458 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
March 16, 1895. 
THE UNITED HORTICULTURAL PROVI¬ 
DENT AND BENEFIT SOCIETY. 
The Annual Meeting of this Society was held at 
the Caledonian Hotel, Adelphi Terrace, on Monday 
evening. Mr. George Gordon presided, and there 
was a fair attendance of members. The Committee in 
their Annual Report had again to report a satisfactory 
rate of progress, both commercially and financially. 
Seventy-two new members joined the Society during 
the year, nineteen lapsed, and six died, one of these 
havingjoined only a fortnight previously—the cause 
of death being influenza. The membership now 
stands at 547, and the sick pay has been more than 
in the previous year, £117 7s. 8d. having been thus 
disbursed to twenty-eight members. Subscriptions 
to the amount of £821 16s. 3d. have been paid into 
the Benefit Fund during the year, exclusive of 
arrears ; and both the Benefit and the Management 
Funds have proportionately increased; the former 
having received additional strength by the life mem¬ 
berships of Sir Stuart Knill, Bart., and Messrs. Jacob 
Wrench and Sons. A grant was made of £10 to the 
widow of the late Mr. Charles Collins, a case calling 
for urgent assistance, and two other sums amounting 
to £4 have been paid from the same Fund. The 
treasurer's account was also a very satisfactory one, 
the chief item of interest being the investment of 
£1,000 during the year. The Annual Dinner, re¬ 
sulted in a substantial gain to the Benevolent and 
Convalescent Funds, and to Mr. Arnold Moss, who 
presided, the thanks of the Society were due for the 
able manner in which he advocated the claims of 
the Society. 
The Chairman, in rising to formally move that 
the report and balance sheet be received and 
adopted, said he was quite sure it would not be 
necessary for him to speak at any length to ensure 
the motion receiving a hearty reception. The report 
that had been read by their excellent secretary, Mr. 
Collins, and the financial statement presented by 
their no less excellent treasurer, Mr. Hudson, were 
so eminently satisfactory that no strong arguments 
would be required to induce the meeting 
to pass them unanimously. He had in the course of 
his connection with public affairs listened to many 
annual statements, but he could not call to mind any 
that could have afforded more gratification to the 
members concerned than those that had been sub¬ 
mitted to them. They impressed him, as he had 
no doubt they had impressed the members, with the 
important fact that the affairs of the Society are 
being managed with singular ability, and that gar¬ 
deners, as a body, are beginning to understand the 
principles of the splendid institution to which they 
were fortunate in belonging, and that they are show¬ 
ing in a practical manner their appreciation of the 
advantages it offers them in making provision for the 
proverbial rainy day, for old age, and for those who 
may be left behind should they fall early in the battle 
of life. They would, he said, have gathered from 
the report and financial statement that there had 
been a large accession of new members and a con¬ 
current increase in the balances of the several funds, 
and this advance could not be regarded otherwise 
than with a feeling of gratification, not so much in 
the interest of the Society as of the horticultural 
community for whose benefit it was founded. The 
Benevolent Fund, although it had been drawn upon 
to relieve several cases of distress had increased from 
£2,025 12s. gfd. to £2,208, or a gain of nearly £200 
during the year. The Benefit Fund had increased 
from £6,232 to £7,212, or a gain of nearly £1,000. 
The Voluntary Convalescent Fund started a few 
years since had continued to make satisfactory pro¬ 
gress, and the balance had increased from £191 to 
£259, a gain of £68, although grants were made to 
several members who had been stricken down by 
sickness to enable them to have a change of air, 
which, as we all know, is so beneficial to those 
recovering from illness. The balance of the 
Management Fund was about the same as last 
year, and it did not appear desirable there 
should be any material increase, for whatever 
surplus that may be available would probably be 
utilised to advantage, in part to making the Society 
more widely known, and in part to increasing the 
remuneration of the secretary. The total of the 
several balances was £9,835 14s. 6|d., and it was of 
importance to know that this amount which largely 
exceeds the liabilities of the Society is invested in 
perfectly safe securities, and is a guarantee that 
every claim will be met in accordance with the rules. 
It would not be necessary for him to discuss in detail 
either the report or balance sheet, but there were a 
few points to which he would like to direct attention. 
