126 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
October 26, 1895. 
sickness overtook them. Mr Cole also spoke of the 
indebtedness of the society to Mr. Sherwood, and 
that the name of the latter would be honoured as 
long as the organisation existed. 
Mr. James Hudson next proposed “ the Honorary 
and Life Members and Visitors," and said that the 
society included some of the best names and some 
of the best patrons of horticulture. It was better 
to meet members around the festive board than at 
an arbitration board. He hoped before the meeting 
was over to transpose some of the visitors into 
honorary members. By way of showing what pro¬ 
gress had been made by the society, he said that 
after it had come of age, that is, after the 21st year 
of its existence, they held the first anniversary 
dinner. At that time they had only a membership 
of 177, but now it has risen to 547. The total 
invested money then was £3,650, now it had risen to 
£10,300. Whereas they had only twelve honorary 
members at that date, now the list totalled fifty. 
He further stated that regrets often came from gar¬ 
deners after their 45th year, when they were in¬ 
eligible for election. No one knew when anyone 
might require help. The list of members already 
included many of the horticultural press; the 
“ canny ” Scots were also joining, and many regretted 
they did not do so in better time To this toast 
Mr. Arnold Moss responded, and said that he was 
in doubt for a time whether he should be able to be 
present. He humorously remarked that he was 
more pleased at having been made an honorary 
member than in either of two other characters 
which he mentioned. 
“The Chairman" was next proposed by Mr. 
Iceton, who was delighted to be present, and spoke 
of the influence of the name of Veitch in a few 
fitting and well selected sentences, and invited all 
present to drink to the health of Mr. Veitch. The 
latter rose, and announced that Mr. N. N. Sherwood 
had promised a donation of £5 5s. that Mr. Iceton 
and Mr Edwin Mott had become life members : that 
Air. A. J. Sutton, of the firm of Messrs. Sutton & 
Sons, wished to be nominated that Air H. J. Jones 
and Air. Arnold AIoss had each given a donation of 
£2 2S. : that Air A. F. Barron aod Air. G. Alonro 
had each given £1 is.; and that Air. Geo. Wythes 
also wished to become an honorary memlper. Air. 
Veitch then said that it was the first time he had 
acted as chairman, and being a young man he 
necessarily felt his responsibilities, but that the 
hearty sympathy extended to him on that occasion 
had given him great confidence. 
Air. Joseph Wheeler next proposed 11 The Press ’’ 
in eulogistic terms, and to this toast the editor of 
The Gardening World responded. Air. H. Cut- 
bush next proposed "Thanks to Donors of Fruit, 
Flowers, &c.” Mr. AIcKercher, in responding to 
this, said that the society should always bear its 
own motto in mind, namely, that “ Union is 
Strength,” and it was bound to succeed if they went 
to work hand in hand to further its interests. Con¬ 
cerning statements that had been made that evening, 
he said that the “ canny ” Scot wished to see how 
England, the predominant half of Great Britain, 
handled the matter in respect to such a society as 
that under consideration, and if England did so 
firmly, boldly, and encouragingly, then the Scot 
would put his whole strength and energy into it. 
It may here be stated thaUthe Great Hall of the 
Cannon Street Hotel was sumptuously and tastefully 
decorated with flowers from various contributors. 
The stands and arches were lent for the occasion by 
Air. Chard, of Stoke Newington. The flowers and 
sprays of coloured foliage were tastefully arranged 
by Aliss L. Hudson The donations of fruit were 
also excellent and varied. W. J. Nutting, Esq., 
106, Southwark Street, will take the chair at the 
next anniversary dinner. 
--5-- 
FRUIT AS FOOD. 
Your correspondent at p. 95 gives admirable 
testimony to the value of fruit as food, and I can 
but endorse his statements with regard to the 
suspicion attached to the wholesomeness of fruit 
generally whether raw or preserved. When cholera 
was raging virulently in some of the sea side towns 
into which it had been imported from abroad, the 
wife of a man stricken down with the malady asked 
the doctor what she could get for her husband tc 
tempt his appetite with something that would 
nourish him and support his failing strength. She 
even mentioned fruit, to which the doctor replied 
that she could not give him anything worse seeing 
that fruit was as much responsible as anything for 
that and various other ailments prevailing during 
the past season As might have been supposed, a 
statement like that made by such a high authority 
as the doctor could not be allowed to rest without 
being repeated. On the contrary it xvas promul¬ 
gated orally all over the town, and to much greater 
distances by the local papers. 
