576 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
May 14, 1892. 
of that kind is proceeding—and one so 
exciting and absorbing—it will be difficult 
to keep public attention very closely to the 
fruit show, and the labours of the promoters 
may be to some extent obstructed : but if 
the Election takes place about midsummer 
no difficulties are likely to arise that can¬ 
not be surmounted, and we hope in the end 
to be able to record a grand success. A 
strong general committee is being formed 
from which an executive committee wiil be 
selected; the schedule will be issued 
immediately certain necessary business 
arrangements are completed, and most 
other administrative details are well 
advanced. 
The Show of the Royal Horticultural 
Society in the Temple Gardens, only a 
fortnight hence, is the first great show of 
the season—other of course than the Royal 
Botanic Society's shows which now create 
no unusual interest. That is immediately 
followed by the Earl's Court series, and we 
shall see many very grand displays, without 
doubt, ere the fine show of the National 
Chrysanthemum Society closes the season. 
|jr Gardeners’ Gathering. —The great 
success which attended upon the 
dinner held a few years since in connection 
with the Vegetable Conference has in¬ 
spired the suggestion that something of a 
similar nature should be much more fre¬ 
quently held, so as to give our provincial 
friends occasional opportunities to come 
together, and make the better acquaintance 
not merely of each other but of those 
generally with whom they may be in a 
trade sense identified. There will no 
doubt be a large gathering of gardeners in 
town for the Temple and Earl’s Court 
Shows the week after next, but we fear it 
is too late to attempt the organisation of 
any such gathering then, especially as it 
follows so quickly up m the Gardeners’ 
Orphan Fund Dinner, which will take place 
on the 17th. But if not done before there 
will be a splendid opportunity to carry out 
the suggestion on the occasion of the 
Great City Fru't show in September next, 
to which gardeners will no doubt come 
from all parts of the kingdom, either as ex¬ 
hibitors or as visitors. 
It may be that perhaps the Eord Mayor 
will give a Fruit Banquet in connection 
with that event, but then it will not be a 
gardeners' gathering. That is out of the 
quesiion, especially with a recollection 
of the sharp insu ts heaped upon nursery¬ 
men and gardeners by the Lord Mayor 
who reigned when the Guildhall Show 
was held. Still further, a gathering of 
that kind would be far too stiff and formal 
to be at all acceptable to gardeners. Even 
the most liberally conducted of our dinners 
are somewhat starchy, stilted affairs at the 
best, and they need a lot of expanding to 
constitute them really social as well as 
sociable gatherings. 
We get, as a rule, too long speeches, too 
often also very dry and uninteresting ones, 
and not enough of life and enthusiasm. 
We wish to see in association with gar¬ 
deners’ gatherings much more of freedom, 
of enjoyment, of relaxation, of sociability 
and of interest. We ought to have in 
gatherings of this sort such elements as 
should make our country friends full of 
anxiety to be present, and equally full of 
satisfaction when all is over that they at¬ 
tended. In their social relation with each 
other, Englishmen enjoy the reputation of 
being the most capable of wet blankets. 
ORTALITY AMONGST GARDENERS. - 
Though not called upon to endure 
dangers and excitements by flood and field, 
and presumably leading very prosaic lives, 
y 7 et it is a fact that gardeners are in no 
way excluded from sharing in the accidents 
and dangers which ordinarily beset human¬ 
ity, as the following d stressing case will 
show. Richard Mitchell, a young man 29 
years of age, married, and having two young 
children, was for four years gardener at 
Orleans House, Twickenham. He was a 
man of exceedingly pleasant and kindly 
disposition, much liked b3' all who knew 
him or served under him, and possessed 
capacities as a market fruit grower, 
although but a private gardener, such as 
but few older men could excel. 
On Monday 7 , April 25-h, Mr. Mitchell 
was engaged in the work of tying down 
laterals in an earl3 T vinery standing on a 
la :der which was placed against the glass 
partition dividing the house into two 
sections. Suddenly the ladder turned round, 
throwing him against the glass partition. 
He threw out his right arm to grasp some¬ 
thing in the hope of breaking his fad, but 
unfortunately the arm went through the 
glass, which cut it terribly, causing a great 
flow of blood and rendering removal to the 
Cottage Hospital urgently 7 necessary’. 
Unconsciousness with partial delirium 
ensued, also probably’ blood poisoning. 
Later mortification set in, and the poor 
man died at midnight on the following 
Saturday 7 . 
Here was a case where nothing was less 
looked for or seemed less likely than death. 
How many similar c-ises occur, and as 
suddenly, of which we perhaps hear no¬ 
thing. Yet the records of the Gardeners’ 
Orphan Fund and of the great number of 
applications for assistance for orphan 
children ma le upon it, bear witness that 
mortality 7 amongst gardeners from many 7 
causes is considerable. Poor Mitchell was 
not a contributor to theGardeners' Orphan 
Fund—probably never dreamt that his 
little ones would be left orphans. How 
many other gardeners show the same in¬ 
difference ! May 7 the publication of this 
sad case help to stimulate gardeners 
universally to become subscribers. 
0IANT Polyanthuses.— The very 7 fine 
groups of border or large flowered 
Polyanthuses which Mr. Richard Dean 
exhibited at the last Drill Hall Meeting, 
and again at Earl’s Court on Saturday, 
served admir bly to show to those not yet 
conversant with this class of hardy’ spring 
flowers how beautiful they are and how 
worthy’ of cultivation. We have had some 
strains which may have possibly produced 
larger blooms, but then of course irregular 
in size and of indifferent quality. 
