1(U 
.'OURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
February  22,  1900. 
carried  out.  Numerous  flower  spikes  will  be  produced  in  July,  and 
those  which  have  the  tendency  to  lay  on  the  ground  should  be  lightly 
supported,  so  as  to  show  off  the  blooms  to  the  best  advantage,  as  they 
continue  to  open  from  August  onwards. — E.  D.  S. 
ROYAL  GARDENERS’  ORPHAN  FUND. 
The  annual  meeting  of  this  most  deserving  Institution  was  held  on 
Friday,  February  16ih,  at  the  Essex  Hall,  Essex  Street,  Strand,  under 
the  presidency  of  A.  W.  G.  Weeks,  Esq.  The  numbers  present  were 
very  limited,  and  included  Messrs.  W.  Koupell,  H.  B.  May,  C.  E.  Osman, 
R.  Dean,  W.  Poupart,  A.  Dean,  J.  F.  McLeoA  G.  Gordon,  J.  Fraser, 
R.  W.  Alderson,  11.  J.  Jones,  J.  Lyne,  G.  T.  Miles,  P.  R.  Barr,  R.  Cuth- 
bert,  J.  G.  Veitch,  J.  Melady,  G.  Richards,  W.  Bates,  and  G.  Assbee 
The  notice  convening  the  meeting  and  other  preliminaries  having  been 
disposed  of,  attention  was  turned  to  the  report  of  the  Executive 
Committee  for  the  year  ending  December  31st,  1899,  which,  with  the 
financial  statement,  we  give  herewith. 
REPORT  FOR  THE  YEAR  1899. 
In  presenting  their  twelfth  annual  report  the  Committee  have 
pleasure  in  congratulating  the  subscribers  on  a  year  of  steady 
progress,  the  receipts  from  all  sources  showing  an  increase  of 
£75  Is.  2d.,  which  is  satisfactory  as  indicating  that,  notwithstanding 
the  great  difficulty  experienced  in  collecting  subscriptions,  owing  to 
the  many  urgent  appeals  made  to  the  benevolent  for  support  in  aid 
of  the  various  patriotic  funds,  the  Royal  Gardeners’  Orphan  Fund 
has  not  only  been  able  to  hold  its  own,  but  also  to  increase  the 
amount  of  the  year’s  aggregate  allowances  made  to  the  orphans. 
The  revenue  derived  from  subscriptions  and  donations,  though  showing 
an  increase  on  the  previous  year,  reveal  a  sensible  decrease  in  the 
amount  collected  by  local  secretaries,  a  circumstance  which  the 
Committee  can  only  regard  with  some  anxiety,  though  they  have 
reason  to  believe  that  the  falling  off  in  this  source  of  income  is  only 
temporary,  the  result  being  due  rather  to  the  difficulty  experienced 
in  collecting  subscriptions  than  to  any  slackening  of  the  efforts  of 
those  who  have  hitherto  done  so  mnch  in  support  of  the  Fund.  In 
common  with  most  other  charitable  institutions,  there  is  only  too 
much  reason  to  fear  that  the  Fund  may  suffer  from  the  pressure  of 
the  times  during  the  coming  year,  but  the  Committee  sincerely  trust 
that  the  supporters  of  the  Institution  will  assist  them  to  the  uttermost 
in  their  efforts  to  avoid  such  a  deplorable  continsency.  To  maintain 
the  usefulness  of  the  Fund  unimpaired  should  be  the  aim  of  every  one 
interested  in  gardeners  and  gardening,  and  the  Committee  more  espe¬ 
cially  appeal  to  gardeners  themselves  to  increase  their  efforts  on  its 
behalf  by  collecting  small  sums  in  their  own  districts. 
The  number  of  children  who  have  been  elected  to  the  benefits  of  the 
Fund  during  the  past  eleven  years  is  113,  and  the  total  amount  which 
the  Committee  has  been  enabled  to  distribute  among  the  destitute 
orphans  during  that  period  is  £7711  2s.  fid.  The  number  of  children 
now  on  the  Fund  is  seventy-two,  exclusive  of  those  to  be  elected  this  day. 