Fruit then was merely looked upon as a dangerous 
luxury that might only be partaken of in limited 
quantity, and at the risk of personal health, with the 
liability of communicating to others any ailment of 
a contagious nature that might be contracted. The 
result was, as might be expected under the circum¬ 
stances, that the demand for fruit was limited. 
Prices ranged high, except for Apples introduced 
from America, and to some extent for Oranges. 
Both of these fruits were obtainable only during the 
winter months in many parts of the country, and 
cholera and fevers not being so prevalent then, the 
supposed dangers of fruit were overlooked or forgotten. 
Owing to the high prices that prevailed, only the 
richer classes could afford to buy the finer fruits, 
and the middle and poor classes could only buy 
Apples and Oranges in very limited quantity The 
demand was poor in consequence of this state of 
matters. Little attention was paid to the raising of 
fruit, and prices ruled high. 
All that has happily been changed, slowly at first 
until prejudices had been overcome, and the real 
nature of fruit better understood. Until compara¬ 
tively recently, the real source 'of cholera was but 
imperfectly understood, and the science of microbes 
was practically unknown. Travellers in southern 
Continental countries witnessed the large consump¬ 
tion of fruit by the natives, and gradually acquired a 
taste for it themselves. This example was gradually 
followed by people in Britain, who might therefore 
be regarded as copyists until the habit became 
firmly established. Now, the wholesome character 
of fruit as food has come to be recognised by the 
masses, and the demand is likely to increase from 
year to year, whatever the source from which the 
fruit may be obtained. Those w ho consume it largely 
feel that it is conducive to health and to their wel¬ 
fare generally ; hence there is little need to urge any 
other plea for its more extensive use in the dietary 
of the people. Nor need it be unduly urged upon 
anyone, seeing that the admission is being made 
spontaneously by those who give the matter a trial 
and can judge for themselves. It remains for the 
fruit grower to use his best endeavour to put a good 
article upon the market .—Fiat lux. 
--4*- 
WARE S GOLD MEDAL BEGONIAS. 
I am anxious to speak of a roadside garden, consist¬ 
ing of three acres of Begonias in full blow', a truly 
valuable crop, the property of my venerable friend, 
Air. T. S. Ware, of Hale Farm Nursery, Tottenham. 
His Begonia Nursery is a branch nursery, and 
adjoins the road at Crook Lodge, Bexley Heath, a 
mile or so from Woolwich on the London road to 
Dartford, and away from the London smoke, quite a 
rural spot. The show of about 200,000 plants in the 
open ground was well worth inspection, being 
literally a blazon of colours, ostentatiously magni¬ 
ficent. The varieties displayed, comprised both 
doubles and singles, and anyone who may wish to 
realise the perfection to which tuberous Begonia 
culture may be brought, can obtain it here. 
The visitor should not leave without viewing the 
new kinds under glass, the winners of gold medals, 
&c., galore. Some of the specimens on view can 
perhaps only be thoroughly appreciated by the 
initiated, but have, nevertheless, enthralling beauties 
of their own. It was my good fortune to see these 
unique Begonias just at their climax, and in my 
case the pleasure derived from such a visit, %vas 
increased by rubbing against my old colleague 
(after many years) Samuel Pope, Air. Ware’s 
energetic manager at Crook Lodge. .Air. Pope is a 
practical enthusiast in gardening, and a Begonia 
specialist on the right side of fifty ; he is, moreover, 
the father of the tuberous rooted Begonias of 
gardens, for the first hybrid was raised by him at the 
old Exeter nursery, and grew up under our care, a 
cross between B. Yeitchii and B. Pearcei, having 
the brilliant flowers of the former with the beautiful 
foliage of the latter. This historical plant was 
christened B. Woodmanii in compliment to the late 
Dr. AVm. Robert Woodman, who had just succeeded 
his maternal uncle, the late Air. R. T. Pince, as 
proprietor of the great Exeter nursery.— IF. Nafher, 
Chelsea. 
-- 1 - ■ - 
TREES AND SHRUBS AT OXFORD. 
