February 25, 1899. 
413 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
By the death of Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, 
the fund loses one of its vice-presidents, and a 
generous supporter for several years past. The 
committee recommend that C. E. Keyser, Esq., be 
this day elected a vice-president to fill the vacancy. 
It is with great regret that your committee have to 
announce the retirement of Mr. A. F. Barron from 
the post of secretary to the fund through failing 
health. As otie of the chief promoters of the fund 
and its secretary since its establishment, Mr. Barron 
has done much to further its interests, and merits 
the best thanks of all interested in gardeners and 
gardening; and in consenting to be nominated for 
election as a member of the executive committee, 
Mr. Barron proves his devotion to the fund, and his 
ready willingness to continue to afford assistance in 
carrying on the good work. The committee 
unanimously express their sympathy with Mr. 
Barron, and their best wishes for his improved 
health and well-being. 
Mr. G. W. Cummins has resigned his seat on the 
committee, and Mr. T. Peed, Roupell Park Nurseries, 
S.E., has been elected to succeed him. The mem¬ 
bers of committee who retire by rotation are Messrs. 
Cuthbert, Laing, Lyne, Nicholson, Osman, Poupart, 
Smith, and Walker. These, with the exception of 
Messrs. Nicholson, Smith, and Laing, being eligible, 
offer themselves for re-election. The committee 
nominate Messrs. A. F. Barron, Chiswick ; J. Cheal, 
Crawley ; and W. Howe, Park Hill Gardens, 
Streatham, for election this day. 
The committee, having advertised for a secretary, 
have considered the numerous applications, and 
recommend Mr. Brian Wynne for election at a 
salary of £ioo per annum. 
Cash Statement. 
Receipts. 
£ s. 
To Balance from last Account. 935 17 
„ Subscriptions, General .£282 9 6 
„ Ditto Collected by Local Secs. 79 16 0 
-362 5 
„ Donations, General . 148 2 7 
„ Ditto Collected by Local Secs. 64 8 9 
- 212 11 
„ The Emma Sherwood Memorial . 13 o 
,, Annual Dinner.557 10 
„ Card Collection. 29 5 
„ Advertisements in Lists of Subscribers. 28 9 
„ D ividends on Stock and Interest on Deposit ... 26613 
d. 
3 
6 
4 
o 
o 
2 
O 
8 
£ 2,405 11 11 
Note.—Investments : 
2| p.c. Consols . £7,070 6 10 
3 p.c. Canada Stock .2,000 o o 
L. & N.W. Railway Pref. Stock 340 0 0 
Thomson Memorial Trust: 
East India Railway B. Annuity of 
£14 (cost) . 430 11 o 
Expenditure. 
By Allowances to Orphans . 898 5 0 
„ Emma Sherwood Memorial. 13 0 0 
,, Grants in Aid . 18 5 0 
„ Annual Dinner. 
„ Secretary’s Salary . 
„ Printing and Posting Subscribers' Lists. 
„ Printing and Stationery . 13 11 9 
„ Annual General Meeting, Audit, etc. 9611 
„ Hire of Room for Committee Meetings 220 
„ Postages. 15 o 10 
„ Bank Charges. 1 18 8 
„ Sundry Expenses (Petty Cash) ... 6100 
„ Purchase of £340 L. & N. W. Ry. 4 p.c. 
Preference Stock . 
„ Balance— 
Cash at Bank . 558 10 11 
Cash in Hand . 026 
Cash on Deposit . 100 0 o 
929 10 
134 16 
105 0 
29 17 
48 10 
<99 5 
658 13 
o 
1 
o 
0 
o 
3 
5 
£2,405 11 11 
Having inspected the Securities and examined the Books 
and Vouchers supplied to us, we hereby certify the above 
Account to be correct. 
(Signed) P. RUDOLPH BARR 
M. ROWAN 
Dated January 21st, 1899. 
f Auditors. 
The formal adoption of the report and statement 
ot accounts was very briefly moved by the chairman, 
who, in doing so, commented upon the lack of 
support the fund received from gardeners, the very 
men for whose benefit it was originated, and who 
should have been the very first to support it. 
Mr. J. Assbee seconded, and the motion was 
carried without more ado. 
Passing to the election of officers for the ensuing 
year, Mr. N. N. Sherwcod was unanimously 
re-elected treasurer upon a proposal put to the 
meeting by Mr. R. Dean and seconded by Mr. 
Osman. 
