July 16, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
725 
with which he was connected was that the result of 
canvassing, bartering, and higgling about the votes was 
that the most deserving candidates were not elected. 
He would far rather trust to such a body as he knew 
would be elected by this institution than to the votes of 
subscribers. He had heard it said that a good many 
subscribers would not Contribute if they had not the 
power of voting. All he could say was that it would 
he a great relief to him if he were not pestered with 
applications in reference to his votes. 
Mr. Deal said perhaps as chairman of the Pro¬ 
visional Committee he might be expected to say a word 
or two upon the rules. He would take Mr. Shirley 
Hibberd’s objection first, with reference to paying Is. 
for the report and list of subscribers. lie thought that 
it was very well known that whenever an application 
was made for the rules and list of subscribers of any 
institution, it was generally for the purpose of getting 
the list of subscribers, and not so much for the rules. 
The committee had wished as far as possible to check 
any undue expenses which might be thrown upon the 
Fund in printing these rules. They must bear in 
mind that even the first issue would be at a consider¬ 
able cost. They had 700 names to put into the book ; 
they had the report, the list of officers, and the report 
of the meeting, and to issue all that for the nominal 
sum of Id. would be throwing a considerable cost upon 
the Fund. He was quite prepared, if it were thought 
advisable, to agree to presenting reports to a certain 
number of the leading subscribers, but he assured them 
that they would be considerable losers by the transac¬ 
tion if they charged only 1 d. for a copy. The matter 
had been thoroughly threshed out by the committee, 
and he hoped the meeting would adhere to the Is. 
With regard to holding the annual meeting in February, 
he was willing to agree to the alteration suggested by 
Mr. Hibberd, and to hold the meeting in May. With 
regard to the mode of election, that had received the 
serious consideration of the committee. It had been 
thoroughly discussed, and arguments had been advanced 
pro and. con. Other charities had been consulted on 
the matter, and he might now say in the briefest 
manner that, without exception, every person who had 
had practical experience in promoting the welfare of 
such institutions, had one and all told him—and he 
thought that he had the support of the committee in 
what he was saying—that, if they took away the 
voting from subscribers, they would take away the 
interest, and if they took away the interest they 
would get no money. He was afraid that if they 
abolished the rule it might give rise to the impression 
that the whole institution was the property of the 
committee, and that subscribers who lived at Carlisle 
or Newcastle for instance, would have very little to 
say in the matter. He was for spreading the power of 
voting throughout the length and breadth of the land. 
He was therefore against abolishing the rule, and was 
decidedly in its favour. 
The Chairman : I should just like to say a word or 
two upon the matters mentioned. The point with 
regard to the charge for the annual report, balance 
sheet, and list of subscribers is, I think, an important 
one in this sense, that if you do not make some charge 
you may have to print a very large number, and as it 
is hoped that all the gardeners of England will 
ultimately belong to this society, you will find that to 
get up a book of subscribers will be a very expensive 
affair. Consequently you will diminish the fund which 
you are establishing for the benefit of the orphans. I 
therefore think it would be better to charge Is., or 
some sum which will amply cover the cost of the book. 
With regard to the second proposal, on the whole I 
agree with the gentleman who said that February is 
not so good a time as some later month for an annual 
meeting. There is this to be remembered, that the 
committee hope gardeners will come from all parts of 
England to attend this meeting. As you know, the 
month of February this year was very disagreeable, and 
the weather was very bad, and many people would 
hesitate before they took the journey up to London. 
Gentlemen who live in the country would not be very 
anxious to come here even to attend the annual meet¬ 
ing of such a useful institution as this. What I suggest 
to the committee is, that they might put in the word 
“Spring,” which will leave a little margin to the com¬ 
mittee to fix the exact date of the meeting. It does not 
signify very much whether it is held in April or May. 
With regard to the mode of election, I very much 
sympathise with what Mr. Fish has said. Belonging, 
I think, to about forty institutions, I get applications 
without number to vote for various candidates, and if 
I had not a very excellent secretary, who is good enough 
to keep lists of all these institutions, and the persons 
to whom I have promised my votes, I should be in very 
great difficulty. At the same time we must look at the 
practical side of the question. Theoretically it would 
be a good thing if the committee could select the most 
deserving candidates, but you must remember that 
everybody is not so high-minded and generous as Mr. 
