May 11, 1901. 
THE GARDENING WO RED. 
583 
THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY’S 
Great Flower Show 
By the kind permission of the Treasurer and Benchers of 
the Inner Temple), 
— WILL BE HELD IN THE — 
Inner Temple Gardens (Thames Embankment), 
ON 
WEDNESDAY, MAY 22—12.30 to 7 p.m., 7s. 6d. 
THURSDAY, MAY 23—9 a.m, to 7 p.m , 2s. 6d. 
FRIDAY, MAY 24-9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Is. Od. 
Tiokets may be obtained (before Wednesday, May 22nd) at 
the R.H.S. Offices, 117, Victoria Street, Westminster, or 
dnring the Show at the Embankment Gate which is midway 
between Temple and Blackfriais Stations (District Railway). 
"Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man "— Bacon. 
©1 )t ©ariremng llJarUr. 
Edited by J. FRASER, F.L.S., F.R.H.S. 
SATURDAY, MAY nth, iqoi. 
The Editorial and Publishing Offices are 
now removed to 4, Dorset Buildings, 
Salisbury Square, Fleet St., London. 
Editorial matters are to be addressed to 
the Editor. 
All other communications and Remit¬ 
tances must be addressed direct to the 
Proprietors— 
HICKS, WILKINSON & SEARS. 
NEXT WEEK'S ENGAGEMENTS. 
Monday, May 13th. —United Horticultural Benefit and Provi¬ 
dent Society Committee’s Meeting. 
Thursday, May 16th.—Royal Botanic Society Meeting. 
TjRyal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund.— The 
annual dinner of this institution was 
held in the Hotel Cecil, Strand, London, 
W.C., on Tuesday last, under the presidency 
of the Hon. W. F. D. Smith, M.P., when 
about 140 sat down to the table, forming a 
very respectable and widely representative 
gathering. Among those present were 
Messrs. N. N. Sherwood, Ed. Sherwood, 
James H. Veitch, John Gould Veitch, 
Arnold Moss, Hugh Aiton, W. Y. Baker, 
W. Poupart, H. B. May, Wm. Marshall, 
John Alexander Laing, R. C. King, J. F. 
McLeod, J. H. Witty, J. W. Moorman, 
M. Gleeson, F. Varley, T. W. Sanders, J. 
Lanyon, Geo. Gordon, B. Wynne, R. 
Dean, Wm. Roupell, Hugh Aiton, R. B. 
Gilson, W. J. Brewer, P. Kay, P. Rudolph 
Barr, George Barr, H. J. Jones, Herbert 
Cutbush, William Culbush, W. Bates, J. 
Assbee, J. McKerchar, H. G. Morris, Glen- 
dinning, Gerald Dean, J. Douglas, R. H. 
Pearson, C. H. Curtis, Cove, H. J. Wright, 
A. S. Galt, E. T. Cook, J. Fraser, &c. 
After the loyal toasts of the King, Queen, 
Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York 
and other members of the Royal Family, 
the chairman in rising to propose the 
“Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund,” said 
that no one interested in gardening or 
having a love for it should neglect to make 
some attempt in the way of supporting such 
a noble institution. The love of gardening 
was increasing at the present day. People 
who are fond of gardening and possess 
gardens have the opportunity and avail 
themselves of it for entering into the scien¬ 
tific aspect of gardening. He himself 
possessed a garden but did not enter into 
the scientific problems of it. He supposed 
that gardening was almost an instinct in the 
young, who were often possessed with an 
overweening anxiety to know how their 
plants were getting on and pulled them up 
to see. Gardening was spreading to all 
sections of the community. Even the poor¬ 
est classes in London could have their 
window plants. Commercial gardening 
provides us with food; and scientific 
gardening concerns itself with discoveries, 
and a knowledge of the subject. Pleasure 
gardening would not have been what it is, 
had it not been for these two. Vast quanti¬ 
ties of garden produce come to London 
from Cornwall, Scilly Islands, and Channel 
Islands, as the result of production by 
British gardeners, and is utilised not only 
in London, but is sent all over the country 
from this centre. 
Life under glass is not always of the 
healthiest. There is the rapid alternation 
of hot and cold air, moisture, &c., so that 
gardeners often suffer in health thereby. 
We have not done our duty to our fellow 
men till we pay for that from which we 
derive so much pleasure. The objects of 
the Fund are to provide for the Orphans of 
private, public, market and other gardeners. 
When the children grow up and begin to 
be more expense to their mothers in matters 
of food, clothing, education, &c,, the Fund 
provides many of them with something in 
the way of clothing or outfits of some kind 
or other to enable them to start life on their 
own account. When any one is disposed 
to subscribe to the Fund he is satisfied and 
gratified in knowing that it all goes direct 
to the purpose for which it is intended. The 
working expenses are exceedingly moderate, 
most of the money goingto provide each child 
with 5s. per week, and at the age of four¬ 
teen with what may be necessary to enable 
the child to make a start in life. The Fund 
has provided something towards the suste- 
ance of 143 children of whom eighty-six are- 
still on the Fund, at a cost of over ^"1,000 
under the care of responsible guardians 
appointed by the committee. He hoped 
that the result of this dinner would be to 
provide a handsome sum in aid of the Royal 
Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. 