Mr. P. Rudolph Barr was asked to continue to 
discharge the duties of auditor upon a motion by 
Mr. H. B. May, seconded by Mr. A. Outram. 
Mr. H. J. Veitch proposed that Messrs. Cuthbert, 
Lyne, Osman, Poupart and Walker be re-elected 
members of committee, and Mr. A. Dean proposed 
that Messrs. A. F. Barron, J. Cheal and W. Howe 
be chosen to fill the three vacancies on the committee 
caused by the retirement of Messrs. Nicholson, 
Laing and Smith. The meeting was in full accord 
with these proposals. 
The chairman then announced that the selection 
committee appointed to examine the claims of the 
various candidates for the secretaryship had by 
ballot resolved to recommend Mr. Brian Wynne, and 
he formally brought this recommendation before the 
meeting. Mr. R. Dean seconded, and Mr. Wynne 
was unanimously elected to the post, which he has 
earned by many a long year of earnest endeavour in 
the cause of the fund. Mr. Wynne replied briefly, 
thanking the subscribers foi the honour they 
had done him in choosing him to succeed his old 
friend, Mr. Barron. He expressed his pleasure at the 
unanimous vote, because it was only when an officer 
took up a post with the consent and good wishes of 
all the members that he could hope to be a success. 
The vote of thanks to the retiring secretary was 
placed in the hands of Mr. H. J. Veitch to move. 
Mr. Veitch, after alluding to the loving services Mr. 
Barron had rendered the fund, proposed that an 
address should be engrossed on vellum and presented 
to him. Dr. Masters seconded, and the vote of 
thanks was duly given. 
The amendments to the rules suggested by the 
committee were next tackled. Mr. Marshall, on 
behalf of the committee, proposed, and the meeting 
concurred, that in Rule V. line 4, after the word pur¬ 
pose, the words " all donations and legacies'' should be 
omitted, and that "All receipts, legacies and donations 
specially given as such for investment, shall be considered as 
subscriptions, and be available for current expenditure. 
All legacies and special Donations." 
Also in Rule XI., line 5, after the word require, to 
add " Not more than two children of the same family can 
be in receipt of the benefits of the Fund at the same time." 
Some little discussion took place over the proposed 
alteration to Rule XI. The chairman expressed his 
opinion that the benefits of the Fund ought to be 
distributed among as many families as possible, and 
letters were read from Mr. J. B. Stevenson, local 
hon. sec. for Bournemouth ; and Mr. John Miles, 
the local hon. sec. for Southampton, suggesting that 
one beneficiare in a family was enough. Mr. A. Dean 
was also of this opinion; and although he was not 
prepared to propose an amendment to that effect, 
since he thought that such proposals should come 
from the committee, said that he thought there 
should be at least four children, under twelve, in a 
a family to qualify a second child for nomination to 
the benefits of the fund. 
Prior to the adjournment, which took place just 
before four o’clock, Messrs. Poupart, Outram, 
R. Dean, Weeks, May, and Richards were appointed 
as scrutineers of the ballot. 
The Poll was Declared 
at 4.45, but owing to the mislaying of a bundle of 
voting papers, it was past five o’clock before the 
results were definitely known. 
The names of the nine children elected to the fund, 
together with the number of votes polled by each, 
are as follows :— 
Alice Gilhorne SeatOD, 375; Muriel Guttridge, 
373 ; Daisy Agnes Spong, 282; George Henry 
Donaldson, 256; James Henry Tanton, 250 ; Helen 
Macdonald Milne, 217; Isabella Emma French, 
205 ; Vanda Mary Bartlett, 200; and Harry John 
Mason, 195. 
The Friendly Dinner. 
At six o’clock a party of about fifty sat down to 
dinner in an adjoining room. Mr. Wm. J. Nutting 
occupied the chair ; and there were present Mr. W. 
Marshall, H. Cutbush, Poupart, Ed. Sherwood, 
Assbee, H. B. May, P. R. Barr, Geo. Barr, W. 
Roupell, F. Lane, Cuthbert, G. J. Ingram, H. J. 
Jones, B. Wynne, and A. Outram. The speeches 
were few and short, but crisp and to the point. The 
toast of the evening, “ Success to the Royal Gar¬ 
deners’ Orphan Fund,” was proposed by the chair¬ 
man, and coupled with the name of Mr. W. 
Marshall, who replied. Several songs were given 
during the course of the evening, and Mr. H. J. 
Jones gave evidence that he could sing as well as 
grow Chrysanthemums. 
