February  25,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
165 
Annual  Dinner. 
At  the  dinner  held  in  the  evening  between  twenty  and  thirty  were 
present,  Mr.  Owen  Thomas  presiding.  The  Chairman’s  speech  was  a 
happy  one,  and  proved  how  thoroughly  he  had  entered  into  the  details 
of  the  charity,  and  how  truly  he  has  the  cause  at  heart.  He  said  : — It 
only  seems  like  yesterday  when  we  were  celebrating  the  Jubilee  year  of 
Her  Majesty’s  accession  to  the  throne.  It  was  on  this  occasion  when 
gardeners,  like  other  loyal  members  of  the  community,  were  looking 
out  for  a  way  to  give  expression  to  their  loyalty.  It  occurred  to 
Mr.  Penney,  then  of  Sandringham,  and  Mr.  Clayton  of  Grimston,  that 
the  best  way  this  expression  could  take  would  be  by  forming  an  institu¬ 
tion  to  befriend  the  orphans  of  gardeners,  and  I  cannot  but  think  that 
both  these  gentlemen  will  always  look  back  with  feelings  of  thankfulness 
for  the  inspiration  that  came  to  them  to  support  the  institution  of  this 
Fund.  At  first  the  idea  was  met  by  many  with  misgivings,  as  being  too 
great  an  undertaking  to  be  successfully  launched.  However,  there 
were  a  few  bold  spirits  in  those  days,  and  the  prospect  was  no  sooner 
mentioned  by  the  gardening  press  than  it  was  taken  up  with  acclama¬ 
tion,  not  only  by  horticulturists  but  also  by  the  garden  loving  public, 
and  the  proud  position  the  Fund  occupies  to-day  proves  beyond  doubt 
that  a  happier  or  a  better  suggestion  could  not  have  been  made. 
So  much  for  the  reception  of  the  Fund.  What  shall  be  said  of  its 
growth  ?  The  excellent  report  in  the  hands  of  members  will  tell  them 
much  better  than  I  can  ;  but  I  may  be  allowed  to  say  this,  that  nearly 
£5000  has  been  paid  to  destitute  orphans  of  gardeners  during  the  past 
nine  years,  besides  a  sum  of  £9000  which  has  been  invested  for  their 
future  benefit.  This  is  a  record  to  be  proud  of,  and  the  management  is 
to  be  congratulated.  This  great  success  has  been  brought  about  in  the 
first  place,  I  think,  by  virtue  of  the  merit  of  the  Charity,  Gardeners’ 
Orphans. 
The  English  people  have  a  garden,  and  they  have  opened  their  hearts 
and  their  pockets  wide  to  help  the  objects  of  this  charity.  We  know 
that  our  happy  and  favoured  country  is  full  of  benevolent  and  kindly 
feeling  towards  the  weak  and  the  destitute,  but  it  is  not  everyone  who 
has  the  power  or  the  happy  faculty  of  being  able  to  bring  this  good 
quality  into  active  existence.  The  Orphan  Fund  is  happy  in  having 
those  at  its  head  who  take  an  active  personal  and  practical  interest  in 
its  welfare.  When  it  is  said  that  at  the  head  of  the  eharity  we  have 
the  honoured  and  much-loved  name  of  H.R.H.  the  Princess  of  Wales, 
with  His  Grace  the  Duke  of  Bedford  as  President,  our  esteemed  friend 
Mr.  Marshall  as  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee,  with  our  old 
friend  Mr.  Barron  as  Secretary,  besides  a  working  Committee  of  gentle¬ 
men.  everyone  of  whom  is  a  well-known  horticulturist,  it  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at  the  Buccees  which  has  attended  the  establishment  of  the 
Fund.  We  must  not  forget  that  the  establishment  of  this  Institution 
has  imposed  a  serious  responsibility  on  the  shoulders  of  those  who  are 
responsible  for  its  management  and  maintenance. 
To-day  there  have  been  added  thirteen  orphans  to  the  benefit  of  the 
Fund,  at  an  extra  annual  expenditure  to  the  charity  of  £170.  A  better 
commemoration  of  Her  Majesty’s  long  reign  no  institution  could  possibly 
make,  and  in  'view  of  this  greater  responsibility  and  greater  income 
must  be  forthcoming,  or  the  Fund  will  be  in  the  same  position  as  the 
orphans  are  now  in — namely,  with  No  provision.  Gentlemen,  if  you 
will  look  down  the  list  of  orphan  candidates  for  election,  you  will  find 
the  melancholy  words,  No  provision,  no  provision,  repeated  over  and 
over  again.  To  me  these  words  express  a  feeling  of  utter  despair  and 
desolation  as  represented  in  the  case  of  the  widow  and  destitute  orphans. 