Polyanthuses which are but giant repro¬ 
ductions of the poorest forms of a bastard, 
gold-laced section,are comparatively worth¬ 
less and unattractive as compared with the 
richly 7 coloured and finely 7 formed flowers 
found in any 7 good fancy 7 strain. So 
popular are these Polyanthuses that 
market growers who have them tell us 
that they cannot get enough of plants. 
There is about them some certainty as to 
blooming time. They 7 are not so much 
influenced by cold seasons as Pansies are 
for instance, and whilst we have this year 
seen Pansies flowering exceptionally late 
the beautiful Polyanthuses have been 
flowering during April with all their 
accustomed freedom. Those who have 
only 7 poor flowered and indifferent looking 
strains should get rid of them as being 
libels on good forms. 
They 7 have only 7 to invest a shilling or 
two for a packet of seed, raise perhaps a 
couple of hundred plants, dibble them out 
into the border and the thing is done, and 
they are endow’ed for two or three seasons 
with a fine show of bloom, of many colours. 
It does not require much of skill to sow 
seed either in the autumn or spring, to 
raise the plants in pans or shallow boxes, 
to dibble them out into the open ground, 
and that is about all. 
Mrs. Mendell, the widow of Mr. Sam Mendell, 
formerly of Manley Hall, Manchester, died at 
Teston, near Maidstone, on the 3rd inst., aged 73 
years. 
The Collection of Orchids formed by Malcolm Cooke, 
Esq., Kingston Hill, has recently passed into the 
possession of Mr. Mackasick, Lyttel Hall, Redhill, 
Surrey. Mr. Cullimore continues in charge of them 
at their new home. 
The Kenilworth Horticultural Society will hold its 
annual exhibition on Thursday-, August 23th, some 
two months later than usual, owing to the Royal 
Agricultural Society's meeting taking place at 
Warwick, at the end of June. 
Gardeners' Orphan Fund. —In our note respecting 
the Concert held at Kingston recently, in aid of this 
fund, the amount stated to have been realised and 
paid to Mr. Barron should have been eleven guineas, 
and not eleven pounds as inadvertently stated in our 
last. 
The B. S Williams’ Memorial Trustees have decided 
to offer the following medals this year :—At the Temple 
Show of the Royal Horticultural Society, a large 
Williams’ Memorial Silver Medal for the best group 
of Orchids exhibited by amateurs. At the Inter¬ 
national Horticultural Exhibition, Earl's Court, a 
Williams’ Memorial Medal and /y to the winner of 
first prize in class 23 at the show to be held on the 
27th and 2Sth of May. 
A New Rose.—We learn from The American Florist 
that Mr. May, the most famous of the Morris county, 
New Jersey, Rose growers, has a seedling bvbrid 
Tea Rose, not j et named, which would appear to be 
a genuine acquisition. Its blooms are described as 
large, full pstalled. and yet long in the bud, and a 
real pink in colour, equally removed from the yellow 
of Catherine Mermet, and the blue pink of La 
France. It appears to last well, to be strong in 
growth, and free flowering. 
Royal Horticultural Society.— The next meeting of 
the society will take place at the Drill Hall, James 
Street, Victoria Street, Westminster, on Tuesday, 
May 17th, when prizes are offered for competition 
among amateurs who exhibit Indian and Hardy- 
Azaleas and Pelargoniums (zonal excludedi In the 
afternoon, at 3 p.m., a paper on “ Hardy Climbers 
and Creepers " will be contributed by- Mr. W. C. 
Leach. 
Sutton's Cricket Club. —We have been favoured 
with a copy of the match card of this Club for the 
present season, which bears silent but none the less 
eloquent testimony to the good relationship and 
kindly feeling which exists between the famous Read¬ 
ing seedsmen and their employes. We note that Mr. 
Martin J. Sutton is President and Captain : that the 
club is strong enough to support two teams, and 
that arrangements have been made to play thirty- 
five matches during the present season. 
The Cork Flower Miss : on is an excellent institution 
which collects flowers and fruits from those who 
have and to spare, and distributes them among those 
who have not. It is entirely managed by ladies, 
and during last session distributed some 5,000 
bunches of flowers among the various hospitals of 
the city. The Mission has a Committee Room at 
35, Grand Parade, Cork, and here between the hours 
of 10 a m. and 4 p m., every Saturday, from May 14th 
to October 29th, flowers will be received and distri¬ 
buted. We could wish that there were such a 
Mission in every large city. 
The Death of Mr. Edward Cooper. —In our last 
week s issue we gave a notice of the death of this 
well - known gardener to the Rt. Hon. Joseph 
Chamberlain, M.P. An unusually large number of 
gardening and other personal friends attended the 
funeral, and Mr. Austin Chamberlain, M.P.,as repre¬ 
senting the family, attended ; a mark of respect and 
svmpathy most gratifying to the late Mr. Cooper's 
friends and old associates. A great lot of wreaths 
and other floral emblems were sent, amongst them a 
very beautiful one of Roses and Lily of the A alley , 
from the Rt. Hon. Joseph and Airs Chamberlain ; a 