THE KALE FIELD NURSERY, 
RICHMOND. 
This is the third of the nursery establishments of 
Mr. John Russell at Richmond. Seakale is one of the 
specialties of the firm, and it is in this nursery that 
the wherewithal to supply orders is grown, so that 
the name " Kale Field ” is not an inapt one. The 
nursery, which comprises some fourteen acres of 
good, medium loam, lies in the south-east suburbs of 
the town, where the ravages of the builder are not 
so apparent as they are in other quarters. The 
position is, indeed, a very open one, and, judging by 
the success obtained in the culture of the various 
subjects taken in hand here, the site is exceptionally 
well adapted for Dursery work. 
Mr. Russell has comparative recently gone in for 
hardy herbaceous plants, and he has worked up a 
good general collection, amoDgst which a representa¬ 
tive gathering of named Irises is one of the most 
prominent features. At this time of the year, how¬ 
ever, there is not much to see amongst herbaceous 
plants except labels, so we turn our atttention to the 
objects that loom more largely upon the vision. 
It is only in the fitness of things that Seakale 
should occupy a considerable portion of the area, 
seeing that the Kale is name father or mother to 
the nursery. A speciality is made of selected crowns 
for forcing, and as many thousands of these are 
annually dispatched to various quarters, the quality 
of the Russell crowns is evidently appreciated. The 
old Kale and the newer and much belauded Lily 
White are largely grown, and Mr. Russell has 
evolved a particular variety of his own, of which he 
thmks very highly both for the weight of the pro¬ 
duce obtained from relatively small heads, and also 
for its delicate flavour when cooked. 
A look into the packing shed displayed huge heaps 
of forcing crowns bundled up ready for despatch, 
whilst the bundles of "sets” procured from the 
thong-like side roots represented next season’s crop. 
Not only is a large trade done in crowns for forc¬ 
ing, but the forced itself is sold in great quantities. 
We were much interested in the method adopted, for 
while it is simplicity in itself it is most effective and 
satisfactory. The crowns are placed so thickly to¬ 
gether in rows as to be almost touching each other 
in the open ground. Beds about 3 ft. or 4 ft. wide 
are formed with alleys some x8 in. wide between. 
These alleys are dug out to the depth of a couple of 
feet or thereabouts, and a few holes are made by 
means of a crowbar in the walls of the beds, and the 
pits are filled with fermenting material. The crowns 
are covered with a little warm litter to start them 
into growth. This effected, the litter is cleared off 
and mats laid over the crowns, a heavy layer of fer¬ 
menting litter being placed on top, and the forcing 
bed is complete. As the Kale grows it lifts up the 
mats and the litter without in anyway sustaining in¬ 
jury, and it comes out clean, beautifully blanched 
and of capital flavour. 
Asparagus roots for forcing are another specialty, 
over 20,000 clumps being, on an average, disposed of 
annually. Rhubarb roots for forcing are also 
capitally done, and there is an extensive and in¬ 
creasing trade in this department. 
A portion of the ground is occupied by ornamental 
trees and shrubs. Of these, the Willows form a 
notable feature, for all the best and most ornamental 
are to be seen in quantity. Salix Salmoni, S. alba, S. 
tenuifolia, S. acutifolia, S. vitellina, and S. coccinea 
are some of the best of these for general planting, 
whilst the graceful Weeping Willow, S. babylonica 
or S. pendula as it is sometimes called, is possibly 
the most elegant deciduous tree that we have in the 
United Kingdom. 
Mr. Russell has trained Ivies into almost all con¬ 
ceivable shapes, and if for nothing else the Rich¬ 
mond Nurseries have a great name for these hand¬ 
some, hardy trailers. The latest development is to 
train a quantity of plants as half balloons, in which 
shape they are invaluable for screening purposes. 
They are, of course, not so bulky as a whole balloon 
would be, and they overcome the rigidity of straight 
lines. A number of varieties have been trained in 
this way, ranging in habit and appearance from the 
huge, deep-green leaved Hedera dentata to the 
elegant H. donerailense, than which no prettier 
exists. H. palmata aurea, H p. nova, H. amurensis, 
H. rhomboidea variegata, H. spectabilis aurea, H. 
maculata, H m. minor, and H. caenwoodiana are all 
grown thus. They afforded but another instance of 
the flexibility of the Ivy when in the bands of such 
capable growers and trainers as Mr. John Russell, 
and the ease with which it adapts itself to suit the 
requirements of the decorator’s art. 
