598 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 2i, 1892. 
names of the variety and the exhibitor. The 
weights to which some of the fruits are grown are 
truly astonishing. Weights up to 37 penny-weights 
are recorded ; beyond this maximum no grower has 
succeeded in going. The last-named prodigious 
weight was attained by one of the celebrated red 
variety called “ London.” It is a variety that ripens 
quickly, and does not hang long, it being an especial 
favourite with wasps and birds. It has held its own 
for something like a quarter of a century against all 
comers.— R. D. 
_ ♦ 
GARDENERS’ ORPHAN 
FUND. 
Annual Dinner. 
The fourth annual dinner in connection with this 
Fund took place in the Whitehall Rooms, Hotel 
Metropole, on Tuesday evening, under the presidency 
of Sir James Whitehead, Bart. The guests numbered 
over one hundred, among whom were Sir Trevor 
Lawrence, Bart., M.P., Alderman and Colonel 
Davies, Mr. Alderman Samuel, Major Roper- 
Parkington, the Rev. S. M. A. Walrond, Mr. H. J. 
Veitch, Mr. Sherwood, Mr. H. R. Williams, Mr. H. 
Gilzean Reid, J.P., Mr. G. B. Woodruff, Mr. W. H. 
Willans, Dr. Masters, Mr. P. Crowley, Mr. D. 
Morris, Mr. A. Moss, Mr. Nutting, Mr. JohnLaing, 
Mr. A. W. G. Weeks, Mr. Henry Williams, Mr. 
W. G. Baker, Mr. Lynch White, Mr. John Wills, 
Mr. S. M. Segar, Mr. J. A. Ewen, Mr. Deputy 
Halse, Mr. G. Hogarth, Mr. Manning, Mr. H. Bull, 
Chevalier Sperati, Mr. T. L. H. Collins, Mr. Cut- 
bush, Mr. Herbst, Mr. P. Kay, Mr. W. Poupart, 
Mr. F. C). Lane, Mr. Walker, Mr. F. Sander, Mr. H. 
Turner, and Mr. Iceton. 
The usual loyal toasts having been duly honoured, 
the Chairman, in proposing the toast of " Continued 
Prosperity to the Gardeners’ Orphan Fund,” said :— 
It may be within the knowledge of some of you, 
that when I had the honour of serving my fellow- 
citizens at the Mansion House, in the year 1888-9, I 
started a fund with a view to the promotion of fruit 
culture in this country. I am happy to know that 
the effort I then made has been attended with very- 
considerable and successful results, and I attribute 
to that the fact that I am in the chair here this 
evening. I feel very deeply the honour which the 
horticulturists of this country have shown me in 
inviting me to take the chair on this occasion. It is, 
I can assure you, a very sincere pleasure to me to 
be here to-night to make an appeal on behalf of the 
orphans of gardeners of this country. I am aware, 
that while they are supposed to receive, and I 
believe in many cases do receive, a very fair 
remuneration for their services, yet it„cannot be said 
that they are a very highly paid class ; and thus it 
comes to pass that from time to time many of them 
are taken away prematurely, and their children are 
thrown more or less upon the charitable feelings of 
this country. I am glad to known that in many 
instances the services which have been rendered by 
the fathers have not been unrecognized by those who 
have employed them ; but in the main we have to 
deal with this fact, that the children of a man who 
occupies more or less of a labouring position, 
although in the case of a gardener it is associated 
with science, cannot expect that his children will be 
supported by those who have employed him. 
Recognising this, the horticulturists of this country 
have established this fund, and we may reasonably 
ask ourselves to-night, what has been the operation 
and what the object of the fund ? It is, if I under¬ 
stand it aright, to make allowances not exceeding 5s. 
per week in aid of the maintenance of the orphans 
of gardeners until they are fourteen years of age. 
The help given is no doubt very small, yet I have 
reason to believe that it is a real boon to those 
in whose behalf it is given; and I believe that 
nothing can exceed the gratitude which the widows 
and other relatives of the poor children show towards 
the benefactors who are connected with this fund. 
(Cheers.) 
