January 19, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
327 
seen plants so dwarf, with correspondingly large bracts, 
as when grown on this system. The compost used is 
loam, leaf-soil and a little rotten manure. If any of 
your readers who require dwarf plants for decorative 
purposes have never tried this plan of late potting, I 
advise them to do so, and report through your 
columns.— S. P ., Chelmsford. 
Lilium polyphyllum. 
In August, 1887, you printed a note from me on 
Lilium polyphyllum blooming in our Wisley garden, 
with thirteen flowers and buds on a stem 5 ft. 5 ins. 
high. I asked for information from any reader who 
had seen the Lily flowering at home in India. Several 
of your readers were good enough to give their 
experience. I have just received some additional 
information on a card from Mr. Griffith, of Katagir 
Nilgiris. He says, “You mention having thirteen 
blossoms of L. polyphyllum on one stem ; I have never 
here had more than three, but another correspondent 
to whom I sent bulbs tells me he has had nine fine 
blooms on a stem. L. polyphyllum likes to be covered 
with snow for two or three months in the year, and 
here they only bloom as it were under protest, though 
they grow well if protected from sun. Mr. Huftelen, 
cf New York, tells me also one of my L. polyphyllum 
bulbs gave him nine blooms on a stem.” I showed the 
stem of our Lily at the Scientific Committee meeting on 
November 8th, 1887 .—George F. Wilson, Heatherbank, 
Weybridge Heath, January 12th. 
A Veteran in Horticulture. 
No man is better known amongst horticulturists in the 
midlands than Mr. Henry Pope, who a great many 
years ago started as a nurseryman at Gib Heath, or as it 
is now called, Nineveh, Birmingham, and subsequently 
went to King’s Norton, establishing a large nursery 
there, now carried on by his son, Mr. John Pope, the 
fatherhaving retired from thebusiness, though stillactive 
and genial, and enjoying excellent health. Spending 
a few hours with him recently, he showed me a 
memorial card in memory of a celebrated landscape 
gardener in the midlands, Mr. William Lunn, who 
died September 12th, 1857, aged 72, and was buried 
in the old cemetery, Birmingham. Mr. Lunn designed 
and carried out the work in the formation of the well- 
known and celebrated gardens at Alton Towers, and 
other gardens. Mr. Pope is the oldest living repre¬ 
sentative of a very celebrated nursery firm, which 
ceased to exist nearly forty years ago. Pope’s Hands- 
worth nurseries had a great reputation for their very 
complete collection of hardy plants especially. The 
founder of these nurseries was a Mr. Luke Pope, the 
grandfather of the present Mr. Henry Pope, who 
possesses a superb oil painting portrait of the founder, 
holding in one hand a plant of Correa speciosa. — D. S. 
The Mentone of England. 
In continuation of my note at p. 295, I may say that 
no garden in Parkstone seems to be complete without 
a plant or plants of some of the varieties of Euonymus, 
which grow magnificently here. A specimen of 
E. latifolia variegata about 4 ft. high and 3 ft. through 
has greatly taken my fancy. Coronilla glauca, which 
has seen at least one or two winters in the open air, 
is flowering finely. The lemon-scented Verbena 
(Aloysia citriodora) may be seen in several places 
nailed to walls, and I am told it is perfectly hardy. 
Chrysanthemums have been looking wonderfully well 
considering the trying season. Boule de Neige has 
been most noticable for its fine free-flowering habit and 
bushy growth, and another variety which has in¬ 
terested me is Soeur Melanie. We have two beds of 
this sort, and the plants are flowering all up their 
stems, almost every eye developing into blooms, with 
stalks about 2 ins. long. Pair Maid of Guernsey has 
also given us a few blooms in the same way. This 
I am not surprised at, but I have before found it 
difficult, with Sceur Melanie, to get one good crop off. 
The climate being humid and the season mild, I presume 
started them into a second growth, — E. Warden. 
Science and Practice. 
Our scientific contemporary Nature draws attention to 
a curious conflict between theory and practice, which 
deserves to be generally studied by farmers. During 
the last few years of agricultural depression there has 
been a great deal of talk about the best means of 
rapidly converting cultivated land into permanent 
pasture, and discussions have been raised as to the 
respective merits of various kinds of grass and clover. 