It was of interest to know that there had been a 
substantial increase in the roll of members, and that 
the number of benefit members had increased during 
the financial year from 487 to 536, or anet gain of 49. 
It was still more interesting to learn that the contri¬ 
butions of the members to the Benefit Fund amounted 
to £821 163. 3d., because that sum taken in connec¬ 
tion with some other figures that are given, brings 
out in strong relief the distinctive character of the 
Society, and the remarkable advantage it offers to 
those eligible for membership. The contributions to 
the Benefit Fund, as so well known to members, are 
applied so far as may be necessary in providing the 
weekly allowances to members during sickness, and 
the remainder is added in given proportions accord¬ 
ing to the scale to the deposits of the members 
standing on the books of the Society, which remain 
at interest until they attain their 70th year. Last 
year the total amount disbursed in sick pay was 
£117 7s. 8d., therefore of the total of £821 there 
was a sum of £704 8s. 7d. available for adding to the 
deposit accounts of members. There is nothing 
unusual in so small a proportion of the contributions 
to the Benefit Fund being distributed in sick pay, 
and in 1893 it was relatively smaller. The annual 
surplus has invariably been large, as proved by the 
fact that during the twenty-nine years the Society 
has been in existence the members’ deposits have 
amounted, after the payment of those belonging to 
deceased members to their representatives, to 
£7,212 is. 6d., the balance of the Benefit Fund at 
the present time. The interest upon the balance of 
this fund was last year £178 ns. nd., and as this 
was £61 4s. 3d. more than was required for sick pay, 
it follows that every penny contributed by members 
to the Benefit Fund has been an investment for old 
age. If the members had belonged to one of the 
best of the general benefit societies, the only 
advantage that would have been derived from 
this annual surplus would be the payment of 
£10, £12, or £15 to their representatives at their 
death. As illustrating the practical effects of this 
difference, Mr. Gordon stated that he was well 
acquainted with a gardener who joined the Order of 
Foresters three years before the United Horticultural 
Benefit and Provident Society was founded, and from 
that time to this he had paid contribution to their 
lower scale, namely, sixpence per week, and the bene¬ 
fits to which he is entitled are ten shillings per week 
during illness and £10 at death. On the other hand 
a member of the United who joined on the lower 
scale when it was first formed had not only been 
entitled to 10s. 6d. per week in sickness, and would 
have a claim upon the Benevolent Fund on his reach¬ 
ing his 70th year, but has now standing to his credit the 
the sum of £51 19s. id., or actually £7 14s. 7d. more 
than the whole of his contributions to the Benefit, 
Benevolent and Management Funds. On the higher 
scale the sum placed to the credit of a member of 
similar standing would be considerably higher, and 
as a matter of fact a member has the sum of 
£78 ns. 3d., or about £14 more than the whole of 
his contributions to the Society, the difference in 
both cases being due to the interest. Members 
should impress facts of this kind upon the attention 
of friends who are eligible for membership ; they 
should also point out that should a member be 
unable to continue his subscription he does not lose 
his deposit, but the amount to his credit is retained 
until he reaches his 60th year, when it is handed 
over to him. To show how important is this feature 
it was mentioned that at present the substantial 
sum of £702 was standing to the credit of lapsed 
members. In conclusion the Chairman urged upon 
the members the necessity for taking advantage of 
every opportunity for making the Society known to 
their friends so that a much greater proportion of 
those engaged in horticultural pursuits might derive 
advantage from the great and highly beneficent 
work in which it is engaged. 
The motion was seconded by Mr. W. Marshall, 
one of the founders of the Society, and carried 
unanimously. 
The following members were elected on the Com¬ 
mittee in the place of those retiring by rotation :— 
Mr. G. Wheeler, Mr. Boreham, Mr. Wood, and Mr. 
Thomson; and Mr. W. Collins was again unani¬ 
mously re-elected Secretary. 
The meeting was then made special for the 
purpose of considering the question of increasing the 
benefits without raising the subscription, the sugges¬ 
tion which had been made by some of the members 
being that in the lower division the sick pay be 
raised from 10s. 6d. to 12s., and in the higher 
division from 16s. to 18s., payable for six days of 
the week instead of seven. The resolution embody¬ 
ing these alterations was strongly opposed by some 
of the members, but was eventually carried by 27 
to 6. A vote of thanks to the Chairman concluded 
the business. 
