January 28, 1899. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
345 
of late, air must still be given by blocking the lights 
up at the back, thus admitting the air and excluding 
the wet. Have you done this? because if not, this 
would account for the " damping ” you complain of. 
Too much water at the root would also aggravate 
the soil. The remedy is to give plenty of air and 
keep the plants on the dry side ; also to remove all 
the " damped ” leaves and buds. 
CHALLENGE CUP GROUP AT 
SEVENOAKS. 
The accompanying illustration represents the 
winning group for the twenty-guinea Challenge Cup 
of the Sevenoaks and West Kent Chrysanthemum 
Society last November. The cup was offered for 
Mr. Hatton had set himself the task of adding that 
cup to his laurels, for he has other successes else¬ 
where on record. The one-sided nature of the group 
is determined by conditions of space and the form 
of the exhibition hall, over which competitors have 
no control; but that it is no easy matter to take the 
first place we feel certain, as the Chrysanthemum 
Show at Sevenoaks is always of a high order of merit. 
Mr. Hatton was certainly ahead of his rival in 
November last, and we congratulate him upon his 
well deserved success. 
-- 
THE GARDENERS’ ROYAL BENEVO¬ 
LENT INSTITUTION. 
The sixteenth annual general meeting of the mem- 
the committee of the Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent 
Institution have much satisfaction in being able 
again to congratulate the members and subscribers 
on the prosperous condition of the institution, its 
continued success and the increased benefits it has 
been the means of conferring on a large number of 
old and worthy people who have been compelled to 
seek its assistance. At the commencement of the 
year 1898 there were 168 pensioners on the funds, 
93 men and 75 widows, entailing an annual liability for 
annuities of ^3,060. During the year 16 of these 
have died, 5 of the men leaving widows whose 
applications for a continuance of the pension have 
been carefully considered by the Committee, and 
their cases having been found to be in every way 
satisfactory and deserving, they have been placed on 
Challenge Cup Group of Chrysanthemums at Sevenoaks, 
the best group of Chrysanthemums arranged for 
effect, and had to be won three times, not necessarily 
in succession, by the same exhibitor, when it be¬ 
came his own property. Mr. A. Hatton, gardener 
to Mrs. Swanzy, The Gardens, The Quarry, Seven¬ 
oaks, Kent, was the successful competitor in 1895, 
but had to be content with a second place in 1896. 
We can only imagine that this displacement caused 
him to redouble his efforts in 1897, for he again came 
to the front, and last November he repeated his 
success, for he is now the undisputed owner of the 
Challenge Cup which appears in the centre of the 
group. As will be seen his blooms are large and 
generally very even in size throughout the group. 
We have no doubt the net result represents a great 
deal of care and thought during the four years that 
bers of this well-known charitable institution was 
held, as announced, at “Simpson’s,” 101, Strand, 
W.C., on Thursday, the 19th inst. The business in 
hand was to receive the report and balance sheet for 
1898, to elect officers for the year 1899, and to place 
seventeen pensioners on the funds. Mr. Harry J. 
Veitch took the chair at 3 o’clock precisely. 
After the minutes of the special general meeting, 
and those of the annual general meeting held on 
January 20th, 1898, had been read by the Secretary, 
Mr. G. J. Ingram, and formally accepted, the chair¬ 
man called upon Mr. Ingram to read the report and 
balance sheet for 1898. They are herewith sub¬ 
joined :— 
Report of the Committee for 1898. 
In presenting their annual report for the year 1898 
the funds at £16 a year for life under Rule III, 13. 
Their several names and ages are as follows:—(1) 
Jane Warr, widow of Silas Warr, North Cadbury, 
Bath, Aged 71. (2) Mary Wady, widow of Michael 
Wady, Baker’s Lane, Streatham, Aged 69. (3) 
Euphemia Lowe, widow of Peter Lowe, Cambray, 
Cheltenham, Aged 70. (4) Phoenice Coleman, widow 
of W. Coleman, Southborough, Kent, Aged 81. (5) 
Frances A. Holmes, widow of A. H. Holmes, Kyrle 
Road, Wandsworth Common, Aged 65. 
Arrangements were made in the early part of the 
year for celebrating the annual festival dinner in aid 
of the funds in June, at which the Duke of Portland 
had undertaken to preside. Unfortunately, through 
ill-health, his Grace was unable to be present, but 
his place was filled by Sir Oswald Mosley, Bart., 
