December 28, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
269 
Horse-radish is a native of Eastern temperate 
Europe, not of England, as stated by a contem¬ 
porary. Did anyone ever see perfect seeds upon the 
Horse-radish ? 
In the ruined temples at Yucatan, Central 
America, it is said that wall paintings representing 
the Banana still exist, and testify to the antiquity of 
that fruit. 
Appointment. —It is with pleasure that we announce 
the appointment of Mr. James Hathaway, as super¬ 
intendent of the Parks, Gardens, and Recreation 
Grounds of Southport. The council has done 
wisely in selecting a man that has had experience in 
the neighbourhood, and the fifteen years’ practice 
of Mr. Hathaway as gardener to the Earl of Lathom, 
of Lathom House, Ormskirk, must prove of great 
value. Mr. Hathaway has been a most successful 
exhibitor of vegetables and, formerly, of Chrysan¬ 
themums, and has been one of the leading lecturers 
on “ Horticulture ” in Lancashire. The appoint¬ 
ment is worth £150, house, &c. 
Midland Institute.—Mr. L. C. Miall, F.R.S., who 
lectured to the members on the 2nd inst. upon 
"Aquatic Insects,” discoursed again on the 9th inst., 
to a crowded audience on " Aquatic Plants.” Time 
only allowed of an examination of a small selection 
of plants, but they included examples of those 
rooted in the soil, such as the marvellous Victoria 
regia Water Lily, and free floating plants, such as 
the Duckweed and Water Ferns. A number of 
peculiarities in connection with the conditions of 
their existence were pointed out and explained with 
the help of a splendid series of photographs and a 
number of experiments, the working of which was 
ingeniously projected on the screen. 
Celebration of the Majority of Mr. William Sherwood. 
—On Saturday evening last Mr. N. N. Sherwood 
gave a dinner at the Holborn Restaurant, to the staff 
of Messrs. Hurst & Son, Houndsditch, in honour of 
the majority of his son, Mr. William Sherwood. 
The chair was taken by Mr. N. N. Sherwood, when 
about 120 sat down to dinner, including more than 
100 men of the staff. About six of the latter were 
absent through illness. Seventeen or more have 
been in the employment of Messrs. Hurst & Son 
for periods ranging from twenty to thirty-one years, 
including Messrs. Titt, J. Hodgson, H. Aiton, J. N. 
Cox, Jun., S. Dixon, W. W. Polden, T. Swift, C. 
Napworth, E. Smith, T. Howie, R. C. Tucker, John 
Kay, N. Luckens, Sheldrick, G. Mills, W. Riden, T. 
Bray, and J. N. Sampson. An excellently-got-up 
menu was well served, after which a lengthy toast 
list and musical programme, including speeches, 
songs, recitations and instrumental music made the 
evening a memorable and most enjoyable one to all 
present. After the usual loyal toasts by the Chair¬ 
man, Mr. Johnson proposed the toast of the evening. 
—“ The Health and Long Life of Mr. Wm. Sher¬ 
wood,” to which the latter in due time replied. In a 
speech of a humorous nature Mr. H. Alton, one of 
the oldest members of the firm, in the name of the 
staff presented Mr. Wm. Snerwood with a valuable 
dressing case. The way in which he spoke of the 
young gentleman, and of the house of Messrs. Hurst 
& Son in general, plainly revealed the cordiality that 
existed between employers and employed, and the 
unanimity with which all worked for their mutual 
welfare. Mr. Wm. Sherwood, in a fitting speech, 
said that when he should be called upon to take his 
father’s place in the business he would conduct 
it upon the same lines as his predecessors, following 
up such improvements as the times might require, 
and hoped that the same excellent relations between 
principal and staff would prevail as at present. 
Other toasts proposed included " The Visitors,” 
“The Press,” "The Chairman,” and "The Ladies.” 
Mr. Geo J. Ingram proposed "The Press,” to which 
Mr. J. Wright replied, stating that the editor of 
The Gardeners' Magazine and the editor of The 
Gardening World had given him a free hand in 
the matter. He said that he had learnt that 
evening the unanimity that prevailed between 
employer and employed, master and servant, general 
and soldier, and it gave him much pleasure. 