The  Committee  desire  to  acknowledge  with  grateful  thanks  the 
keenly  appreciated  services  rendered  to  the  Fund  by  Alderman  Sir 
Reginald  Hanson,  Bart.,  M.P.,  who  so  kindly  presided  at  the  annual 
festival,  and  whose  cordially  expressed  appreciation  of  the  work  carried 
on  by  your  Committee,  and  his  most  forcible  appeal  for  support  on  its 
behalf  resulted  in  a  subscription  list  amounting  to  £fi02  12s.,  a  result 
which  was  the  more  gratifying  in  that  the  festival  had,  for  unavoidable 
reasons,  to  be  held  at  a  later  period  of  the  year  than  usual.  The  Com¬ 
mittee  have  much  pleasure  in  recommending  that  Sir  Reginald  Hanson 
be  this  day  elected  a  Vice-President  of  the  Fund. 
It  is  with  extreme  pleasure  the  Committee  make  the  announcement 
!  that  Lord  Battersea  has  very  kindly  consented  to  preside  at  the  next 
festival,  which  has  been- fixed  to  take  place  on  Tuesday,  May  8th,  at 
I  the  Cafe  Monico,  46,  Regent  Street,  W. 
'  The  Committee  sincerely  deplore  the  loss  which  the  Fund  has 
I  sustained  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Sydney  Courtauld,  one  of  the  Trustees, 
whose  kindly  support  in  its  earlier  days  remains  with  the  Committee  a 
cherished  memory.  Mr.  William  Sherwood,  the  eldest  son  of  the 
Treasurer,  has  kindly  expressed  his  willingness  to  undertake  the  duties 
and  responsibilities  of  the  office  of  Trustee,  and  the  Committee  with 
great  pleasure  ask  subscribers  this  day  to  confirm  their  choice. 
By  the  recent  death  of  Mr.  Alfred  Outram  the  Fund  has  also  lost 
the  services  of  another  devoted  worker,  and  the  Committee  a  colleague 
whose  genial  presence  and  whole-hearted  sympathy  with  the  objects  of 
the  Fund  will  be  greatly  missed.  The  seat  vacated  by  Mr.  Outram’s 
death  has  been  filled  by  the  election  of  Mr.  Peter  E.  Kay,  Claigmar, 
Church  End,  Finchley.  The  resignation  of  Mr.  J.  Cheal  has  also  been 
received,  and  the  vacancy  filled  by  the  election  of  Mr.  W.  R.  Alderson, 
Bell  Farm,  Ilersham  Farm,  Walton-on-Tbames. 
The  members  of  the  Committee  who  retire  by  rotation  are  Messrs. 
W.  Bates,  R.  Dean,  H.  Herbat.  H.  J.  Jones,  W.  Marshall,  H.  B.  May, 
G.  Reynolds,  and  A.  W.  G.  Weeks ;  and  Hlessrs.  Bates,  Dean,  Jones, 
May,  Reynolds,  and  Weeks  being  eligible,  offer  themselves  for  re- 
election.  Mr.  Whitpaine  Nutting,  106,  Southwark  Street,  S.E.,  and 
Mr.  E.  G.  Monro,  Covent  Garden,  W.C.,  are  nominated  by  the  Com¬ 
mittee  for  the  vacant  seats. 
The  retirement  of  Mr.  Marshall  and  Mr.  Herbst  is  an  incident  in 
the  history  of  the  Fund  which  your  Committee  cannot  but  deeply 
regret,  and  their  colleagues  desire  to  place  on  record  their  high  sense 
and  appreciation  of  the  valuable  moral  and  material  support  which 
these  gentlemen  have  so  ungrudgingly  rendered  to  the  Fund.  Mr. 
Herbst,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Fund,  was  one  of  the  most  constant 
attendants  at  the  meetings  of  the  Committee  until  struck  down  with 
illness,  from  which  he  has  unhappily  not  yet  recovered,  and  the  Com¬ 
mittee  ask  the  subscribers  to  signify  their  appreciation  of  his  good  and  . 
faithful  service  by  according  him  their  special  thanks.  Mr.  Marshall’s 
services  to  the  Fund  as  Chairman  since  the  lamented  death  of  Mr. 
George  Deal  in  1890,  have  been  invaluable,  and  as  a  slight  recogni¬ 
tion  of  the  uniformly  courteous  and  efficient  manner  in  which  he  has 
so  long  and  so  faithfully  discharged  the  duties  of  his  office,  the 
Committee  have  the  pleasure  this  day  of  nominating  him  for  election 
as  a  Vice-President. 