Lovers of trees and shrubs will find much to in¬ 
terest them in the Botanic Gardens at Oxford where 
as many of the relics of a bygone age as can be 
crowded into the relatively limited space are 
cherished as if they were the novelties of yesterday 
Air Baker, the Curator, takes special delight in the 
trees under his care and allows them to grow in their 
natural forms which give such pleasing variety to a 
landscape. One patriarchal Copper Beech stands 
about So ft. high, with a wide sweep of branches and 
the trunk measures about 4 ft. in diameter or more 
at 3 ft. from the ground. The contrast between this 
variety and Fagus sylvatica asplenifolia is very 
great, for the latter has narrow, deeply cut and dark 
green leaves. The yellow-flowered Cladrastis 
tinctoria stands about 30 ft. high. The Persimmon 
(Diospyrus virginiana) is not particularly tall but 
has a spread of 20 ft. to 30 ft. and flowers freely. 
Some curiosity is excited by the Oak-leaved 
Laburnum, with its strangely cut leaflets: one 
branch has reverted to the original, thus evincing a 
certain instability in character like its near relative 
Laburnum Adami. The Deciduous Cypress is a 
handsome tree 40 ft. to 45 ft. high, and its light green, 
feathery foliage is particularly handsome. 
Close by the Aluseum and Library, is a magnifi¬ 
cent specimen of Sophora japonia, 50 ft. to 55 ft. 
high, and a similar spread of branches. The trunk 
is 4 ft. in diameter up to the origin of the leading six, 
ponderous limbs into which the head divides. The 
wild Pear tree is 35 ft. high and carries a heavy 
crop of fruit such as our ancestors might have eaten 
in the “stone age. Very fruitful is a tall tree of 
Rhamnus catharticus. A specimen of the beautiful 
Pyrus pinnatifida reaches 30 ft., and its near relation 
the Service tree (P. domestica) runs up to 40 ft. 
The AVhite Alulberry forms a fruiting tree with a 
considerable spread of branches, and its not very 
distant relative, the Paper Alulberry (Broussonetia 
papyrifera) is iS ft. high. A beautiful specimen of 
the Hop Hornbeam (Ostrya vulgaris) presents a 
curious spectacle in large, fruiting bunches of the 
Alistletoe suspended from the end of pendent 
branches. When a plant establishes itself on a 
branch, the latter is gradually strangled and killed 
above the Alistletoe so that the latter appears as if 
grafted or tied on to the end of a broomhandle 
The Quince has also fruited freely. Prunus Cocco- 
milla is an interesting Plum belonging to the same 
family as the latter, and bears oblong fruits, smaller 
than those of a Greengage, lemon-yellow, and 
tempting in appearance, but bitter to the palate. 
The flowers are handsome earlier in the season, and 
smell of Heliotrope. The Kentucky Coffee-tree 
(Gymnocladus canadensis) is the last in the gardens 
to come into leaf, but the foliage is large and hand¬ 
some when it does appear. A fine tree of it reaches 
a height of 50 ft. Not far off are two charming 
specimens of the Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus glandu- 
losa) 55 ft. and 60 ft., respectively, and possessing 
fine clean stems. Suckers come Tip freely from the 
roots at a distance of 20 yards away from the mother 
trees. Corylus Colurna, 45 ft high and broad, has 
borne a wonderful crop of nuts in large clusters. 
The Hop Trefoil (Ptelea trifoliata) has been wonder¬ 
fully conspicuous with its load of yellowish-green, 
winged fruits, about the size and shape of a shilling. 
Alany of the above are usually seen in the form of 
low shrubs or bushes, but Shepherdia argentea, here 
about 4 ft. high, probably never makes anything else 
than a bush. It is loaded with fruit, and the silvery 
foliage is very pretty. Cotoneaster vulgaris forms a 
bush loaded with its red, berry-like fruits. C. hori- 
zontalis on a wall is notable for the beauty of its 
dark green foliage and singular habit. 
Conifers are also represented, and amongst them 
we noted Pinus austriaca 40 ft. high and 3 ft. in 
diameter. Thuya gigantea forms a beautiful pyra¬ 
midal tree, furnished to the ground, and 45 ft in 
height. The Alaidenhair Tree (Ginkgo biloba) is 
also a fine specimen of its kind, about 45 ft. high. 
Herbaceous Plants. 
These are largely represented in the beds arranged 
according to their families, but outside the garden 
wall is another interesting collection not so classified. 
On a series of brick-built terraces surrounding one 
of the fountains in the gardens is a collection of 
