May 8, 1897. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
571 
this fund was to provide for the orphan children of 
gardeners, and would be supported by those who 
studied the welfare of their country. Speaking of 
such provision reminded him of what he bad lately 
been reading, namely that the time was not far 
distant when “ No one shall have more than he wants, 
and no one less than he deserves.” There was no 
greater misfortune than when a family loses the 
father. Every one must admire our grand institu¬ 
tions for the dispensation of charity, and in the 
making of provision for fatherless children. He was 
not sure, but that the Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund 
was the best of them all, because it allowed the 
orphan children to be free in their own homes, 
instead of like hothouse plants, herded together in 
masses, and amidst uncongenial and unsympathic 
surroundings. The children were left in the care of 
their mothers, and he could imagine nothing better. 
The Prince of Wales set them an admirable 
example recently, in the collecting of some £16,700 
and over, for a benevolent purpose, by his own 
personal endeavour. Let the gardener follow this 
example, and put his own shoulder to the wheel. Let 
every gardener say to his fellow gardener, there are 
these children to provide for, let us set about giving 
our assistance. In that way it would be astonishing 
what they could do by united effort. He had often 
taken the chair on similar occasions for the benefit 
of the needy, and he had seldom been in the chair 
without urging some cause for the benefit of 
gardeners. He himself, could look back on the fifty- 
four years during which he had been an employer of 
labour, and he was highly delighted that his 
gardeners and other servants had proved most faith¬ 
ful, true and honest. Nothing gave him more 
delight than an honest gardener. He believed there 
was an honest heart in every Englishman and 
Englishwoman, if sympathy was extended to them. 
In concluding he said that the end we desire is, 
"that the fatherless shall be provided for.” The 
Diamond Jubilee Celebration is making a heavy call 
upon their resources, but he appealed most heartily 
to their liberality to support this most deserving 
institution, the Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund ; and 
he would couple with the toast the name of N. N. 
Sherwood, Esq. 
In rising to*' respond, Mr. Sherwood offered 
thanks for the eloquent manner in which the 
chairman had proposed the toast The supporters 
of the Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund could 
congratulate themselves upon its success during 
the ten years of its existence. They had spent 
nearly £5,000 in allowances to orphans, yet they had 
a reserve of nearly £10,000 invested. They must, 
nevertheless, continue to make progress. The chair¬ 
man had overlooked the fact that they had put the 
whole of the orphans on the Fund without going to 
the trouble or expense of an election, in commemora¬ 
tion of the Queen’s Diamond JuVilee. He read to 
the audience a few remarks made by Mr. Owen 
Thomas on the occasion of the annual friendly 
dinner, in his most eloquent speech from the chair. 
Mr. Sherwood continued, we should do our level 
best for the Fund this year in commemoration of the 
Jubilee. He wanted to see more subscribers to the 
Fund, and considered that five annual subscribers 
were better than £100. If gardeners would put this 
before their employers, he felt sure there would be a 
good response. 
George A. Dickson, Esq., proposed " Gardeners 
and Gardening.” Gardens, he said, did not belong 
to any country, nor to any king or queen, but were 
universal in their utility, influence, and power for 
good. He quoted Cowper’s line, “ Who loves a 
garden loves a greenhouse too.” He had many 
pictures in his house, but those relating to flowers 
appealed to him more particularly. Much money 
could be spent usefully in gardens and gardening. 
He coupled with the toast the name of the Rev. W. 
Wilks. 
The latter, on rising, said he could not undertake 
to return thanks for all, nor so eloquently as he could 
wish, on account of the weakness of his voice, but he 
would do his best. The persevering toil they give to 
gardening was a character of cur gardeners. None 
worked so hard, for they got up at 5 a.m., kept on 
till 9 p.m., and on frosty nights went to see their 
fires, it might be at 1 or 2 a.m. On account of the 
great amount of money that was being spent this 
year, he was afraid they would have to suffer for it 
next year. He mentioned instances he knew of 
£3,000 to £5,000 being diverted from the ordinary 
channels of charity giving. Every extra penny being 
spent this year, he considered, should come out of a 
special purse. The money that the charitably 
inclined were obliged to spend, must be taken from 
sources that under ordinary circumstances would 
have been otherwise dispensed. The garden was the 
first to suffer, and not the stables. He hoped that a 
large sum would be placed at the disposal of the 
Fund, and that it would not suffer on account of the 
Jubilee. 
