[^February 25, 1899. 
THH GARDENING WORLD. 
405 
VEITCH’S 
PRIMULAS. 
THE FINEST IN CULTIVATION. 
Awarded a Special Certificate by the Royal Horticulture} 
Society for Superior Quality. 
VEITCH’S CHELSEA SCARLET. 
'The brightest and richest of ail the high-coloured 
varieties. Per Packet, 2 / 6 . 
VEITCH’S CHELSEA BLUE. 
Flowers of a beautiful rich blue colour. Per Packet, 2 / 6 - 
VEITCH’S CHELSEA ROSE. 
A pretty and attractive variety, of a charming rose- 
pink colour. Per Packet, 2 / 6 . 
For full descriptions of the above, see SEED CATA¬ 
LOGUE, forwarded Gratis and Post Free on application- 
dPdefteco. 
Liberal in Quantity. 
Excellent in Quality. 
FOR 
ONE 
YEARS 
SUPPLY 
WEBBS’ 21s. BOX contains 
6 qts. 
4 pints 
t pint 
i pint 
i pkt. 
i pkt. 
3 pkts. 
i pkt. 
3 pkts. 
1 pkt. 
2 pkts. 
i pkt. 
i pkt. 
Peas, for succes¬ 
sion. 
Beans, Broad. 
Beans, Dwarf. 
Beans, Runner. 
Beet. 
Borecole. 
Broccoli, suc¬ 
cession. 
B r u s s e I s 
Sprouts, best. 
Cabbage, tor 
succession. 
Carrot, fir suc¬ 
cession. 
Cauliflower. 
Celery, best. 
Corn Salad. 
C o u v e Tron- 
chuda. 
3 ozs 
1 pkt. 
2 pkts. 
t pkt. 
3 pkts. 
i pkt. 
3 pkts. 
i pkt. 
4 ozs. 
4 ozs. 
i pkt. 
i oz. 
3 ozs. 
4 ozs. 
i pkt. 
i pkt. 
i pkt. 
i pkt. 
3 ozs. 
i pkt. 
& ) 
f 
Cress. 
Cucumber. 
Endive, best. 
Herbs. 
Leek. 
Lettuce. 
Melon. 
Mustard. 
Onion, best. 
Parsley. 
Parsnip. 
Radish. 
Spinach. 
Salsafy. 
Savoy, best. 
Scorzonera. 
Tomato, choice. 
Turnips, best. 
Veg. Marrow. 
Other Boxes at 5/-, 7/6, 12/6, 15/-, 
31/6, 42/-, 63/-, 105/- each. 
ALL CARRIAGE FREE. 
See Webbs’ Spring Catalogue, post ]ree, is. 
WEBBS, Wordsley, Stourbridge. 
THE 
BEST MELON 
For Frame Culture. 
SUTTON’S 
HERO OF LOCKINGE 
Succeeds as well in a cold pit or frame as in the 
Melon house, and comes very early. Fruit band- 
some, with white laciDg evenly laid on a rich 
golden ground. Flesh white of superb flavour. 
" I obtained first prize at the Winton and 
District Show wiih Hero of Lockinge Melon in a 
keen competition. I grew it in frames, and trad 
forty splendid Melons from five plants.”—Mr. F. 
W. George, gardener to the Rev. Canon Twells, 
Per packet, 1/6 and 2/6 ; post free. 
1 Gardening Is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. 
Edited by J. FRASER. F.L.S. 
SATURDAY, FEB. 25 th > 1899. 
NEXT WEEK'8 ENGAGEMENT. 
Tuesday, February 28th.—Royal Horticultural S-ciety; 
meeting of committees at 12 noon. 
'OYal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. —The 
annual general meeting on the 17th 
inst. was the most largely attended that has 
been held for many years, a fact due, pro¬ 
bably, to the change of secretaryship, the 
first of the kind since the establishment of 
the Fund in 1887, owing to the resignation 
of Mr. A. F. Barron, through ill-health. As 
recorded on another page, the subscribers 
accepted the recommendations of the com¬ 
mittee that Mr. Brian Wynne be elected to 
fill the post of secretary, vacated by Mr. 