It  means  to  these  not  only  an  empty  chair,  but  an  empty  cupboard,  an 
empty  grate,  and,  often  worse  than  all,  an  empty  heart.  The  object 
of  this  charity  is  to  help  to  ease  the  widow’s  burden,  and  to  brighten 
the  path  of  the  orphan  child.  The  wealthy  lovers  of  gardens  and 
gardening,  as  well  as  members  of  the  horticultural  trade,  have  come  out 
nobly  to  help  the  garden  charities,  both  this  one  and  the  older  charity, 
in  the  welfare  of  which  most  of  us  are  deeply  interested. 
It  is  with  regret,  and  I  say  pained  regret,  that  the  fact  must  be 
stated  that  gardeners  generally  have  not  rallied  round  and  identified 
themselves  with  the  welfare  of  the  garden  charities  as  they  ought.  I  do 
not  know  why  ;  it  is  not  from  the  want  of  kindly  thoughts  and  feelings, 
I  am  quite  sure,  and  I  do  not  think  it  can  be  from  the  want  of  5s.  a 
year.  Let  each  of  those  who  does  not  subscribe  answer  for  himself  this 
eventful  year  in  the  best  of  all  ways,  by  sending  to  Mr.  Barron  his 
subscription.  What  we  want  is  for  both  the  garden  charities  to  become 
in  reality  national  garden  charities,  to  embrace  the  name  of  every 
gardener  worthy  of  the  name  throughout  the  land,  so  that  those  who  do 
not  support  the  charity  will  be  the  exception  rather  than  the  rule,  as  at 
present.  Gentlemen,  we  must  gratefully  acknowledge  the  valuable 
and  increased  help  given  by  our  earnest  and  kind  friends  in  the 
provinces,  and  on  their  continued  valuable  help  must  largely  depend  the 
future  welfare  of  this  charity. 
But  the  greatest  source  of  our  strength  as  regards  the  future  must, 
I  think,  lie  with  the  rising  generation  of  young  gardeners.  To  make  it 
easier  for  them  to  join  the  Institution  may  I  suggest,  if  your  rules 
will  permit  of  its  being  done,  that  you  reduce  the  subscription  to  2s.  6d. 
a  year,  and  if  this  can  be  done  I  would  aBk  every  gardener  who  has  the 
interest  of  the  charity  at  heart  to  bring  the  subject  before  his  young 
men,  and  I  am  sure  a  libera)  response  would  be  the  result.  This  would 
open  an  easy  door  of  entrance  to  the  young,  and  once  you  secure  his 
interest  and  sympathy  you  may  depend  upon  it  that  in  the  great 
majority  of  instances  he  will  prove  a  steadfast  friend  and  supporter  of 
the  charity,  and  at  the  same  time  become  a  much  better  gardener. 
It  cannot  be  too  well  known  that  this  is  a  purely  benevolent  institu¬ 
tion,  and  that  no  question  is  asked  as  to  the  nationality  of  the  candidates, 
or  of  what  religion  their  parents  may  have  been.  Neither  are  the  orphans 
debarred  from  the  benefits  of  the  Fund  if  the  fathers  in  their  lifetime 
have  neglected  to  support  the  Institution.  At  the  same  time  I  cannot 
help  saying  that  I  would  not  give  much  for  that  man’s  love  or  care  for 
his  wife  and  children  who  refuses  to  do  what  he  can  whilst  in  health,  on 
the  funds  of  which  those  who  are  near  and  dear  to  him  may  be  com¬ 
pelled  to  throw  themselves  through  death  or  misfortune.  Gentlemen,  I 
ask  you  to  drink  to  the  “  Continued  Success  and  Prosperity  of  the 
Royal  Gardeners’  Orphan  Fund.” 
CALLISTACHYS  LONGIFOLIA. 
I  CANNOT  understand  why  so  many  of  the  beautiful  hardwooded 
plants  have  been  allowed  to  slip  out  of  cultivation.  Callistachys 
longifolia  (fig-  37)  used  to  be  a  special  favourite  of  mine,  but  I  have  not 
seen  it  for  years.  It  should  be  more  generally  grown.  It  blooms  during 
the  summer.  The. leaves  are  lanceolate,  mucronate,  some  6  inches  long, 
smooth,  dark  green  above.  The  standards  of  the  flowers  are  yellow,  and 
the  wings  purple.  When  properly  treated  the  plants  are  extremely 
beautiful,  and  ought  to  be  more  frequently  seen  in  gardens. 
Tadcasteb  Paxton  Society.  —  On  the  18th  February  Mr.  W. 
Callum,  B.A.,  head  master  of  Tadcaster  Grammar  School,  read  a  paper 
on  the  “  Flora  of  Bygone  Ages.”  He^  first  reviewed  the  history  of  the 
earth  from  its  incandescent  condition  through  its  successive  stages  of 
igneous  and  sedimentary  rock  formations.  The  flora  of  the  carboniferous 
period  was  dealt  with  in  detail.  A  rich  collection  of  fossils  was  after¬ 
wards  inspected.  A  hearty  vote  of  thanks  was  accorded  the  essayist  by 
a  very  full  meeting  of  the  Society. — J.  S.  G. 