Mr. W. Poupart proposed "The Chairman.” The 
best man to go to when you want anything to be 
done was Sir J. Wittaker Ellis, Bart., the head of a 
renowned firm, and the most useful man to be at the 
head of every good work. He had one of the finest 
gardens in the neighbourhood. He was the first 
Mayor of Richmond, and during his mayoralty he 
took the chair at the dinner of the Gardeners’ Royal 
Benevolent Institution, and now of the Royal 
Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. 
Sir J. Whittaker Ellis replied that some years ago 
he laid out eighteen acres of a garden, but he had 
been prevailed upon to move to Richmond, and he 
regretted that garden with its trees had been brought 
to ruin. He was now laying out six acres of a 
garden on the Twickenham side of the Thames. 
Gardening gets driven out of his head through stress 
of other duties and he thanked Mr. Poupart for 
reminding him of it. All interested in gardening, he 
said, should subscribe to the Gardeners’ Orphan 
Fund. 
At this point Mr. B. Wynne read out the list of 
subscriptions in place of Mr. A. F. Barron, as 
follows : — 
Sir J. Whittaker Ellis, £194 10s. (including £100 
Leonard Sutton, £52 10s. Sir J. W. Ellis, £10 10s. 
Sir James Whitehead) ; G. Reynolds, £36 is. 6d. 
(including Leopold de Rothschild, £10, and Anthony 
Waterer, £5); Covent Garden friends per J. Assbee, 
£45 10s. ; Rothschilds, £26 5s. ; N. N. Sherwood, 
£38 2s.; Baron Schroder, £23 ; A. W. G. Weeks, 
£20 8s.; Alfred D. Rothschild, £10; W. Low, 
Euston, £10 4s.; Dicksons, £10 ios.; Harry J. Veitch, 
£10 ios. ; J. Veitch & Sons, £10 ios.; Barr & Sons, 
£10 ios. : D. P. Laird, £9 is. ; W. Poupart, £9 ; W. 
G. Baker, £8 S«. ; W. J. Nutting, £7 17s. 6d.; F. F. 
McKenzie, £8 3s. ; K. Drost, £7 7s. ; J. F. McLeod, 
£7 5s.; E. Gilbert, £5 ios. 6d.; Geo. Bunyard, 
£5 5s.; A. H. Smee, £5; A. W. Sutton, £5; J. 
Walker, £5; T. Whillans, £5 12s. 6d. ; P. Crowley, 
£7 2s. ; G. A. Dickson, £5 5s. ; Blackwood, £5; 
Ward, T. C., £5 7s. ; G. H. Richards, £5 ; S. M. 
Segar, £5 ; W. H. Holmes, £3 5s.; Geo. May, 
£4 13s.; H. Eckford, £3 8s. ; J. Wright, £3 3s.; H. 
Balderson, £3 3s.; J. Smith, £3 2s. ; P. Steinmann, 
£3 3s.; Laing & Sons, £3 3s. ; W. L. Corry, £3 3s.; 
H. J. Jones, £3 3s. ; R. Dean, £3 3s. Total £670. 
Arnold Moss, Esq. proposed “ The Visitors.” and 
said that a dinner without visitors would be a tame 
affair. He hoped that the Fund would continue to 
grow with age, like a snowball as it was being 
rolled. 
Sheriff Rogers responded in an eloquent speech 
enlivened wiih humour. Mr Marshall had instilled 
into him a love for gardening while looking round 
his own and Mr. Marshall’s garden at Bexley. Mr. 
Marshall had what he called a " swear-box ” and 
every time any one used a bad word in conversation 
he forfeited 2d. to the box in aid of the Gardeners’ 
Orphan Fund. He concluded by saying that the 
British nation might be termed a voluntary contribu¬ 
tion, judging from the method it had of supporting 
its various institutions. It was, in short, a self- 
governing, self-conducting nation. 
William Marshall, Esq., proposed a vote of thanks 
to the donors of flowers and fruit for table decora¬ 
tion, and to Miss L. Hudson’s assistance in arranging 
them. 
