March 18, 1899. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
453 
DEVONIAN POTATO (New.) 
AWARD OF MERIT, R.H.S., 1898. 
A heavy cropper of delicious flavour, the tubers 
all being of nice table size; oval in shape, and 
rough-skinned. 7 Its., 2/6 ; 14 lbs., 4 / 6 . 
The WILDSMITH ONION (New.) 
Grows to a good size, of mild flavour, and is a fine 
keeper. Excellent for exhibition. Can be sown 
either in spring or autumn. Highly spoken of in 
report of R.H.S. for 1898. Per packet, 1 / 6 . 
ROBERT YEITCH & SON, 
Queen’s Seedsmen, 
EXETER. 
r^ALADIUMS A SPECIALITY.— 
Laings’ collection is unsurpassed. Prices, 12/-, 18/-, 
2 ,1-, and 30/- per doz. Catalogue on application.—JOHN 
LAING & SONS, Forest Hill Nurseries. 
T AINGS’ CLIVIAS are now worth a 
visit. Prices, 2/6, 3/6, 5/-, and 7/6 upwards. Catalogue 
free on application. Catford Railway Station.—JOHN 
LAING & SONS, Forest Hill Nurseries, S.E. 
“ Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refieshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. 
Edited by J. FRASER. F.L.S. 
SATURDAY , MARCH 18 th, 1899. 
NLXT WEEK'S ENGAGEMENTS 
Tuesday, March 21st.—Cornwall Daffodil Show. 
Wednesday, March 22nd.—Torquay District Gardeners’ 
Association’s Show. 
^ROVIDING FOR THE RAINY DAY. - The 
& annual general meeting of the United 
Horticultural Benefit and Provident Society 
on the 15th inst., and recorded in another 
column, again brings to mind the advan¬ 
tages which this society offers to gardeners 
in providing against times of sickness 
which may incapacitate them from attend¬ 
ing to their wonted duties. The unqualified 
success which continues to attend the 
working of the United Horticultural, is a 
fact which should engage the attention of, 
and give satisfaction to, every member, 
besides acting as a stimulus in deciding 
those who are casting about with the 
view of joining some society which, for 
a moderate sum, can keep the wolf from the 
door during temporary illness. The success 
of the society is, no doubt, due to its utility ; 
the perfectly satisfactory fulfilment of its 
obligations, and the low rate of manage¬ 
ment. Each of the four funds is separately 
provided for, and members are liable only 
for half-a-crowu annually. The whole sum 
expended upon management during the past 
year is slightly under £100, which, for a 
benefit society of close upon 800 members, 
is marvellous. Besides the half-crown 
contributed to the management fund several 
other items are placed to its credit, which 
do not affect the capital of any other fund. 
When Mr. W. Collins became secretary 
twelve years ago there was a membership 
of only 200, and seeing that the number 
has almost quadrupled in that time, it 
means that the secretary’s duties have 
increased in proportion, though the re¬ 
muneration attached to the office has 
increased very slightly. The society and 
every member of it owe a debt of gratitude 
to Mr. Collins for the admirable and 
efficient way with which he has carried out 
the onerous duties entrusted to his care. 
The success of the society we consider, 
largely depends upon the assiduity and care 
with which the inner working is attended 
to, even as in this case without fuss or osten 
tation. Another item placed to the account 
of the management fund is the interest 
earned by the capital of ^1,014 7s. standing 
to the credit of lapsed members. 
That capital might cause many enquiries 
to be made as to how such a sum could 
have accumulated. No doubt a short 
history is attached to each lapse from 
membership, but which can only be of 
minor importance to members, seeing that 
such cases occur in all societies, and are 
very largely dependent upon the individuals 
themselves who cease to pay. The above 
sum represents the lapses which have 
accumulated since the founding of the 
United Horticultural in 1865. The redeem¬ 
ing feature of it is that the sum standing to 
the credit of each lapsed member is not 
forfeited but is retained by the society till 
the members attain the age of sixty, or in 
case of previous death it is paid over to the 
nominee of such lapsed members. This is 
a privilege, unfortunately, accorded by no 
other society with which we are acquainted. 
For a total sum of £1 10s. 6d. annually, 
a member is entitled to all the privileges 
the society can offer on the lower scale of 
payments ; and on the higher scale these 
advantages can be secured for £2 4s. 6d. 
The primary and most important privileges 
are that members on the sick list will 
receive 12s. and 18s. per week respectively 
for a period of six months, and half of 
those sums for a further six months, if 
need be. These payments or benefits will 
enable most gardeners to tide over the 
rainy day, that is, any temporary illness to 
which humanity is liable. There are other 
privileges even after that. 
Now the question remains how a gar¬ 
dener who is, in a measure, obliged to live 
up to his income, can meet the quarterly 
instalments of his subscription. This may 
be done by Simply setting aside gd. or 6d. 
weekly, according to the scale, so that 
when quarter-day comes round, gs. gd. or 
6s. 6d. respectively is there to meet the 
gardener’s liability to the benefit fund. 