Fish ; and consequently some people like to have what 
they call full value for their money, and to many people 
full value for their money, even when given in the form 
of a subscription, is the vote. I have tried over and 
over again in other institutions to persuade the sub¬ 
scribers that they would relieve themselves of great 
trouble by dispensing with their voting power, and 
they have replied, “ It is not trouble, but a pleasure.” 
Therefore, what are you to do ? On the whole, I think 
the Provisional Committee have struck a very capital 
road between these two opposing powers. If you look 
at the latter part of the clause, they say that “ before 
the annual general meeting, the Executive Committee 
shall examine the claims and qualifications of candi¬ 
dates, and prepare and approve a list of those eligible, 
and from this list the election shall be made.” That 
indicates that the committee will strike out any candi¬ 
dates whom they do not consider to be deserving 
candidates. In that respect they exercise a certain 
amount of selection. Having chosen the eligible and 
deserving candidates, they say to those who subscribe, 
“ Out of those you choose whom you like. ” I think, 
therefore, it is a good middle road between the two 
opposing powers, and on the whole, though sympathis¬ 
ing very much in what Mr. Fish has said, I should 
advise the meeting to adopt the plan suggested in the 
proposed rules. 
Mr. Green said that the month of May was a busy 
time with gardeners, and would be an inconvenient 
time for the annual meeting. He suggested that it 
should be held in August or September, or, at all 
events, at a less busy time of the year. He would also 
suggest that at the same time there should be some 
other attractions for gardeners, such, for instance, as 
the show like that which was then being held. 
Mr. Veitch proposed that the annual meeting should 
be held in July. This was agreed to, and the motion 
for the adoption of the report was then carried. 
Mr. Veitch proposed “That Sir Julian Goldsmid be 
elected president of the Gardeners’ Orphan Fund.” He 
felt that in selecting him they would have the right 
gentleman in the right place. Sir Julian had already 
told them that he was connected with forty institutions. 
He, the speaker, was thankful to say that theirs was 
the forty-first with which he had associated himself. 
He was quite sure that the experience which Sir Julian 
Goldsmid had gained in connection with other insti¬ 
tutions would be for the advantage of the Gardeners’ 
Orphan Fund. Sir Julian was in great sympathy with 
the gardeners of England, and the interest which he 
took in their occupation was shown by the beautiful 
place which he had at Tunbridge Wells, and the 
beautiful gardening which he carried out, by means of 
an English gardener, in the south of France. He might 
mention, as another evidence of the interest which the 
chairman took in this movement, the fact that he had 
given £100 towards the fund. Dr. Masters seconded 
the motion, which was unanimously adopted. 
The Chairman, in acknowledging his appointment, 
said : I am very much obliged for the kind observations 
which my friend, Mr. Veitch, has made. Of course 
we all know that he stands at the head of that enter¬ 
prising profession to which he does so much honour. 
I am quite sure that in the interest that can be taken 
in the progress of gardening I can equal anyone, 
because I know that more is to be gained by the obser¬ 
vation of the beauties of nature than almost any other 
kind of intellectual work, and I am satisfied that you 
who spend your lives in producing beautiful things are 
devoted to a profession that does you great honour. I 
have to thank you for the honour you have done me, 
and I have great pleasure in accepting the post of 
president. 
Mr. Deal proposed “That Messrs. H. J. Adams, 
E. J. Beale, W. Bull, Shirley Hibberd, Dr. Hogg, 
Dr. Masters, J. M’Intosh, H. M. Pollett, Baron 
Schroder, A. W. Sutton, H. J. Veitch and F. G. Tautz 
be elected vice-presidents of the Gardeners’ Orphan 
Fund.” He explained that this was only the list made 
up to the present time, and that under the rules the 
committee would have power to add to their number. 
Mr. B. Wynne seconded the motion, which was carried. 
Mr. J. Fraser moved “That Mr. S. Courtauld, Mr. 