I am of opinion, from the enquiries I have made, 
and all I have read in regard to this institution, that 
it is one of the most useful that has ever been 
founded ; and I believe it is not too much to say that, 
except for this fund, a very large number of children 
would have no resource but the workhouse, with all 
its demoralizing effects on the young. But there is 
another reason why I should appeal to-night on 
behalf of this fund : and it is this, that it is one of 
the most economically worked funds for the benefit 
of any particular class which has ever been 
established in this country. (Hear, hear.) With the 
exception of from ^40 to /50 a year paid in the way 
of clerical work, all the administration of this fund is 
purely voluntary ; and speaking from my own ex¬ 
perience of the honorary secretary, Mr. Barron, I 
have no hesitation in saying that he performs his 
duties with great judgment, zeal, and efficiency, and 
that he shows an enthusiasm for the cause which has 
had a great deal to do with its success. There is, 
also, another reason which commends this fund to 
my good opinion, and that is, that nearly every 
penny which comes to the support of this fund goes 
direct to the poor children for whom it is intended. 
I do not know in the whole of my experience, which 
is not inconsiderable, of any instance where a charit¬ 
able institution has made more rapid and more use¬ 
ful progress. But I go farther and say that I am 
happy to learn from those who ought to know that if 
the subscriptions from this dinner together with the 
amounts which come in from other sources leaves a 
substantial balance, the sustentation list connected 
with this society will be considerably increased at 
the next election. (Hear, hear.) 
Another gratifying circumstance in connection 
with this fund is to my mind the fact that it is very 
largely supported by the class for whose benefit it 
has been instituted. It very often happens in 
institutions of this kind that there is not that full 
appreciation on the part of those for whom the fund 
is established; but the gardeners in this case are the 
most active supporters of this fund, and I observe 
in going over the reports for the last four years that 
the subscriptions of the gardeners themselves are 
year by year increasing. There are scores of sub¬ 
scriptions of five shillings a year and upwards, yet 
the aggregate of the subscriptions exceed the value 
of the donations. I must say that that is very 
creditable indeed to the gardeners as a body in hehalf 
of whose children we are assembled here to-night; and 
venture to say to this audience that men who help 
themselves to the extent the gardeners of this 
country are now doing deserve the assistance of those 
who are rich and well to do. 
I have the greatest confidence in the management 
of this fund. I have hardly ever met with any in¬ 
stitution more ably and more economically managed, 
and therefore I have the greatest confidence in 
appealing to you who are here to-night to generously 
aid a most deserving and well-managed charity, and 
to show your appreciation of those industrious men 
who manifest such a laudable effort to do their duty 
to the children of those who have been associated 
with them in their duties. With this I have the 
privilege of associating the name of Mr. Harry J. 
Veitch. Mr. Veitch, as many of you know, is the 
treasurer of the Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Insti¬ 
tution. Fie is an eminent horticulturist of world¬ 
wide fame; but more than that, he is a generous 
contributor to all charities, institutions, and good 
works, not only connected with the gardening world, 
but also with benevolent objects outside the sphere 
of his own profession. (Cheers.) 
Mr. Veitch, in responding, said:—Sir James 
Whitehead, Aldermen, and gentlemen : I thank you 
for the very great honour which you have done me 
in coupling my name with the toast of “ Con¬ 
tinued Prosperity to the Gardeners’ Orphan 
F'und,” and I thank you particularly, Sir James, 
for your reference to any humble efforts of 
mine in connection with institutions of this kind. 
I must confess that after the very able way in 
which the toast was proposed, I felt that there were 
others who might have been able to speak to you in 
much greater detail than I can. Be that as it may, 
after considering the matter for a few moments, I 
felt that it would be to me a pleasure to respond to 
this toast, and by that means to show the very deep 
interest I have in regard to the Orphan Fund. I am 
the more glad to say this because I am the treasurer 
of another fund, and I know that it has been felt by 
some that there is a kind of rivalry between the two 
institutions. If any one has a feeling of that kind I 
would ask him to dismiss it at once. There must be 
no clashing between the two funds. The Gardeners’ 
Orphan Fund has been formed for the benefit of 
orphan children, whilst the Benevolent Institution 
is entirely for the purpose of benefitting those 
unable from one cause or another to put aside for 
their old age. There is more than room enough for 
both institutions. There is, however, one kind of 
rivalry which does, and ought to, exist between the 
two institutions, and that is in the desire to do all the 
good that can possibly be done. I think that both in¬ 
stitutions are bound to thrive ; and speaking more 
particularly of the Gardeners' Orphan Fund, I 
believe that if there is one institution more than 
another which demands our liberality and sympathy 
it is the Orphan Fund. 