Up till a few years ago the grass generally employed in 
greatest abundance was the kind known as common 
Rye-grass. But it was denounced by some agricultural 
theorists as a short-lived and inferior kind, foisted 
upon purchasers by the seedsmen because of its 
cheapness and rapid growth. However, many persons 
still noticed that it was very abundant in good natural 
pastures, and therefore persisted in its use. Last year 
Professor Fream, of the Downton Agricultural 
College, put the question to the test. Upon the 
principle that the proof of the pudding is in the eating, 
he obtained sods from twenty-five pastures of proved 
and acknowledged excellence. These were planted in 
the botanical gardens of the College, and last summer 
the herbage on each was cut and carefully examined. 
In twenty-one cases the despised Rye-grass was far the 
most abundant of all grassy constituents, and in a 
similar way White Dutch Clover was the commonest of 
other plants. One specimen of choice Herefordshire 
pasture contained nothing but these two plants. As 
Nature remarks, the obstinacy of the practical men 
who went on sowing such seed in spite of the warning 
of those who should have known better has been most 
fully justified .—Daily News. 
Azalea amcena calyciflora. 
Like the type itself, this variety was introduced from 
Japan, and proves a most useful subject for forcing, as 
it requires very little encouragement to bring it into 
flower. It is an improvement upon the type from a 
decorative point of view, because although the calyx is 
enlarged and coloured in the latter, it is surpassed by 
A. a. calyciflora, where the calyx is equally as large as 
the corolla. Both are larger than in the type, and of 
a beautiful soft salmon-red, with pink stamens pro¬ 
jecting from the centre. The flowers may therefore be 
described as hose-in-hose, and are produced with the 
same freedom as on the ordinary and better-known 
form of the plant. The leaves are rather larger than 
those of the parent, and of a deep shining green. A 
good-sized plant is flowering in the conservatory at 
Tower House, Chiswick. 
Peperomia Saundersii. 
Few out of the 400 described species belonging to the 
genus have been introduced ; but a few of them are 
sufficiently ornamental to be included in collections of 
stove or intermediate house plants. For general 
decorative purposes and for table work the species 
under notice is the best, and appears in gardens 
under different names, such as P. Yerschaffeltii and 
P. arifolia argyrea, which are merely synonyms. The 
leaves are ovate, or sub-orbicular and peltate, that is, the 
blade is supported by its petiole from near the middle, 
and have dark green veins radiating from the base, 
while a broad silvery grey or metallic-white band 
occupies the interspaces. They are of a fleshy con¬ 
sistency, and would prove both durable and beautiful 
for table decoration, provided the house servants would 
treat them more feelingly and less harshly than they 
do, as the leaves are brittle as well as fleshy, and liable 
to get disfigured, and do not repair the damage very 
quickly. It is used for decorative purposes at Parkside, 
Ravenscourt Park, Hammersmith. 
-- 
THE GARDENERS ROYAL 
BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION. 
The annual meeting of the subscribers to the above was 
held on Wednesday at “ Simpson’s,” in the Strand, Mr. 
Herbert J. Adams, one of the vice-presidents, presiding. 
The minutes of the previous meeting having been read 
and confirmed, the secretary read the report of the 
committee and statement of accounts, which is given 
below. In the report the committee again con¬ 
gratulated the subscribers upon the continued success 
and prosperity of the institution. Ten pensioners had 
died during the year, three of them leaving widows, 
whose claims to succeed their husbands having been 
found satisfactory, were placed on the pension list 
without election. The committee slso thanked Sir 
Trevor Lawrence, Bart., M.P., for so kindly taking 
the chair at the last annual festival, in the unavoid¬ 
able absence of the Right Hon. J. Chamberlain ; and 
with pleasure called attention to the gratifying fact of 
the institution being now in receipt of greater support 
from gardeners than at any other period. With 
reference to the celebration of the jubilee year of the 
institution, the committee refer with pleasure to the 
unbroken success which has year by year attended the 
operations of the institution. During the long period 
it has existed, it has never upon any occasion receded 
nor trenched upon its reserve fund, and while from 
year to year it has increased its sphere of operations, 
it has gone on steadily increasing its reserve, so that 
in the event of any unforeseen calamity overtaking the 
institution, the pensions of the annuitants can always 
be met. The number of pensioners on the books of 
the institution is 120, and would be increased to 134. 
The motion for the adoption of the report, and that 
the best thanks of the meeting be given to the 
committee for their able management of the affairs 
of the institution during the year, was moved by Dr. 