J. T. D. Llewelyn, and Mr. A. H. Smee be appointed 
trustees of the fund.” Mr. C. Noble seconded the 
motion and it was carried. 
Mr. Shirley Hibberd moved the election of Mr. T. 
B. Haywood as treasurer, and said many of them knew 
Mr. Haywood was treasurer of the National Rose 
Society, and in various ways was interested in horti¬ 
culture. He would take this opportunity of saying in 
reference to the suggestion which had been made, that 
holding the annual meeting in July would afford them 
an admirable opportunity of increasing the burdens on 
the treasurer’s shoulders. A gentleman had suggested 
that on the occasion of the annual meeting, or in 
connection with it, they should have some kind of floral 
jollification. If that could be carried out in a large 
way, there was no doubt whatever that it would 
conduce to the prosperity of the institution. They 
might have some outdoor festival in which gardeners 
and horticulturists generally might take an interest. 
He would mildly suggest a comfortable meeting, in 
which the ladies might be associated with them, and 
where something to eat and drink be provided; or they 
might have a Strawberry feast or what they liked. An 
outdoor festival for the benefit of the orphans would 
have a certain domestic character, and he was sure 
would be calculated to enlarge the labours of their 
worthy treasurer. Mr. J. Laing seconded the motion, 
and it was carried. 
Mr. Dean proposed the election of Mr. A. F. Barron 
as secretary of the fund. He said that in asking Mr. 
Barron to accept the post they were selecting a gentle¬ 
man who was known to all of them. Thei'e were three 
reasons why they should appoint Mr. Barron to the 
secretaryship. The first was that he was the best 
known man in the horticultural community. In the 
second place he was greatly esteemed for his high 
personal character and business capacity. In the third 
place, from the very inception of the fund, Mr. Barron 
had taken an important part in bringing the scheme up 
to its present point of success. Mr. J. Roberts seconded 
the motion, and it was unanimously adopted. 
Mr. Wright moved the appointment of Messrs. J. 
Fraser and W. Sharp as auditors, remarking that both 
those gentlemen were well and widely known—the 
former as a horticulturist, the latter as being specially 
identified with work of the nature indicated—and he 
did not think that two more suitable for the position 
could be chosen. The motion was seconded by Mr. 
W. Richards and carried. 
On the proposition of Mr. Fish, seconded by Mr. 
Udale, the following gentlemen were appointed an execu¬ 
tive committee, with power to add to their number :— 
Messrs. P. Barr, W. Bates, H. Cannell, R. Dean, G. 
Deal, J. Douglas, W. Goldring, W. G. Head, H. 
Herbst, W. Holmes, J. Wood Ingram, J. Laing, 
G. Nicholson, C. Penny, W. Richards, J. Roberts, W. 
Roupell, C. H. Sharman, J. Smith, H. Turner, H. 
Williams, J. Woodbridge, J. Wright, and B. Wynne. 
Mr. Deal, in reference to a wish expressed that coun¬ 
try members should be represented on the committee, 
explained that the rules provided that the secretaries 
of local committees were to be ex-officio members of 
the committee, and as it was the intention of the 
committee to establish a large number of local 
secretaries, the country would be largely represented. 
On the motion of Mr. Wright, seconded by Mr. 
Deal, a cordial vote of thanks was accorded to the 
Royal Horticultural Society for the use of their room 
for this meeting. 
On the proposition of Dr. Masters, seconded by Dr. 
Hogg, the chairman was cordially thanked for his 
kindness in taking the chair, and Sir J ulian Goldsmid 
briefly acknowledged the compliment. 
Mr. W. Bull proposed, and Mr. Herbst seconded, a 
vote of thanks, which was passed, to the Horticultural 
for their interest and assistance in reference to the Press 
Institution. The compliment was briefly acknow¬ 
ledged by Mr. B. Wynne, and the proceedings then 
terminated. -——-- 
Hoary Veronica. —The flowers of V. incana are in 
themselves sufficiently ornamental to wairant the 
cultivation of this plant ; but, in addition, the foliage, 
as the name implies, is of hoary or conspicuously white 
appearance. For this reason the plant is often grown 
as a margin to beds or borders, where it has a telling 
effect whether in flower or not. 