The sums of 3s. or 2s. for the benevolent 
fund, and 2s. 6d. annually for the manage¬ 
ment fund, are small items. Careful gar¬ 
deners should have no difficulty in meeting 
these claims. As far as members of 
the gardening profession proper are con¬ 
cerned, we have considerable faith in their 
ability and steady determination to meet 
such a small liability,even out of their all too 
limited income, in order to provide against 
a rainy day. We make this assertion after 
comparing their economical and provi¬ 
dent instincts, knowledge, intelligence, and 
qualifications generally with the working 
classes in other professions and occupations. 
In spite of the smallness of their income they, 
by their own personal efforts and behaviour, 
rise superior to better paid men in other 
walks of life, notwithstanding the assertions 
of many ready writers to the contrary. 
Those who most frequently cast aspersions 
on their attainments and capability are, for 
the most part, writers who have only had to 
deal with and know a lower grade of 
servant, seldom deserving to be classed in 
the ranks of professional gardeners. In a 
word, such writers have got hold of the 
wrong “variety,” but yet hold it up as a 
type of all the rest. 
To gardeners desirous of joining a benefit 
society we should recommend the United 
Horticultural ; for besides the advantage 
of an income during temporary illness, 
members continue to deposit a certain 
sum as capital, to which interest is added, 
against the day of retirement from the 
benefit fund at the age of seventy. Those 
who join at an early age have more 
advantages conferred upon them than 
those joining at an advanced age. A 
member on the higher scale, now retiring, 
has £9^. 13s. 1 id. standing to his credit; 
and another on the lower scale has 
£62 10s. 
--- 
The Fate of a Rose.—One of Waller Savage Lan- 
dor’s favourites was Rose Paynter, a niece of Rose 
Aylmer, Lord Aylmer’s daughter. One of Rose 
Paynter’s gifts to Landor was a Rose-tree, and this 
is what he wrote about it to her:—The Rose you 
gave me, I am grieved to tell you, is quite destroyed 
. . . I washed the root and all its fibres with 
lavender water, and I preserve them carefully. I 
had formed many projects for this gifted Rose. I 
had been looking out for some little garden to consti¬ 
tute her principality. Lilies of the Valley were to 
be the ladies-in-waiting, Cyclamens the pages. These 
and the plebeian Strawberries were to be all the court, 
and all the subjects of my young queen. 
The International Horticultural Exhibition at St- 
Petersburg —The Russian Minister of Finance has 
announced that all foreign exhibits intended for this 
grand exhibition, which is to take place in May 
next, will be passed into Russia free of customs 
duties, and the transport out of Russia will also be 
free provided that the goods are returned through 
the same station at which they crossed the border, 
and also that they are despatched on their home¬ 
ward journey within two months of the closure of the 
exhibition. This is a very liberal time allowance, 
and should be sufficient for all purposes. All goods 
must be properly labelled, and all plants must be 
provided with the Phylloxera Certificate. While 
exhibits complying with these regulations will be 
carried free of charge through Russia on the return 
journey, no reduction will be made on the cost of the 
outward passage, although exhibitors may, upon 
application, obtain a reduction in the price of their 
tickets. 
Reading and District Gardeners' Mutual Improve¬ 
ment Association.—A very interesting lecture on 
“ The Onion ” was given by Mr. Alexander Dean, of 
Kingston-on-Thames, on Monday evening last, before 
the members of the Reading and District Gardeners' 
Mutual Improvement Society, the president, Mr. C. 
B. Stevens, presiding over a good attendance of 
members. In introducing the subject the lecturer, 
referred to Reading as being a household word 
throughout the horticultural world, and to the fact 
that the name of Reading was given to a variety 
which had been grown as long as he could remember, 
also, that some of the best growers of the Onion at 
the present time were located in the district. The 
classification of the Onion, its various divisions, and 
the different varieties were treated in a very able 
manner, followed by many practical hints on the 
preparation of the ground, manuring, time of sowing, 
and a few remarks on the enemies of the Onion and 
their treatment, judging at shows and the uses of 
this most useful vegetable. A discussion followed, 
in which Messrs. Woolford, Hinton, Purkiss, Neve, 
and Martin took part. A vote of thanks was heartily 
accorded to Mr. Dean for his paper. The exhibits 
included some well-kept specimens of Onions, in¬ 
cluding Sutton's dote, Improved Reading, Ailsa 
Craig, &c., contributed by Mr. Bright, The Gardens. 
Wbiteknight s Park ; Mr. J. Pound, Senr , gardener 
to Mr. G. May, Caversham ; Mr. Neve, gardener to 
Mr. T. R. Harman, Sindlesham House ; also some 
splendidly flowered plaats of Freesia, by Mr. 
Dockerill, gardener to Mr. G. W. Palmer, M.P.; and 
several vases of blooms of Primula obconica, by Mr. 
Townsend, gardener to Sir William Farrer, Sand¬ 
hurst Lodge. 
