256 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
December 24, 1892. 
were dearer the roots were plentiful. The 
writer had got confused over Globe and 
Jerusalem Artichokes. As to Tomatos 
they are literally as cheap now almost as 
at any time. Parsnips, Carrots, Turnips, 
Beets, and other roots are plentiful and 
good. 
Of course there is nothing like a home¬ 
grown supply of these products, but failing 
that the shops and markets give a wealth 
that money can purchase for all who have to 
spare. We think that in reason rather more 
money may well be spent at this time of 
the year on garden products and less upon 
grosser foods. The former at least will 
give less work for the doctors later, whilst 
the greater their consumption the greater 
the impetus given to their cultivation. 
f HRisTMAs Berries. —Although there was 
after all no lecture on Hardy Berried 
Plants last week at the Drill Hall, and the 
few berried shrubs present made a poor 
show, yet there are berries in myriads all 
about the country, and the Holly seems to 
be in the most luxuriant iruit, we cannot 
see the grand old Christmas shrub in all its 
rich berried beauty at an exhibition. It is 
needful to get into gardens or woods or in 
the rural lanes to see huge bushes or trees 
full to profusion of the rich coral red berries 
that make them so beautiful now. 
It was a very happy thought to whom¬ 
soever due, whether to the Druids or other 
ancient people, to make the Holly our 
Christmas berried decoration beyond all 
others. There is perhaps about the Mis- 
tleto something that lends a sentimental 
charm to Christmas-time, especially be¬ 
cause of its association with a very pleasant 
form of salutation. Still the Mistleto 
fails entirely to satisfy our appreciation 
for rich colouring in the same way that 
Holly does. The common form of the Dog 
Rose or Wild Briar gives to us much 
pleasingly berried material, whilst the Dog¬ 
woods and Mountain Ash would render 
good service, had not the birds previously 
eaten the fruits. 
We have of shrubs very charming 
material in the Pernettias, so varied in the 
colour of their profusely borne berries, 
and the Pyracanthas and the Crataegus 
also in many districts give to us wealth of 
colour that cannot be overlooked. How 
beautiful too when in good fruit are the 
female Aucubas, and turning to tenderer 
plants there are Solanums, Capsicums, 
Chilis, all specially available for the berried 
decoration of our houses at this festive 
season. It is rather odd that although the 
old notion with regard to abundance of wild 
berries and a hard winter still prevails, we 
should so far find the winter exceptionally 
mild. 
Ij^HE National Rose Society. —It is for¬ 
tunate for this society that it has for 
its special charge the loveliest and most 
popular of all hardy garden flowers, and 
one that blooms at the best time of the year. 
It may be. that though the Rose is the floral 
queen of summer, the Chrysanthemum is 
the queen of autumn ; but the latter flower, 
even though so beautiful and so popular, 
cannot be grown out in gardens as Roses 
are. or display such glorious hues of colour, 
much less give to us so much sweet perfume. 
But with all its good fortune in the nature 
of the flower cultivated, the Rose Society 
has to endure the occasional and doubtless 
natural differences of opinion that will crop 
up even in a family which contains so much 
of the clerical element. 
Our good friends the clergy are first-rate 
rosarians, and many of them are much 
more, for they are cosmopolitan florists ; 
but even the best of them who may go in 
for exhibition and competition have their 
little weaknesses for prizes, and all cannot 
look upon exhibiting with just the same 
degree of equanimity as does Dean Hole 
from his high place among the ecclesiastical 
gods of Rochester. However, the momen¬ 
tous question as to whether the holding of 
the society’s southern show at the Crystal 
Palace be on the first or second Saturday in 
July, has been settled so far at present, and 
we hope all are satisfied. Nothing is so 
uncertain as the season, and what militates 
against the northern grower one year may 
be all in his favour the next, and the 
happiest medium is that which makes 
pretty equal chances over a series of years. 
After all, as the society holds a special 
northern or provincial show, we see nothing 
to complain of if the Crystal Palace Show 
be a little early, but it does seem as if exhi¬ 
bitors did regard honours won at the 
Crystal Palace as a long way superior to 
those secured elsewhere. We are pleased 
to see that the National Rose Society has 
been enabled to pay its way, and retain its 
original balance in spite of the disastrous 
weather which attended upon its Chester 
Show. 
f ARDENERS’ ROYAL BENEVOLENT INSTI¬ 
TUTION. — On Tuesday afternoon a 
general meeting of the subscribers to this In¬ 
stitution was held at “ Simpson’s ”to con¬ 
sider the proposed alterationand amendment 
of the Rules as recommended by the General 
Committee. Mr. H. J. Veitch was unani¬ 
mously invited to take the chair, and there 
was a fairly good attendance. The Chair¬ 
man explained the necessity for the altera¬ 
tion required in the registration of the title 
of the Institution. It appears that when 
the Institution was originally registered 
under an old Friendly Societies Act it w'as 
called “ The Benevolent Institution for the 
Relief of Aged and Indigent Gardeners 
and their Widows,” but that some time 
afterwards, under circumstances that can¬ 
not now be explained, the title was altered 
to that ol “ The Gardeners' Royal Benevo¬ 
lent Institution.” That alteration had, 
however, not been notified to the Registrar 
of Friendly Societies, according to rule, as 
had only lately been discovered, and it was 
therefore necessary that the Institution 
should be re-registered under the now 
familiar appellation. This was agreed to 
unanimously. 