Before sitting down the chairman coupled 
with the toast the treasurer, N. N. Sher¬ 
wood, Esq., who said that this institution 
was founded by gardeners in memory of the 
Jubilee of our late Queen. During the past 
year they had increased the funds and at 
the same time spent more than ever before 
on the orphans. The expenses were kept 
at the lowest ebb, and no money had been 
spent on bricks and mortar. While dis¬ 
appointed candidates are waiting to be 
placed on the benefits of the Fund, the com¬ 
mittee have power to grant allowances in 
their aid. They frequently receive appeals 
of the most heart-rending description, one 
boy having lost both father and mother in 
the course of twenty-four hours, while other 
instances were mentioned. Of all things 
there was nothing that appealed so strongly 
to them like helpless children. He felt that 
the appeal made by the chairman would be 
amply and strongly supported. 
F. Varley, Esq., in proposing “ Garden¬ 
ers and Gardening ” mentioned a number 
of different types of gardeners that had 
come under his notice, including the man 
who was something in the city, and tilled 
his own garden in the suburbs in the even¬ 
ing, as well as the man who wrote for the 
Press ; and concluded by saying that 
gardeners and gardening had done more for 
humanity than any other profession. Mr. 
T. W. Sanders in responding said that he 
did not know why he had been called upon 
to reply to this toast except that he had 
been engaged all his life in cultivating and 
promoting the cultivation of gardens. 
Possibly in the future lady gardeners would 
make their influence felt at the Orphan 
Fund dinners. Most mothers prided them¬ 
selves in the cultivation of flowers. Garden¬ 
ing had been a beautiful thing from the 
foundation of the world ; but affliction was 
liable to overtake the workers, who were 
thus unable to make provision for their 
children ; hence the necessity for such an 
institution as the Orphan Fund. In looking 
over the list of subscribers to the Fund he 
was struck with the relatively small number 
of the names of gardeners in it, and he 
hoped that British gardeners would adopt 
a similar plan to that of the Salvation Army, 
and appoint a self-denial day or week and 
send the savings to the treasurer of the 
Fund. He admitted that gardeners as a 
class were paid a low salary and had to 
spend much in acquiring a knowledge of 
their profession. Pie was grieved to think 
that so ancient and honourable a profession 
should be no better paid than a butler or 
some similar calling. The British gardener 
was placed in a very different position from 
any other artisan ; for the young man in¬ 
stead of resting his brains after the day’s 
labour had to study, and when he was trans¬ 
ferred to ahead place, he is often unable to 
make provision for those who may be left 
behind. Very few gardeners will have to 
pay the income tax this year. If he would 
do his endeavour, however, to lay by a small 
sum for the benefit of the Fund, the com¬ 
mercial gardeners would also come to his 
aid. Before concluding he quoted Parkin¬ 
son to show that gardeners were not held 
in very high estimation for their knowledge 
in his day, say about 300 years ago. At the 
present day they were a very different class 
of men, and he hoped they would do their 
duty to themselves and their employers. 
At this point, the secretary, Mr. B. Wynne, 
read out a list of the subscriptions that had 
been received in aid of the Fund. The 
chairman, the Hon. W. F. D. Smith, had 
contributed ^50 ; Messrs, de Rothschild, 
25 gs.; N. N. Sherwood, Esq., £25 ; Messrs. 
William and’Edward Sherwood, each ^5; A. 
W. Sutton, Esq., 25 gs. ; Messrs. J. Veitch 
and Sons, Limited, 10 gs.; Mrs. W. G. 
Head, £9 ; Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., 
5 gs.; Messrs. Dicksons, £5 ; The Garden¬ 
ers’ Chronicle, Limited, 5 gs. ; Mr. Harry 
J. Veitch, 5 gs. ; and others contributed 
various sums making the chairman’s list up 
to ^"350. Thesum received from the Covent 
Garden people amounted to £10+. Other 
respectable sums were collected by Messrs. 
Cutbush, Cuthbert, J. F. McLeod, &c. 
The sum total received on account of the 
dinner amounted to G590. 
Mr. H. B. May then proposed “ The 
Chairman,” who replied wishing success to 
the Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. At 
this point he had to retire to attend to his 
parliamentary duties, and N. N. Sherwood, 
Esq., was called to the chair. Arnold Moss, 
Esq., proposed “The Visitors,” and C. R. 
King, Esq., replied. The chairman thanked 
the donors of the floral decorations on the 
tables, including Messrs. H. B. May, 
Cutbush and Son, Barr and Sons, James 
Walker, W. B. Hartland (Cork), &c. He 
then proposed the health of the secretary, 
Mr. B. Wynne, for the energetic and 
successful performance of his duties. Mr. 
William Poupart proposed “ The Press,” 
and Mr. John Lanyon responded. 
Retirement of Mr. Owen Thomas, Y.M.H.— The 
many friends of Mr. Oven Thomas, who was head 
gardener to her late Majesty the Queen at Frogmore, 
Windsor, for a period of about twelve years, will be 
sorry to hear of his retirement from the control of 
those gardens on a pension. He may not retire into 
private life entirely, but if he does, it is to be hoped 
he will find pleasure in coming amongst his old 
associates at flower shows and meetings of the Royal 
Horticultural Society occasionally, where his ser¬ 
vices and presence would be appreciated. He was a 
ver/ frequent attendant at the Flora! Committee 
meetings, of which he has been a member for many 
years. He ialso acted as a judge at many of the 
society’s shows, including the Temple Show, and the 
Exhib tion of British Grown Fruit at the Crystal 
Palace. Previous to his translation to Windsor, he 
was gardener to the Duke of Devonshire, at Chats- 
worth He will be succeeded at Frogmore by Mr. 
A. MacKellar, the King's gardener at Sandringham, 
Norfolk. 
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