At this point the chairman was obliged to leave, 
but announced that N. N. Sherwood, Esq., would 
fill his place. The latter proposed “The Secretary, 
Mr. A. F. Barron,” who had a great amount of work 
to accomplish every year in connection with the 
duties of this institution, and hoped he would be able 
to continue his services for many years. Mr. Barron 
suitably replied thanking Mr. Sherwood ior the way 
he had spoken of him. Vocal and instrumental 
music filled in the intervals between the various 
speeches, aud a most pleasant evening was spent. 
Mr. Herbert Schartau, who had charge of the 
musical arrangements, made himself extremely 
popular with his audience. 
OPENING OF THE HAMBURG 
EXHIBITION. 
Last Saturday, May 1st, the Allgemeine Gartenbau 
Ausstellung (International Horticultural Exhibition) 
was opened. 
Previously on April 25th, (Sunday) the committee 
invited the members of the press to inspect the show, 
though the flowers and plants were mostly not yet 
present. They were all full of praise for the magni¬ 
ficent buildings, containing the most wonderful 
products of horticultural labour. They then had 
lunch with the gentlemen of the committee, before 
continuing their walk around the immense place, 
which is surrounded by large halls to shelter the 
visitors against rainy weather, and which make up 
the principal part of the exhibition. 
On the 1st inst., great arrangments had been made 
for the official opening. At 10 o’clock a.m., the en¬ 
trances were opened for the holders of season tickets, 
whilst nobody else had admittance. At half past n 
o'clock the invited guests came up to the festive hall, 
which had been extraordinarily decorated. There 
were present the senate, the heads of the town, the 
chief military men and accompanied with their ladies, 
besides the committee of the undertaking. The 
band and singers played patriotic hymns and then 
Senator Dr. Moenkeberg ascended the platform 
for the first speech : — 
" This Exhibition was to be in rememberance o 
the 60 years Jubilee of the Hamburg and Altona 
Horticultural Society. Almost every nation has an 
horticultural exhibition, but they always last but a 
few days. We have not such intentions, for this great 
undertaking shall be open from now until Oct.,next i 
which must be well borne in mind. It is not one exhi¬ 
bition, but shall represent the products of the three 
respective seasons, viz , an exhibition for spring, a 
second oneTor summer, and a third show for autumn. 
“ On December 16th 1895, that is eighteen months 
ago, the idea of celebrating this Jubilee in such a 
manner was conceived and submitted to the Ham¬ 
burg Senate, in order to get a proper and worthy 
territory granted therefor, and it was in the kindest 
manner that these gentlemen met this idea and re¬ 
ferred the committee to the large field (Heiligengeist- 
feld.lhat is, Holy Ghost Field) where in 1889 the great 
Industry Exhibition took place, and which lies in the 
centre of the town and of the traffic. 
" No doubt, the question will arise, has not too 
much money been expended for this Jubilee, and 
have not too many and too wonderful arrangments 
been made for this undertaking ? But these 
questions, which must fill the mind when walking 
around the show and when seeing all these astonish¬ 
ing arrangements of all nations and countries, are 
simply answered to the point that as said above, the 
show shall remain until October, bringing not one 
but three different exhibitions and not only has it 
been exhibited to show German products, but to put 
them alongside foreign products and to compete 
successfully against foreign competition. It shall 
further be a source of teaching children horticulture, 
which, I regret to say, has been placed and has re¬ 
mained far behind other sciences. We want to bring 
flowers into the house of the poor labourer again, from 
where it was driven and our ideal would be to grant 
every labourer a spot of land from the State that he 
may plant and cultivate all items both of horticulture 
and of agriculture. However, I am sorry to state 
such an idea will never be verified! Scientific lectures 
will be held in this hall from time to time so as to 
teach the fond lover of horticulture and the poor man 
this science. If our people take areal interest there¬ 
in, and if consequently the success of the exhibition 
will be verified even if only after centuries,—then we 
shall know that our work has produced good fruits, 
and then we shall see that not too many expenses 
have been made and that not too much trouble has 
been taken to bring the exhibition to a state worthy 
of the Jubilee.” 
He then further thanked the interested parties, 
viz., the guarantors for their moneys, the artists 
(painters, gardeners, &c ), for their trouble, the 
Senate, and, above all, the Hamburg Senate, who 
kindly granted such undertaking to be carried out in 
this excellent way ; and he concluded his speech 
with a cheer for the town, in which the assembly 
joyfully joined. 
The band went on with the Hamburg national 
songs, accompanied by the singers of Hamburg and 
Altona, who had been engaged for this celebration,and 