With reference to the alteration of the 
rules the Chairman stated that some time 
since it was considered desirable by the 
General Committee to amend them with a 
view to making them more elastic. On 
consulting the Honorary Solicitor, Mr. 
Peacock, he had informed them that having 
been once registered under the Friendly 
Societies Acts, they were bound to see that 
their rules were in accordance with the 
terms of those Acts. The new rules, fifteen 
in number, with sub-sections under most 
of them, were then considered seriatim, and 
after being amended in various particulars, 
were unanimously agreed to ; and on the 
motion of Dr. Hogg, seconded by Dr. 
Masters, it was resolved “ That all pre¬ 
vious rules be rescinded, and that the rules 
now agreed to be the rules of the Insti¬ 
tution.” They will have to be confirmed 
at the Annual General Meeting in January, 
but doubtless that will be done without 
further discussion. 
Points of considerable interest were 
brought out in the discussions which took 
place on the various amendments proposed, 
which we cannot for the moment refer to, 
but we cannot help expressing our regret 
that the necessity should exist, as Mr. 
Peacock contended, for being registered 
under the Friendly Societies Acts, because 
instead of making the rules more elastic, it 
seems to us that except in one or two 
material particulars, they will have a 
directly contrary effect. However, it was 
considered best to work under rules that 
had some sort of legality, rather than go on 
with the old rules which w T ere not what 
they should have been. 
Most of the ne7/ rules may be said to be 
of a domestic or administrative character, 
but there is one which we consider -will 
most materially affect the future of the In¬ 
stitution, and to its lasting benefit. It is 
the rule which empowers the Committee 
previous to any election to credit any' 
candidate who has paid four years’ subscrip¬ 
tions with 50 votes, and to add 50 more for 
each annual payment up to fourteen. 
Under this rule therefore a candidate who 
may have subscribed for fourteen years, 
will be entitled to have 550 votes placed 
to his credit, and will not as now have to 
compete for a pension on equal terms 
with those who have not subscribed at all. 
Gardeners we are sure will appreciate this 
rule at its true worth to them, and they 
cannot do better than signify the same by 
sending Mr. Ingram their guineas in larger 
numbers. 
-- 
Mr. R. J. Humphries has been engaged as gardener 
to C. Faber, Esq., The Brewery House, Wareham, 
Dorset. 
The Midland Carnation and Picotee Society. —The 
second annual report of this flourishing society has 
just been issued and is of a satisfactory character, 
the income from all sources for the current year 
being £188, which includes a balance from last year. 
The amount of prizes paid at the last exhibition 
amounted to /go, and we are especially pleased to 
see that donations of £5 each have been given to the 
Gardeners’ Benevolent Institution and the Gar¬ 
deners’ Orphan Fund, an excellent example to other 
societies, and there still remains a balance in hand 
of /32. Amateurs will find the report useful, inas¬ 
much as it gives full lists of all the flowers exhibited 
in each class, and a carefully compiled list of the 
best variety for cultivating. 
Scholarships in Horticulture.—We have received 
the following for publication :—At a meeting of the 
Court of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners, 
held on Monday, December 19th, at the Cannon 
Street Hotel, the scheme of examination in horti¬ 
culture lately set out by the Royal Horticultural 
Society was brought under discussion, and it was 
decided that the company should offer a scholarship 
of £26 a year, tenable for two years, to be awarded 
after the examination to the most successful candi¬ 
date under certain conditions. It was also 
announced that a second scholarship of the same 
value was offered by the president of the Royal 
Horticultural Society, Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., 
and it was hoped that others might follow such good 
examples. The exact conditions of the scholarships 
have yet to be settled, but the main provisions will be 
that the holder shall be between the ages of eighteen 
and twenty-two years, and that they shall study 
gardening for one year at least at the R.H.S. Gar¬ 
dens, Chiswick, and for the second year either there 
or at some other place to be approved. 
The Birmingham Gardeners' Association.—At the 
last meeting, Mr. H. Cannell, Swanley, sent one of 
his representatives to read a paper on " The Rose,” 
and gave excellent advice as to lifting, packing, 
pruning, and planting, and strongly advised great 
care in lifting, so as to preserve every root ; packing 
so as to secure the roots reaching their destination 
in a damp state; and planting in October or Novem¬ 
ber if possible, so as to insure immediate root action. 
Mr. Cannell also recommenaea 1 considerable 
shortening of growth in newly planted trees, as well 
as in those already established. If planting cannot 
be done easily in the autumn, then delay until 
February or March. An animated discussion 
followed, many salient points in Rose culture being 
brought out. Mr Cannell also sent sample plants 
of his excellent strain of Cyclamens, and a bloom of 
the fine new Japanese Chrysanthemum, Mdlle. Marie 
Recoura, pure white. Messrs. Vertegan & Co. 
exhibited ripe fruits of the Date Plum, Diospyros 
Kaki, which has a pleasant flavour, not in the least 
astringent. Messrs. Thomson & Co., Sparkhill Nur¬ 
series, exhibited a fine bloom of one of their seedling 
Margaret Carnations, from a plant which had been 
in bloom since the middle of August, and the seed 
sown in February last. 