Masters, seconded by Mr. Osborne, and carried 
unanimously. Mr. W. Richards moved, and Mr. 
Osborne seconded, “That in accordance with the 
recommendation of the committee, Rule XVIII. be 
altered as follows:—That six members of the com¬ 
mittee go out of office annually by rotation, but be 
eligible for re-election” ; carried unanimously. Mr. 
Barron moved, and Mr. John Laing seconded, “That 
Mr. Harry J. Veitch be re-elected treasurer, and that 
the best thanks of the subscribers be presented to him 
for the great care and trouble he has taken in the 
affairs of the institution during the past year.” This 
also was carried unanimously, and Mr. Veitch briefly 
returned thanks. On the motion of Mr. James Veitch, 
seconded by Mr. H. Williams, Mr. John Lee, Mr. 
T. A. Dickson, and Mr. W. Richards were re-elected 
members of the committee ; and Mr. W. J. Nutting, 
Mr. George Munro, and Mr. John Fraser were elected 
members for the ensuing four years. 
Messrs. John Lee, J. F. Meston, and Jesse Willard 
were re-elected auditors ; and Mr. G. Munro, Mr. Ed. 
Tidswell, Mr. James Webber, Mr. W. Richards, and 
Mr. E. W. Cuthie were appointed arbitrators for the 
year ensuing. Mr. II. J. Veitch moved that Mr. E. 
R. Cutler be re-elected secretary, and the resolution 
having been seconded by the chairman, Mr. Cutler 
was duly elected for the forty-eighth time. In accord¬ 
ance with Rule VI., the following five persons :—John 
Allen, Compton Bassett; Elizabeth Ridler Amos, 
Widmore, Bromley ; William Binder, Rugeley ; Isaac 
Harris, Lichfield; and John Mitchinson, Penzance, 
were placed on the list of pensioners without election. 
The election of candidates was then proceeded with, 
Mr. Barron, Mr. J. Veitch, Mr. Woodgate, and Mr. 
Webber being appointed scrutineers. At the close of 
the poll the following were declared to be the success¬ 
ful candidates: Sarah Naylor, 2,014 ; William Hollah, 
1,917 ; Helen W. Lassells, 1,900 ; George Read, 1,729 ; 
Christopher Robinson, 1,626 ; Margaret Malcolm, 
1,615 ; Charlotte Newell, 1,587 ; John Slowe, 1,490 ; 
and Elizabeth Kember, 1,383. The figures denote the 
number of votes polled for each candidate. In the 
evening a large number of the supporters of the institu¬ 
tion dined together ; the Very Rev. S. Reynolds Hole, 
Dean of Rochester, presiding. 
STATEMENT of the RECEIPTS and PAYMENTS of the GARDENERS’ ROYAL BENEVOLENT 
INSTITUTION for the Year ending 31st December. 1888. 
Dr. 
£ s. d. £ s. d, £ s. 
To Balance, 1887 . ... 564 0 
,, Annual Subscriptions . 1,320 11 0 
,, Donations at and in 
consequence of Annual 
Dinner . 
849 
5 
6 
Collecting Cards at do. 
287 
9 
5 
2,457 
5 
11 
Advertisements . 
63 
10 
6 
5 Quarters’ Dividends 
on Stock . 
791 
5 
0 
Bonus on Conversion on 
Stock . 
52 
16 
0 
Interest on Deposits ... 
46 
16 
3 
- 160 0 0 
- 3,561 12 8 
£4,125 13 5 
Stock in 2| per cent. Consols, £21,100. 
Cr. 
!■ £ s. d. £ s. d. 
9 By Pensions and Gratuities. ... 2,180 10 0 
,, Secretary’s Salary and Honorarium .. 186 5 0 
,, Rent of Office. 50 0 0 
,, Stationery . 31 14 2 
,, Printing . 115 4 1 
,, Advertising. 5 14 0 
,, Expenses of Annual Dinner . 86 10 10 
,, Postages, Travelling Expenses, &c.... 122 1 0 
- 597 9 1 
2,777 19 1 
Placed on Deposit at Glyn & Co. ... 700 0 0 
647 14 4 
£4,125 13 5 
( JOHN LEE 
Audited 9th January, 1S89 ! J. F. MESTON 
{ J. WILLARD, 
