March 9, 1901. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
413 
keeping the soil sweet, open, and affording an excel¬ 
lent food to the trees. Few things there are that 
object to it. It has been said that it is a universal 
favourite food. 
Another crop we have found it most helpful for, 
namely, Melons. Our soil being close and adhesive, 
the charcoal mixed with it keeps it open and sweet. 
Some two years ago we grew many Melons in pots, 
using this freely, and the fine dusty portion with it, 
Never have I seen better Melons, both in size, 
colour, and flavour. But to convince myself on the 
point of flavour I had two plants grown in pots in 
the pure loam. Although these were treated alike 
there was a vast difference in colour and flavour. 
In the vegetable garden It is to be strongly recom¬ 
mended, and the more so where the soil is sick of 
leaf mould or stable dung. This burnt material acts 
wonderfully on these soils, purifying and stimulating 
the soil. 
In gardens where clcse cropping has to be 
adopted and a lot of material taken from the soil, 
then a corresponding amount of food must be 
returned to the soil, and this cannot be accomplished 
better than by various kinds of food, of which this is 
an important part. Plants, like animals, enjoy a 
change of food. The practical lesson I learn out of 
this is give your crops all the food they are able to 
take up. The results will be good in size, fine 
flavour, and good constitution,— J. C., F., Chard. 
BERKSHIRE, READING & DISTRICT 
AUXILIARY OF THE GARDENERS’ 
ROYAL BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION. 
The first annual meeting in connection with the 
above Auxiliary, which was held on Friday evening 
last, in the Gardeners’ Club Room, Old Abbey 
Restaurant, Reading, proved a very successful one. 
The President, Mr. C.E Keyser, occupied the chair, 
and was supported by the treasurer, Mr. Arthur W. 
Sutton, Mr. Martin H. F. Sutton, and by Mr. 
Harry Veitch (treasurer of the parent society), Mr. 
Owen Thomas, of the Royal Gardens, Frogmore, 
and Mr. G. J. Ingram (sec.), as a deputation from the 
London Committee. There were also present many 
of the leading gardeners in the neighbourhood, 
including Messrs. Stanton (Henley), Neve (Sindles- 
ham), Woolford (Wokefield), C. Ross (Welford, 
Newbury), Galt (Aldermaston), Pope (Wargrave), 
Kitt (Wasing), Wright (Bucklebury), Thatcher 
(Mortimer), Gosling (Goring), Barnes, Tegg (Bear¬ 
wood), Townsend (Wellington), Fulford (Cookham), 
Lees (Earley), Osborn (Three Mile Cross), Wise 
(Blackwater), Tubb, Profit (Minley, Farnborough), 
Fry, Exler, Wilson, G. Smith, Bennett, Lever, Pigg. 
Hinton, Moody, Hawkins, the hon. secretary 
(H. G. Cox), &c., &c. 
After the annual report and balance sheet had 
been read and adopted, Mr. Veitch congratulated the 
members on the great success that had attended 
their efforts during the past sixteen months, 
enabling them to raise since the formation of the 
Auxiliary, over /135, and in hopeful terms spoke of 
the bright future there appeared to be in store for 
the Reading branch. The election of officers was 
proceeded with, and Mr. C. E. Keyser was unani¬ 
mously re-elected president for the second year, 
with Mr. A. W. Sutton as hon. treasurer, and Mr. 
H. G. Cox, hon. secretary. With the exception of 
three or four members who had left the district the 
Committee were re-elected with the addition of 
Messrs. Barnes, Macdonald, Nichols, E. S. Pigg, 
Harris, Tubb, Hatton, and Gibson. 
A very warm discussion ensued during the meet¬ 
ing as to the privileges granted by the institution to 
life members and " fifteen years’ subscribers,” and to 
the necessity there was of supporting the parent 
institution by annual subscriptions; one speaker 
pointing out that there was in the future, say fifteen 
or twenty years time, a probability that if life mem¬ 
bers were made at the present rate for another few 
years, the institution would not be able to meet its 
liabilities. Messrs. Veitch, Thomas and Ingram 
made some very interesting remarks on the subject, 
directing particular atttention to the fact that the 
institution was a benevolent and not a benefit society, 
and each thanked the members for bringing such an 
important matter before them. A vote of thanks to 
the deputation and to the chair, brought to a close a 
meeting described by the deputation as one of the 
best representative meetings ever held in connection 
with the institution. 
