102 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October 15, 1892. 
UNITED HORTICULTURAL BENEFIT 
AND PROVIDENT SOCIETY. 
The annual dinner of this society took place at the 
Cannon Street Hotel on the evening of the 5th inst., 
under the presidency of Mr. John Fraser, of Lea 
Bridge, who was supported by the leading metropoli¬ 
tan nurserymen, seedsmen, and gardeners to the 
number of about one hundred. As usual at this 
annual social gathering of the members and 
supporters of the society the tables were most 
charmingly decorated by Mr. Chard and other 
friends, and a splendid dessert was provided ; indeed 
so abundant were the contributions of fruit that 
there was a considerable surplus, which was thought¬ 
fully sent to one of the hospitals. 
The usual loyal toasts having been duly honoured, 
the Chairman gave the toast of the evening, “ Con¬ 
tinued success and prosperity to the United Horticul¬ 
tural Benefit and Provident Society,” and in so doing 
remarked that he accepted the post of chairman 
that evening with some trepidation, because he 
remembered that some twenty-seven years ago his 
friend Mr. William Marshall and himself sat side by 
side to promote the formation of the society, but 
for some cause or other they had both of late 
years lost touch with the society. They 
met, he remembered, at the old Green Dragon 
in Bishopsgate Street, and history repeated itself 
that night in their both being present supporting the 
same good cause. The birth of the society was 
attended with many difficulties. One of these 
difficulties was that he was treasurer at the time, and 
the bank failed in which their money was placed, 
but by some fortunate circumstance they recovered 
their small nest egg, and neither the society nor 
himself lost anything by the failure. After a time 
the society emerged from the obscurity of its birth, 
it was removed from the cold shade of adversity, and 
planted in the sunshine of prosperity—it was, to use 
a gardening phrase, grafted on a good healthy stock, 
and consequently had thriven well ever since. It was 
unquestionablya sound and useful institution,a society 
to which every young gardener should make a point 
of joining, because most useful to the poor and needy 
of the gardening community as were the Gardeners’ 
Royal Benevolent Institution and the Gardeners' 
Orphan Fund, this society differed from them in that 
the members in times of adversity had not to submit 
to election before they could get assistance, but 
could claim it as a matter of right, the basis of their 
rules being the admirable principle of self-help. The 
ramifications of the society had been wide and deep, 
it had done much good in the past and would do 
more in the future. Its growth had been most satis¬ 
factory, and he appealed with confidence to the 
gentlemen present to support the society by con¬ 
tributing of their means in aid of the management 
fund which depended in the main upori the annual 
subscriptions of the honorary members. He had 
much pleasure in coupling with the toast the name 
of Mr. George Baker, of Membland, one of the 
original members and a past treasurer of the society, 
whom they were all pleased to see among them once 
again. 
Mr. Baker, in acknowledging the toast, remarked 
that the great advantage of this over all other benefit 
societies was that a balance was struck each year, 
which showed each member how much stock he 
held, such stock being the surplus of the benefit con¬ 
tributions for the year after all claims had been met. 
In this way they not only were able to help one 
another in times of sickness, or being out of employ¬ 
ment, but also put something by for those who came 
after them, and which was not forfeited to the 
society when membership ceased. In other benefit 
and so-called friendly societies a man might pay in 
for years, and if he enjoyed good health might not 
receive anything back. In his old age, he might 
from some cause fail to adhere to the rules and so be 
struck off the roll, leaving all that he had paid in be¬ 
hind him. In their society that could not happen, 
and he hoped all head gardeners would impress upon 
their young men the advantages of such a society, 
and the desirability of their becoming members of it. 
