to, and are now recommended 
to the subscribers for adoption. 
The committee have been much encouraged in their 
labours by the fact that so distinguished a friend to 
horticulture as Sir Julian Goldsmid, Bart., M.P., &c., 
has kindly consented to accept the office of president, 
and trust that the donors and subscribers will cordially 
endorse this selection, and approve the initiatory 
proceedings in general. 
In conclusion, the committee beg to offer their best 
thanks to the subscribers and all who have so kindly 
given them their assistance and support. 
Sir Julian Goldsmid : It becomes my duty as 
chairman of the meeting to-day to move the adoption 
of the report, and of the rules which are recommended 
to you by the Provisional Committee. I have just 
looked at their minute book, and I see that they have 
held nine meetings, and consequently it is obvious that 
they have carefully considered the various questions 
which they have had to deal with, because, as they are 
all business men, and know the value of time, I am sure 
they would have'been unwilling to spend time over nine 
meetings unless it had been necessary to mature the 
proposal they put before you. The proposal is one 
which recommends itself to everyone who has an eye to 
nature. I think that we shall all agree that the 
gardeners of to-day offer us beautiful objects to look at 
which in former days were almost unknown. I was 
looking, for instance, just now at that wonderful 
collection of Begonias downstairs. When I was a boy 
I think that many of these ivere not known at all, and 
consequently our forefathers lost the advantage and 
beauty of those splendid objects. So, in the same way, 
all through the different classes of plants you will find 
that wonderful improvements have been made by the 
able gardeners of to-day. I am quite sure that the 
gardeners who look after these things which are so 
beautiful, ought also to look after themselves and 
their families. Now, every one of us is liable to 
sickness, and of course now and then the head of the 
family is removed, and his children are left to battle 
with an eager and a greedy world. Just as it is the 
duty of those in other trades and occupation of life to 
endeavour to provide for their poorer neighbours, and 
for the orphans of those removed from them in an 
untimely manner, so I believe those who originated this 
idea were right in saying that it is in the same way the 
duty of gardeners to provide for those connected with 
them who are placed in similar unhappy circumstances. 
We all know that there is an excellent society called the 
Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution, which looks 
after gardeners when they are broken down and cease to 
be able to take their share in their work ; but there 
has hitherto been no organisation to provide for the 
children of those who were suddenly removed by death ; 
and it is to fill up this gap, to avoid in future the risks 
and the difficulties that the children of gardeners who 
die are naturally exposed to, that it has been decided 
to establish the Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. It is in 
promotion of this organisation that the Provisional 
Committee have called you here to-day. I have much 
pleasure in presiding at this meeting, and am glad to 
be able to ask you to adopt this report and to accept 
the rules which are recommended to you. Of course, I 
do not say that the rules now proposed to you are the 
most ideally perfect that can be prepared, but I do say 
that in every institution it is desirable to have rules. 
These have been carefully considered. If in the course 
of a few years’ experience it is found by the committee 
which manages this institution that any modification is 
desirable I am sure they will be prepared to recommend 
them to the subscribers. At the same time, I think we 
cannot do better than adopt the rules which they 
recommend to us, for they have very carefully prepared 
them, after having considered the various points 
brought before them by their chairman and others. 
Consequently I have much pleasure in moving the 
adoption of the report and the rules. 
Mr. Charles Penny seconded the motion, and said 
he thought that they would all feel that they were now 
placed in a much different position to what they were 
on the 25th March, when they met in the conservatory, 
without any rules and without any money. Since then 
the object for which they met had, to a great extent, 
been achieved, and he expressed the hope that the 
institution would go on and prosper, and make as much 
progress in the future as it was already making. With 
reference to the rules, the committee had worked very 
hard in order to make them what they were. He 
wished, however, to state that if anyone had any sug¬ 
gestion to make, if he would write to the secretary 
those suggestions would receive proper consideration. 
He hoped that those who did not join the society would 
not find fault w T ith them; but if anyone had a sug¬ 
gestion to make for the improvement of the organisation, 
he had no doubt that those suggestions would be well 
considered. 
Mr. Shirley Hibberd said he wished to make an 
observation in reference to Rules 9 and 10. In Rule 9 
it was provided that a charge of Is. should be made for 
a copy of the annual report, balance-sheet, and list of 
subscribers. It had occurred to him that ltf. would be 
a more reasonable charge. That was a small matter, 
but the next thing was, from his point of view, of con¬ 
siderable importance. It was provided that the annual 
meeting was to be held in February. That seemed to 
him to be fatal to its success. Meetings in February 
in London did not succeed as one could wish. Men of 
years did not attend them, wherever they might live. 
Men who lived in the country would not attend them, 
for it was not a time for travelling. He therefore sug¬ 
gested that they should fix the price of reports at lrf., 
and that the annual meeting should be held in May 
instead of February. , 
Mr. Roupell said he had found in practice that no 
objection was made to paying for the report and list of 
subscribers. Anyone who applied for a copy with some 
business-like object would not object to pay Is. for it; 
and he had never found any complaints made on the 
part of such applicants because they had to pay for the 
report. As to the time of meeting, that, of course, 
was a subject for consideration. Many of the charities 
held meetings in the beginning of the year, and they 
generally got a good attendance. 
Mr. D. T. Fish objected to the mode of election pro¬ 
vided by Rule 12 iu the case of candidates for the 
benefits of the institution. The system, he knew, 
prevailed in other similar institutions, and he had had 
some experience of this mode of election by the votes of 
subscribers. He thought that the system led to a great 
deal of abuse in the administration of such charities. 
He saw a statement made the other day by a society 
that was trying to abolish this mode of election, that 
at least one-third of the benefits were paid in postage 
and canvassing. He thought that in establishing this 
new institution they should consider whether it was 
not practicable to abolish this mode of election, and 
allow the committee to elect the candidates. According 
to the rule, the committee were to select a list of 
candidates, and he thought the selection by the com¬ 
mittee would be the same as if they had actually elected 
the candidates. (“No, no.”) As they had gone so 
far in giving the committee that power, he did not see 
that they should not go a step further, because he had 
no doubt that the committee who would administer 
the Fund would be highly influential and thoroughly 
representative. His experience in three institutions 