Barron. In speaking of the report prepared 
by the committee, the chairman, Mr. W. 
Marshall, stated that there was an increase 
in the annual subscriptions, though he 
expressed surprise that they had received 
so little support from that class, namely, 
gardeners, for the benefit of whose children 
this special fund had been called into 
existence eleven years ago. The financial 
support had been largely derived from 
sources, the existence of which v/as scarcely 
contemplated when the Gardeners’ Orphan 
Fund was founded. 
We are not at all surprised, however, that 
assistance for a charitable object should 
have been derived from the sale of flowers 
at horticultural exhibitions, by the opening 
of gardens and plant houses for a fixed fee 
of admission or otherwise. It is the nature 
of the British public to do so, and has been 
from time immemorial. Not alone to 
England is the practice confined ; but Scot¬ 
land sends contributions in this way, not 
merely to the Fund in question, but to the 
sister charity, the Gardeners’ Royal Benevo¬ 
lent Institution. Edinburgh, perhaps, is 
the most energetic in respect of these two 
charities; but the practice extends to the 
northern end of Britain in some form or 
other, and is very often exhibited in the 
form of bazaars in aid of churches or some 
other benevolent purpose. It is then a 
wide spread, if not universal characteristic 
of the Britisher to get something tangible 
in exchange for his money, even when the 
price is well known to far exceed in value 
the article purchased. There is little of 
which to complain in procuring the needed 
assistance from such sources ; while on the 
contrary the means employed are harmless, 
and to be recommended and encouraged. 
We are pleased to notice that the efforts of 
gardeners’ societies are making themselves 
felt in the procuring of needed assistance. 
It shows that many who do not subscribe 
directly, do so indirectly in common with 
their fellow men belonging to other avoca¬ 
tions, \\ ith the nine newly elected chil¬ 
dren, the Fund is now contributing to the 
support of seventy-seven. Eight others had 
their hopes deferred for another year at 
least. Since its foundation 112 children 
have been placed on the Fund, and 
^6,836 15s. has been disbursed in aid of 
them. 
1 he proposed changes in the rules were 
approved by the assembled subscribers; 
and a very important alteration is that 
instead of investing all donations and 
legacies, and such proportion of the annual 
subscriptions as shall be sanctioned by the 
executive committee, they are made avail¬ 
able for the current annual expenditure, 
except in the case of legacies and donations 
specially given as such for investment. 
This is a very judicious provision, and 
should enable a larger number of children 
to be kept on the Fund. There need be no 
risk in admitting a greater number of chil¬ 
dren to the benefits of the Fund, because as 
soon as a certain sum of money is at com¬ 
mand it can be calculated to a penny as to 
how many children it will keep till they 
reach the age of fourteen and cease to be 
entitled to further allowances. It was also 
enacted that not more than two children of 
the same family would receive support from 
the Fund at the same time. This will 
enable the benefits of the charity to pass 
into a greater number of families. 
Experiments with Potatos in Wilts.* 
For the last four or five years various 
experiments with growing crops have been 
carried on in different parts of Wiltshire, 
under the auspices of the Wilts County 
Council. From a gardener’s point of view 
the experiments with Potatos are always 
the most interesting, because they can often 
be followed with profit in practical garden¬ 
ing operations. At the Quemerford Station, 
Caine, a piece of land was laid out in eleven 
plots, treated with different manures or none 
at all in some cases by way of checking the 
rest. As the prevention of Potato disease 
was one of the phases of this demonstration, 
a portion of all the plots was sprayed and 
the rest not sprayed. The soil consists of 
* Report on the Calne Agricultural Demon¬ 
strations. Eyre & Spottiswoode (Her Majesty's 
Printers), Government and General Publishers. 
London—East Harding Street, Fetter Lane, E C. 
1S99. 