Mr. Nathan Cole gave “ The Honorary and Life 
Members,” which was acknowledged by Mr. Sher¬ 
wood, -who congratulated the society on the growth 
of the Convalescent Fund, which he had the pleasure 
of starting a year or two ago, and announced contri¬ 
butions which he had collected in aid of the same to 
the amount of £24. The Chairman then gave “ The 
Treasurer,” and on behalf of the members presented 
Mr. Hudson with a handsome gold watch and chain, 
as a slight acknowledgment of the valuable services 
which he had rendered to the society during the 
past ten years, and a token of their esteem and 
regard. Mr. Hudson suitably acknowledged the 
compliment. Other toasts followed, including 
“ Kindred Institutions,” to which Mr. Marshall 
replied for the Gardeners' Orphan Fund, and 
Mr. G. J. Ingram for the Gardeners’ Royal 
Benevolent Institution; “ The Officers of the 
society,” proposed by Mr. H. J. Veitch, and 
acknowledged by Mr. J. Wheeler, Mr. N. Cole, 
and Mr. W. Collins, the society's indefatigable 
secretary; "The Chairman,” proposed by Mr. 
Marshall; "The Visitors,” proposed by Mr. J. 
Cheal, and responded to by Mr. Fisher, of Hands- 
worth, Sheffield ; and "The Press," acknowledged 
by Mr. B. Wynne. It was announced before the 
proceedings closed that Mr. Peter Veitch, of Exeter, 
had Ikindly consented to be chairman at the next 
annual meeting. 
NATIONAL^CHRYSAN- 
THEMUM SOCIETY. 
The first October show of Chrysanthemums inaugu¬ 
rated by this Society, opened on Wednesday, was 
pronounced to be a marvellous success with Japanese 
Chrysanthemums at this period of the year. Many 
of the blooms would have been difficult to beat, even 
if possible, in November. The new varieties, chiefly 
French, as well as of recent English origin, must be 
held accountable for this to a great extent. For 
instance, the winning group of Chrysanthemums 
arranged for effect contained about twelve old varie¬ 
ties, all the rest being new. This was exhibited by 
Messrs. Reid&Bornemann, Sydenham. The very fact 
of the October flowering varieties being confined to the 
new sorts necessarily limited the number of com¬ 
petitors entering the lists, as the new sorts have not 
had sufficient time to get disseminated. The first 
award for 24 Japanese blooms in not less than 18 
varieties was awarded to Mr. W. Higgs, gardener to 
J. B. Hankey, Esq., Fetcham Park, Leatherhead. 
His boards seemed almost as crowded with the 
large blooms as they would be a month later. Boule 
d’Or, W. H. Lincoln, Condor, Mons. Bernard, 
Violet Rose, Gloire de Rocher, Louis Bcehmer, and 
Miss Anna Hartshorn were sorts calling for atten¬ 
tion on account of size and variety. Mr. E. Row- 
bottom, gardener to W. R. Williams, Esq.,The Priory, 
Hornsey, was the first prize-winner in the class for 
12 Japanese blooms of distinct sorts. The prizes 
offered for incurved blooms did not succeed in 
bringing out a single good exhibit. The best blooms 
in two classes consisted of the new variety, Mr. 
R. Bahuant, and the best old one was Jeanne d’Arc. 
Some of the miscellaneous exhibits called for 
attention, as showing what flowers may be turned to 
account at an October show. Mr. H. J. Jones, 
Hither Green, Lewisham, had a group of cut flowers 
of Chrysanthemums set up with Palms and Maiden¬ 
hair Fern. Messrs. J. Laing & Sons, Forest 
Hill, set up a bold and effective group of 
tuberous Begonias, backed by Palms and finely 
coloured Dracaenas. They also had an extensive 
collection of Apples and Potatos. Messrs. Cheal & 
Sons, Crawley, also showed a collection of Apples, 
all very highly coloured. Michaelmas Daisies and 
Dahlias were shown by Mr. Norman Davis, Lilford 
Road, Camberwell. Dahlias were shown by Mr. M. 
V. Seale, Sevenoaks, and Chrysanthemums were 
staged by Mr. W. Wells, Earlswood Station, Surrey. 
Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, had a table of 
decorative and Cactus Dahlias. Messrs. Pitcher & 
Manda, Hextable, Swanley, had a collection of 
Chrysanthemums and perennial Asters. The prizes 
offered by Messrs. Sutton & Sons. Reading, brought 
out some wonderfully fine exhibits of vegetables. 
We will report more fully next week, as the show 
opened just as we were going to press. 
--J*- 
•Gardening Hiscellany. 
-On 
THRINAX RADIATA. 
Few of the fan Palms are more gracefully elegant 
than the species of Thrinax, more particularly T. 
radiata. All parts of the plant, but particularly the 
leaves and their petioles, are slender and graceful. 