Amongst the visitors were Mr. James H. Veitch of 
Chelsea, Mr. Smith, manager to the same firm, Mr. 
Innes, and others. Most of the artistes belonged to 
the staff of Messrs. Hurst & Son, and the entertain¬ 
ment they provided contributed largely to the 
enjoyment of all present. 
Some soils when analysed are found to contain plant 
food for 100 crops or more, but as a small portion 
only of this food is immediately available, it follows 
that the cultivator should apply a little readily 
soluble manure annually to secure a good crop. 
Woolton Mutual Improvement Society -The usual 
fortnightly meeting of this society was held on 
Thursday evening, at the Mechanics' Hall, Mr. R. 
G. Waterman presiding over a fairly good attendance. 
After the preliminary business was concluded, Mr. 
G. Haigh, Highfield, Woolton, was asked to read his 
paper on the " Culture of the Chrysanthemum.” 
The essay was distinctly a practical one from the 
cutting to the housing of the plants. The details 
given proved that the writer was not only a diligent 
observer, but that such information gained was 
utilised hereafter for good. The season for cuttings 
was recommended to be divided into three, selections 
being given for each. Stopping was also consideredi 
and grafting for weakly or late cuttings was strongly 
recommended. Liberal feeding was practised chiefly 
with natural manures and guano. At the conclusion 
a discussion followed, in which Messrs. T. Sumner, 
R. Todd, T. Carling, and the chairman took part. 
A cordial vote of thanks was tendered to Mr. Haigh 
for his lucid and practical paper. 
Retirement of Mr. A. F. Barron.—On Saturday 
evening last, Mr. Barron gave a farewell dinner to 
the employees in the Chiswick Gardens, and was by 
them presented with an address and a handsome 
black marble clock bearing the following inscription : 
cl Presented to Mr. A. F. Barron by the employees on 
his retirement from the superintendentship of the 
R.H.S. Gardens, Chiswick, December, 1895.” Mr. 
Turner, who made the presentation, expressed the 
deep regret which he and his colleagues felt at the 
severance which was about to take place between 
Mr. Barron and the gardens, which he had controlled 
for so many years. Mr. Barron had ever been a 
kind and considerate chief, and one and all of his 
old staff joined in heartily wishing for him and his 
family a very happy future. Mr. Barron suitably 
acknowledged the kindly gift, and thanked the givers 
for the loyal and faithful manner in which they had 
always served him, some of them for almost as many 
years as he had been at Chiswick himself. He could 
not help feeling most keenly that he had so soon to 
part company with them, but hoped they would all 
continue in the future, as in the past, to do their best, 
and so merit from his successor the same high 
appreciation of their services as he was so happy 
himself to acknowledge. The health of Mr. Barron 
was then proposed by an " Old Boy ” and drunk 
with musical honours, and thesingingof " Auld Lang 
Syne” brought the happy social gathering to a 
close. 
Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund.—At the last meet¬ 
ing of the committee for the year, held on Friday 
evening, December 20th, it was unanimously re. 
solved that an election of ten children to be placed 
on the fund should take place at the annual meeting 
to be held on February 21st, the number of candi¬ 
dates being thirteen. The following special receipts 
were announced :—Mr. H. J. Jones, collected at the 
Annual Chrysanthemum Show at the Ryecroft Nur¬ 
sery, Lewisham, £10 12s. yd,; Scottish Horticul¬ 
tural Association (per Mr. R. W. E. Murray), £5; 
Market Harborough Chrysanthemum Society (sale 
of Sowers, per Mr. G. Green), £1 15s. ; Croydon 
Chrysanthemum Society (sale of flowers, per Mr. C. 
Beckett), £1 is. ; Kingston Gardeners’ Association 
(per Mr. A. Dean), £1 ; collecting boxes—Mr. H. 