In presenting their first report, the committee of 
the Berkshire, Reading and District Auxiliary of the 
Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution have much 
satisfaction in being able to congratulate the mem¬ 
bers and subscribers on the success that has attended 
the work of the auxiliary during the first s'xteen 
months of its existence. 
The inauguration meeting was held in the Abbey 
Hall, Reading, by kind permission of Messrs. Sutton 
& Sons, on May 16th, 1899, and was largely attended; 
Mr. Arthur W. SuttoD, V.M.H., occupied the chair. 
The meeting was addressed by Messrs. H. J. Veitch, 
Owen Thomas, V.M.H., and G. J. Ingram, the 
deputation from the general committee of the parent 
institution, and also by Messrs. C. E. Keyser, C. B. 
Stevens, L. G. Sutton, &c. 
As the balance sheet will show, the Auxiliary has 
raised during the period it has been in existence 
£135 16s. 6£d. Of this sum, £103 19s. has been 
remitted to the parent society, leaving a balance, 
after allowing for working expenses, of £23 ns. id. 
Of this balance, £21 will be devoted during the 
current year to assisting four more members of the 
Auxiliary to become life members of the parent 
institution. It is most gratifying for the committee 
to be able to report that of the total amount raised 
by the Auxiliary (£135 16s. 6|d.) so large a propor¬ 
tion as /113 14s. 6£d. may be considered as entirely 
additional support to the institution, consisting of 
donations and subscriptions which would not have 
reached the parent association had it not been for 
the formation of our local Auxiliary. 
The committee beg to tender their sincere thanks 
to the deputation which attended the inauguration 
meeting, and to all friends who have helped to make 
the Auxiliary a success. 
Signed on behalf of the committee, 
Arthur W. Sutton, hon. treas. 
H. G. Cox, hon. sec. 
BALANCE SHEET. 
Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution 
(Local Auxiliary). 
September 1st, 1899— December 31 st, 1300. 
Receipts. 
£ s - d. 
To Donations and subscriptions to 
Auxiliary 
47 
12 
6* 
,, Life members'contributions 
47 
5 
0 
,, Subscriptions to parent society 
40 
19 
0 
£'35 
l6 
6J 
Expenditure. 
£ 
S. 
d. 
By Remittance to parent society 
103 
19 
0 
,, Printing and stationery 
5 
3 
9 
„ Postages (per secretary) 
2 
II 
3l 
,, Postages (per W. Pope) 
0 
9 
5 
,, Chequebooks.. .. 
0 
2 
0 
,, Balance at bank, December 31st, 
1900 •• •• •• • • 
2 3 
II 
I 
£135 
l6 
61 
Sale of a large Highland Estate.—Sir Kenneth 
Mathieson has sold his extensive estate of Inverinate, 
in Ross-shire, to Sir Keith Fraser, Norwich. The 
sale includes the crofting townships of Inverinate, 
Dornie, Bundaloch and Camaslunie. 
Litchi on Costers’ Barrows.—The Litchi or 
Lychi fruits are being sold on costers’ barrows in 
Fleet Street, London, at eight a penny. The fruits 
are about the size of a Chestnut, having a bright 
cocoa coloured, tuberculate, brittle shell, the outer- 
side beiDg covered all over with pointed little pro¬ 
minences. Within the shell there is a large and very 
hard seed surrounded by a gelatinous aril, which is 
sweet, and this is what is eaten. Nicholson’s 
“ Dictionary ” gives a very good.description of this 
fruit. The plant (Nephelium Litchi) grows wild in 
Hong Kong, and the neighbouring mainland, and has 
been largely cultivated in China and India. It was 
introduced from South China, probably by Warren 
Hastings, to Kew, in 1786. It is scarcely a suitable 
fruit for every day use, and the pulp that is eaten is 
liable to become mouldy by the time it reaches our 
shores. In the meantime, however, the “ sample 
bags" are selling fast,, and " the common crowd ” 
daily takes its fill in staring and utters exclamations 
of surprise at the strange ” things ” being offered. 