Mr. H. Gilzean Reid, in proposing the health of 
the Chairman, referred to the important municipal 
work which Sir James had done in his ward ; also to 
the efforts he had made towards the improvement of 
the Volunteer Service during his mayoralty, and to 
his labours on behalf of the extension of fruit cul¬ 
ture in this country. 
Sir J ames, in replying, said : As a result of the 
movement for the extension of fruit culture in this 
country, to which reference had been made, I am 
glad to say that there were now 27,000 acres more 
fruit trees in this country than before the movement 
was started. If this movement tends to promote the 
welfare of the community by increasing the home 
fruit supply, and thus lessening the amount of fruit 
imported, I shall feel that for the efforts I have made 
1 have been amply repaid. And if I have 
been able to serve this Orphan Fund in any 
way it will be a gratification to me to have 
given my services to an institution which I be- 
believe has before it a great extension of usefulness. 
Other toasts followed, including “ Success to Horti¬ 
culture," proposed by Sir Trevor Lawrence, and res¬ 
ponded to by Mr. H. R. Williams and Mr. John 
Laing; “ Kindred Institutions,” proposed by Mr. A. 
G. W. Weeks, and acknowledged by Mr. Sherwood 
and ‘‘The Visitors,” given by Mr. R. Dean, and 
responded to by Mr. Alderman Samuel. During the 
evening subscriptions were announced to the amount 
of a little over £ 1,000, including £100 from the Chair¬ 
man. 
CHARMING SPRING 
FLOWERING PLANTS. 
Last week I gave the names of a few of these, 
selecting some generally recognised as popular 
favourites. My attention is further called to them 
by the receipt of a letter from Mr. William Ingram, 
of Bel voir Castle Gardens, asking me to go do^n to 
Belvoir in order to see what can be done with spring 
flowers in an untoward season like the present. I 
can quite understand what the sunny slopes of 
Belvoir look like just now—so supremely beautiful 
as to defy description. One of the plants Mr. 
Ingram uses largely, and with the most charming 
effects, is the Aubretia. They are largely used as 
what one might term the groundwork of many of 
his most delightful floral illustrations, and the plants 
grow so freely and blossom so generously that they 
maybe said to ‘‘heap up their flowers in happy 
plenteousness.” A little moisture, coolness, and 
shade appear to exactly suit 
Aubretias. 
As a matter of course where Aubretias are grown 
upon rockwork, as is frequently the case where they 
are fully exposed to the sun and get but little 
moisture, the growth is spare and the flowers small 
and lacking colour; but when cultivated as Mr. 
Ingram cultivates them, the change is astonishing. 
The moral is — Aubretias will repay good culti¬ 
vation. How are they propagated ? is a question 
often put. My reply is, “ By seeds and by means of 
division.” The seeds can be sown in pots, pans, or 
shallow boxes at this season of the year, and when 
large enough pricked off into other pots or boxes, 
preparatory to being placed in the open ground. In 
this way good plants can be had by the autumn if 
well attended to. By dividing the plants—that is 
stripping off the long shoots back to the roots and 
planting them out in a light sandy soil trodden 
firmly about them—Aubretias can be increased. I 
am inclined to think this is best done during showery 
weather in July and August, or later in the year; 
but in my experience these cuttings strike best when 
taken as early as possible after flowering. The 
deepest coloured varieties are Deltoidea, Graeca, and 
Violacea; all of which produce large and fine flowers. 
The best rose-coloured variety is undoubtedly 
Leichtlini, at present a little scarce, but becoming 
more plentiful. 
The Wood Anemone. 
The double form of Anemone nemorosa, the common 
Wood Anemone, which has flowered so plentifully in 
woods and coppices of late, is well worthy a place 