The lamina is deeply cut into narrow segments that 
are unable to support themselves, and droop over 
gracefully. Like all other Palms they are raised 
from seeds, which should be sown in a compost of 
loam, peat, and sand, and after they make a few 
leaves transferred to a stronger compost consisting 
chiefly of good fibrous loam and sand. There seems 
no reason why this species should not become as 
popular as Areci lutescens, Howea Forsteriana, H. 
Belmoreana, and some others which are now very 
extensively used for decorative purposes. The 
species is also known under the names of T. elegans 
and T. gracilis in gardens. We noted it in the gar¬ 
dens at Falkland Park, South Norwood Hill. 
SKIMM1A JAPON1CA. 
The male plant of this is known in gardens as S. 
fragrantissima, and several other names are given to 
plants which are hardly, if at all, distinct. There 
has also been some confusion with regard to them. 
The dwarf species that used to be known in gardens 
as S. japonica was really misnamed, for it was an 
undescribed species, and has since been described 
under the name of S. Fortunei out of compliment to 
Robert Fortune who introduced it. The true S. 
japonica, on the contrary, used to be called S. oblata. 
The berries are ineeed oblate in form, that is, broader 
than long, of a bright shining red, and produced in 
great abundance. For conservatory work it is rather 
better than S. Fortunei on account of its more robust 
habit and larger bunches of berries. When grown 
in pots and well fruited, as it is at Falkland Park, 
South Norwood Hill, it serves to brighten up the 
subjects in the greenhouse or conservatory during 
the autumn and winter months. 
CALLUNA VULGARIS HAMMONDI. 
Numerous as are the varieties of the common Ling 
or Heath in cultivation, few if any of them are so 
extensively planted as their merits deserve. That 
under notice is a white one, but several very distinct 
white-flowered varieties are grown. In a wild state, 
white varieties, chiefly the common C. v. alba, are 
frequently to be met with on wide tracts of heathy 
moor, and get picked up because they strike the 
traveller as distinct from the acres of the purple- 
flowered and typical form around them. C. v. Ham- 
mondi is notable for its strong-growing and rather 
upright habit, with long spikes of pure white flowers. 
Many of the sorts that have been picked up and 
grown as distinct are of dwarf and stunted habit, but 
that under notice grows upright forming a good bush, 
so that whether planted by itself in beds or sis clumps 
amongst shrubbery, it is very effective and worthy of 
all due attention. Many of the Heath family, such 
as Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Kalmias, and Heaths, do 
well in the soil of the garden at Falkland Park, 
South Norwood Hill, so that all this class of plants 
receive a due share of attention. The abundance of 
peaty or humic matters in the soil is due to the fact 
that much of it has long been covered with trees, and 
the fallen leaves allowed to decay there. 
ABUTILONS AND SPARMANNIA AFRICANA. 
Both of these flowering shrubs from the Cape of 
Good Hope are among the simplest and most 
showy plants amateurs can grow for the ordinary 
greenhouse or conservatory. Mine were in the open 
air all the summer until Sept. 7th, when I had them 
removed to a cool-house to avoid the early frosts, 
and to await such time as I can see to their drainage 
and any other requirements. If these plants are 
struck early in the spring, and headed a few times 
as fast as they make young growth, they will form 
nice bushy stuff in the autumn. Pot them on into 
well-drained soil, and treat them liberally as regards 
manure water. Grow them, in fact, very much the 
same as you would a Chrysanthemum, even in¬ 
cluding open-air treatment. This will induce riper 
and better matured growth, and if you cease to head 
them by the end of August, you will have numerous 
young growths that will continue to supply enor¬ 
mous quantities of flowers all the winter and spring. 
They require plenty of water, and if kept free from 
frost no complaints will be made of their floriferous- 
ness. A greater display of blossoms may always be 
had in the course of a fortnight or so if you give 
them an increased temperature; the flowers will also 
come with longer stems and be much more 
useful for cutting from. As there are now such a 
variety of colours among the Abutilons, and they are 
so simple and easy to cultivate, I consider they ought 
to be much more generally grown, especially by the 
amateur. — Experience. 