The  Committee  again  most  cordially  acknowledge  the  generous 
and  most  practical  manner  in  which  the  Treasurer,  Mr.  Sherwood, 
has  continued  to  assist  the  Fund,  and  warmly  thank  him  for  his 
valued  services  during  the  past  year.  To  the  Auditors,  Mr.  Martin 
Rowan  and  Mr.  Peter  Rudolph  Barr,  the  hearty  thanks  of  the  Com¬ 
mittee  are  accorded  for  their  patient  and  exhaustive  audit  of  the 
accounts.  Mr.  Rowan  is  the  retiring  Auditor,  and  is  nominated  by  the 
Committee  for  re-election. 
The  Committee  are  unanimous  in  nominating  their  Secretary,  Mr< 
Brian  Wynne,  for  re-election  to  that  office. 
RBCEH’TS 
To  Balance  from  la^t  Account . 
,,  Subscriptions,  General  . 
,,  Ditto  Collected  by  Local  Secs. 
,,  Donations,  General . 
„  Ditto  Collected  by  Local  Secs,  . 
,,  The  Emma  Sherwood  Memorial  ... 
„  Annual  Dinner  . 
,,  Advertisements  in  List  of  Subscribers  . 
„  Miscellaneous  Receipts  . 
„  Dividends  on  Stock  and  Interest  on  Deposit 
CASH  STATEMENT  FOR  THE  YEAR  1899. 
I 
,..  £658  13  £ 
Expenditure. 
£29  J  4 
55  7 
245  -2  1 
33  11  1 
345  11  8 
278  13  2 
13  0  0 
602  12  0 
27  18  0 
3  3  7 
273  17  5 
£2203  9  3 
Note. — Investments  ; 
2f  per  cent.  Consols  . £7070  6  10 
3  per  cent.  Canada  Stock  .  2000  0  0 
L  &  N.W.  Railway  Pref.  Stock  .  340  0  0 
Thomson  Memorial  Trust :  I 
East  Indian  Railway  B.  Annuity  of  £14  (cost)  430  11  0  ! 
Having  inspected  the  Securities  and  examined  the  Books  and  Vouchers  su 
Dated  January  30th,  1900. 
By  Allowances  to  Orphans  . 
...  £916 
15 
0 
,,  Emma  Sherwood  Memorial 
13 
0 
0 
,,  Grants  in  Aid  . 
13 
17 
6 
„  Annual  Dinner  . 
,,  Secretary’  Salary  . 
,,  Printing  and  Postage  List  of  Subscribers 
•  •  • 
,,  Printing  and  Stationery  ... 
...  £33 
17 
3 
,,  Annual  General  Meeting  and  Audit 
16 
7 
2 
,,  Hire  of  Room  for  Meetings 
2 
2 
0 
Advertising . 
2 
0 
7 
,,  Illuminated  Vote  of  Thanks  to  Mr.  Barron 
5 
0 
0 
„  Postages  . 
14 
0 
7 
,,  Bank  Charges  . 
2 
13 
9 
„  Sundry  Expenses  (Petty  Cash)  . 
4  19 
5 
„  Balance — 
Cash  at  Bank  ...  . 
...  £728 
14 
0 
Cash  in  Hand  . 
37 
10 
5 
Cash  on  Deposit .  ., 
...  100 
0 
0 
£973  12  6 
155  9  1 
99  13  0 
27  9  6 
£81  0  9 
£866  4  5 
£2203 
ppliel  to  us,  we  hereby  certify  the  above  Account  to  be  correct. 
(Signed)  P.  RUDOLPH  BARR, 
M.  ROWAN. 
Auditors. 
These  were  taken  as  read,  and  in  rising  to  move  their  adoption  the 
Chairman  made  one  of  the  shortest  speeches  on  record,  as  he  contented 
himself  with  the  assertion  that  they  were  in  all  respects  satisfactory. 
Mr.  W.  Roupell,  in  the  capacity  of  seconder,  was  equally  brief.  The 
Secretary  at  this  juncture  read  a  letter  from  the  Bournemouth 
Gardeners’  Mutual  Improvement  Association,  which  embodied  a 
protest  against  more  than  one  member  of  any  family  deriving  benefit 
from  the  Fund  at  the  same  time.  Mr,  R.  Dean  proposed  that  the 