Herbst, Richmond, £2 ns. 6d ; Mr. W. R. Blox- 
holrc, Chesterfield, £2 2s. ; Mr. R. Ingleby, Chester¬ 
field, £1 7s. 6d. ; Mr. C. Gibson, Morden Park, 
£1 is. yd. ; Mr, J. McKerchar, Upper Holloway, 
£1 is. ; Messrs. R. W. Proctor & Son, Chesterfield, 
£1 is. ; Mr. W. Bates, Twickenham, 18s. 6d. ; Mr. 
F. Miller, Margate, 18s. 2d. ; Mr. T. Newbold, 
Cragg Royd, Leeds, 17s. 6d. ; Mr. A. J. Brown, 
Chertsey, 15s. 6d. : Miss Emily Rogers, Farn- 
borough, 13s. ; Mr. W. H. Divers, Belvoir Castle, 
13s. 7d.; Mr. James Day, Galloway House, Garlies- 
ton, 12s.; Mr. H. Cannell, Swanley, 10s ; and Mr. 
R. H. Rogers, Marl House, Bexley, 12s. qd. 
In view of the honorary secretary’s early retirement 
from the Royal Horticultural Society's Garden, it is 
specially requested that from this time all communi¬ 
cations be addressed simply to Mr. A. F Barron 
Chiswick, London, W. 
PEOPLE I HAVE MET. 
The Ryecroft Hero. 
To Lewisham belongs the distinction of possessing 
within its area one of the brightest and best of 
England’s sons. Recommend us the man who, in 
life’s history, sets the high-water mark of his ambition 
to a degree of success undreamed of by his com¬ 
petitors—a work in the very method of which there 
is a contagion which spreads itself to all his surround¬ 
ings. There are no half measures about the subject 
of this sketch. In Mr. Henry J. Jones we have a 
striking example of self-help and indomitable energy, 
which makes his present prominent position so 
worthy of praise and emulation. 
Born in Lewisham in 1856, when this now extensive 
suburb of the metropolis was but a rural village, Mr. 
Jones has, as it were, grown with the place of his 
birth. Ere he reached his majority, he was striking 
out a line for himself, for, at 21 we found him 
established in business on the sound principle that 
with a sure foundation upon a well-versed knowledge 
of the rudiments of one’s profession, a beginning, 
however small, may have an ending commensurably 
great. At a later period he became associated in 
partnership with another well-known grower, and at 
the conclusion of the joint enterprise Mr. Jones 
returned to the scene of his previous efforts, and 
away up on the heights of Lewisham, established the 
now famous Ryecroft Nurseries. Amongst the first 
in the early days of Chrysanthemum culture in this 
country to recognise the great beauty and vast 
Mr. H. J. Jones. 
possibilities that lay in the development of this 
flower, he had by this time obtained a knowledge 
and experience which, at Ryecroft, he set himself to 
carry out and utilise in a method entirely his own, 
with a result with which few of us are now unfamiliar. 
Defeat for him meant redoubled effort and a fixed 
determination never to be fcfeaten. The mere 
existence of a doubt upon the point spurred him on to 
the eventual attainment of his object. Thus it iS 
that the Nurseries at Ryecroft developed rapidly; new 
and larger dimensions of glass covered areas were 
requisitioned, and the outdoor departments were so 
encroached upon that it became necessary to acquire 
other land as trial grounds. These, in turn, have 
become almost as extensive as Ryecroft itself, and it 
is in these trial grounds that the new varieties are 
put to the test preparatory to sending them out. 
In the Begonia world Mr. Jones has also found 
room for study, and attentively applied to this section 
of plant life, the same zealous regard for detailed 
personal supervision which has gained for him the 
reputation of being a tremendous worker. Never at a 
loss for something worthy of his talents,he next devotes 
to Pelargoniums a share of his a'tention which he 
considers the just due of this lovely class of plants, 
and the grand exhibits he has provided at the 
Temple shows is sufficient evidence that in this 
direction, also, his success has been emphatic. 
With these choice subjects of floriculture—the 
Chrysanthemum, the Begonia, and the Pelargonium, 