We append the accounts presented by the 
Treasurer:— 
Dr. 
£ 
S. 
d. 
Balance in hand .. 
89 
4 
6 * 
Honorary members’ subscriptions 
.. 65 
2 
0 
Benefit ditto 
. . 821 
l 6 
3 
Benevolent ditto .. 
59 
3 
9 
Convalescent ditto 
. t >6 
II 
9 
Management ditto 
.. 58 
6 
3 
Benefit arrears for 1893.. 
18 
O 
9 
Benevolent ditto .. 
•• 3 
*7 
6 
Management ditto 
3 
12 
8 
Revocations, etc. .. 
. • 0 
I 
3 
Advertisements in Report, etc... 
.. 2 
13 
6 
Dividends on Investments .. 
.. 267 
10 
5 
£1.456 
0 
7 i 
Cr. 
£ 
s. 
d. 
Sick pay to members 
.. 117 
7 
8 
Payments to nominees of deceased 
members .. .. .. .. 39 7 6 
Payments from Benevolent Fund .. 14 o o 
Ditto from Management Fund.. .. 92 8 5 
Ditto from Convalescent Fund.. .. 4 10 o 
Investment, Stamps, Commission, etc. 1,052 12 6 
Balance in hand.. 135 14 6J 
£1,456 o 7^ 
Total invested funds, £9,700. 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
The undermentioned subjects were accorded Awards 
of Merit at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural 
Society on the 12th inst. 
Violet Princess Beatrice. —The Pansies and 
Violas have long been subjected to improvements at 
the hand of the florists, and now the Violets are 
having their innings in that respect. The blooms of 
Princess Beatrice are of a rich violet hue, and 
measure fully i£ in. across. The heart-shaped 
leaves measure about 4 in. in diameter, which will 
give some idea of the vigour of the variety. 
Exhibitor, Mr. G. Nobbs, Royal Gardens, Osborne, 
Cowes. 
Amaryllis Mrs. Montefiore. —The stem of this 
handsome variety is about 15 in. high, and bears 
usually two flowers. The tube of the latter is 
funnel-shaped, but very short, with a widely-spread¬ 
ing lamina of magnificent proportions. The segments 
are of good substance, well imbricate, and white, 
with exception of a light streaking of red on the three 
upper segments and on the upper longitudinal half 
of the outer, lateral ones. Though not strictly 
white, this is a light-coloured variety of the first 
magnitude, and a decided acquisition, as well as an 
improvement in this class. Exhibited by Messrs. J. 
Veitch & Sons, Chelsea. 
Amaryllis Prince Edward.— The scapes of this 
variety are taller, say about coin., and two flowered. 
The flowers are widely funnel-shaped, with well 
imbricated segments, of good substance, and of a 
rich crimson-scarlet, intensifying to a maroon shade 
in the throat. The whole flower is neatly formed, 
rich in colour, and a step forward in the march of 
progress. The substance and colour of the flower 
make it worthy of a place in the most select collec¬ 
tion. Exhibited by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons 
Eucharis Stevensii. —In general appearance the 
flowers of this species are not unlike those of E. 
grandiflora, but differ in structure. The corona is 
reduced to a narrow rim, on the top of which the 
base of the stamens become dilated, triangular, and 
greenish-yellow; the throat of the tube is also 
greenish-yellow. All the rest of the flower is pure 
white. Exhibited by the Duke of Sutherland 
(gardener, Mr. Peter Blair), Trentham. 
Azalea John Weathers. —In this we have one 01 
the hardy, deciduous types, the improved forms of 
which are spoken of as Ghent Azaleas. The flowers 
are fragrant and have a slender tube, and a widely- 
expanded lamina, the segments of which are well 
imbricated, and beautifully undulated at the edges. 
All the segments are of a warm rose-pink, with 
exception of one which is orange with a slender rosy 
midrib. Exhibited by Earl Cowper (gardener, Mr. 
J. Fitt), Panshanger, Herts. 