YOUNG GARDENERS. 
The many interesting articles that have appeared 
lately in these pages on the above subject seem to 
me to be well timed and quite in keeping with the 
object of this magazine, the readers of which, 
especially the young ones, should be grateful to the 
editor for so graciously opening its columns for the 
free discussion of the so-called “Gardeners’ 
Grievances.” The discussion, however, has been 
somewhat one-sided, and I th’nk many of your older 
readers will bear me out in saying that employer and 
head gardeners have a grievance too. Where the 
young gardener plays an important part in the 
management of gardens, large or moderate sized, 
there must of necessity be much left to their care. 
No matter how well appointed a garden may be, it 
is impossible to supervise every detail of work, con¬ 
sequently the success of a good deal of garden 
management depends on the care and intelligence of 
the young men. 
That they always do this in a careful manner is, 
in many instances, to say the least, doubtful. How 
often is work done in a careless, slovenly manner 
without any seemiDg interest beyond the getting in 
of time. Now this has a most depressing influence 
on the gardeners and their employer, too. Work done 
in a half-hearted, unintelligent way is enough to 
make any gentleman disgusted with his gardeD, or 
at any rate lose interest in it, whereas work done, 
and plants cultivated in a creditable manner will 
add to your employer's pleasure and enjoyment, and 
thus further your own interests and the interests of 
gardening generally. The young men of to-day are 
too much taken up with side shows, dances, concerts, 
football, and I fear, in same cases, the dram-shop 
has an attraction that it should not have. Healthy 
amusement and recreation are necessary and right, 
but do not let them interfere with your duties, or 
take up time that should be devoted to self improve¬ 
ment. 
I do not by any means intend a wholesale attack 
on modern young gardeners. That many of them 
are equal to, and in advance of their brethren of the 
past, I well know, but that there is room for improve¬ 
ment few can deny. I ODly wish to sound a note of 
warning which, if paid attention to, will do more to 
better their condition than any system of trades 
union ever invented. That there is ample room for 
improvement in the gardener’s condition I well 
know, but are the right steps being taken to help 
that end ? I fear not. With your kind permission, 
Mr. Editor, I will follow this up some other time 
by a few words of advice to young men, and will 
close this by quoting a couple of lines from the late 
C. H. Spurgeon’s John Ploughman’s talk, " If the" 
cap fit, pray wear it a bit, if not, just pass it along.” 
— Brightspade. 
The above subject, which everyone will admit, is one 
of considerable interest and importance, and not 
just “ useless writings,” as has been said. Of 
course, if we are just arguing for its sake we may 
stop at once, but we all want to help one another to 
get as many comforts as possible. I have read with 
keen interest the opinions of various writers on the 
above in The Gardening World, but I think some 
more of the “ bothyites ” might come forward yet. 
Those journeymen that have already given their 
opinions and signed their names and addresses de¬ 
serve credit. “ Wullie ” must make his work a 
pleasure when he writes his diary before taking 
supper. When I spoke about a chap learning more 
in a big place than a small one in six months that 
was said only to emphasise my statement. 
James Nicol deserves all praise for bis sensible 
and well written letter on “Journeymen." I hope 
the good advice he has given will be of great help to 
us young chaps. Where there are evening schools, 
too, I think e^ery young man should attend them, 
and the long w eary hours at night could be taken up 
learning, at least, the first stages of botany, drawing, 
land measurement, &c., as we cannot be too clever 
nowadays. 
Mr. “Carcluie” (as he signs himself) thinks my 
proposal is not fair—paying John more than Peter. 
■' Carcluie,” were you ever inside or outside foreman 
in a place and wanted a change, the places going not 
just what you had been used to, and was forced to 
take an outside journeyman’s place alongside Peter 
Green, whose time is newly out ? I am afraid he 
would be like a great many more ; “ go to the boss 
and ask a rise, as I have been twelve years at the job, 
