504 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  16,  1898. 
The  auxiliary  societies  at  Bath,  Wolverhampton,  Bristol,  and  Wor¬ 
cester  were  doing  great  things,  and  they  hoped  to  see  one  established 
soon  at  Reading,  where  Mr.  Arthur  W.  Sutton  was  pushing  the  cause 
strenuously.  In  conclusion,  he  reminded  his  audience  that  the  Institution 
was  carried  on  for  those  who,  through  unavoidable  circumstances,  were 
led  in  their  old  days  to  seek  its  benefits,  and  who  in  their  earlier  years 
had  done  so  much  to  add  to  the  pleasure  and  gratification  of  others. 
Dean  Hole  is  so  well  known  for  fluency  of  speech  that  expectation 
ran  high  when  he  rose  to  propose  the  toast  of  “  Gardening.”  Nor  were 
the  expectations  disappointed,  for  the  Dean  charmed  everyone  by  his 
boundless  store  of  anecdote  and  apt  simile,  not  less  than  by  his  eloquent 
delivery.  He  opened  by  remarking  that  the  poet  Horace  had  said  that 
“  he  was  a  bold  man  who  first  went  to  sea  in  a  boat,”  that  “  he  must 
have  had  a  heart  of  brass  and  a  constitution  of  oak.”  Someone  else, 
too,  had  said  that  “  he  was  a  bold  man  who  first  ate  an  oyster.”  In  his 
estimation,  however,  the  boldest  man  was  he  who  asked  the  Dean  of 
Rochester  to  speak  upon  gardening,  for  how  could  he  know  when  the 
very  reverend  gentleman  would  stop.  Gardeners  had  a  great  deal  to 
suffer.  They  had  to  talk  to  people  who  profess  to  care  about  gardens, 
but  who  do  not  really  care  twopence,  and  who  will  talk  about  the  Eton 
and  Harrow  match,  or  anything  else  rather  than  gardening.  Personally 
he  had  had  a  love  for  flowers  Irom  very  early  infancy,  for  it  had  been 
stated,  with  what  truth  he  knew  not,  that  one  of  his  nurses  had  given 
warning  because  he  would  grab  the  flowers  out  of  her  Sunday  bonnet. 
It  was  absolutely  true,  however,  that  the  love  for  flowers  was  innate  in 
every  human  being,  that  it  was  a  memory  of  Paradise  lost,  and  a  hope  of 
Paradise  regained. 
He  had  vivid  recollections  of  his  first  Salvia,  for  which  he  gave 
sixpence.  A  boy  who  was  bigger  than  he  said  the  plant  was  sick,  and 
gave  it  some  beer,  and,  continued  the  Dean,  “I  defied  him  to  mortal 
combat,  and  licked  him  in  three  rounds.” 
As  he  grew  older  there  came  a  period  of  apathy  and  indifference, 
when  the  “  Mary  ”  he  loved  best  was  not  Marigold  nor  Polyanthus, 
when  his  “  Annie  ”  was  not  Anagallis,  when  his  “  Carrie  ”  was  not 
Caryota,  when  the  “  Miss  ”  whom  best  he  liked  was  not  Mesembry- 
anthemum,  and  when,  even  although  he  loved  “  Marguerite,”  he  gazed 
upon  her  with  quite  a  lackadaisical  expression.  Since  then  his  love  for 
flowers  had  happily  returned  to  him,  never  more,  please  God,  to  leave 
him.  He  had  seen  the  scarlet  and  yellow  fever  which  had  swept  over  the 
country,  the  Tom  Thumb  Pelargonium  and  the  yellow  Calceolaria,  but 
that  had  to  a  large  extent  passed,  although  some  gardens  were  still 
afflicted.  Since  we  had  recovered  from  this  terrible  hallucination,  garden¬ 
ing  in  all  its  branches  had  made  enormous  progress.  Emits,  flowers,  and 
vegetables  all  showed  the  same  trend.  Yet  although  we  lived  in  a 
country  in  which  more  beautiful  flowers  could  be  had  than  in  any  other, 
he  was  not  satisfied.  We  wanted  more  gardens,  and  more  beautiful 
gardens.  What  advantages  were  possessed  by  the  various  farmers 
scattered  through  the  land !  For  himself  he  loved  cows  and  pigs,  not 
only  in  the  shape  ot  beef  and  pork,  but  for  the  grand  manures  they 
produced — a  cartload  of  manure  was  to  him  the  sweetest  of  perfumes. 
The  Dean  went  on  to  say  that  we  wanted  more  beauty  of  arrangement 
in  our  gardens.  There  were  far  too  many  straight  lines  in  gravel  walks, 
and  too  many  instances  where  the  whole  of  the  gardens  could  be  seen  from 
the  windows  of  the  dwelling-house.  We  wanted  gardens  in  which  children 
could  play  hide-and-seek,  and  lovers  could  dream,  and  he^  made  a  strong 
appeal  for  the  simple,  natural,  old  English  garden. 
Speaking  specially  of  the  Rose,  the  very  reverend  gentleman  said 
that  he  had  long  loved  the  Rose,  and  believed  that  there  was  a  splendid 
future  before  rosarians.  He  looked  to  the  new  class,  the  Hybrid  Tea, 
introduced  by  Mr.  Bennett,  Mr.  Dickson,  and  the  Messrs.  Paul,  to  eclipse 
all  other  sections  of  the  Queen  of  Flowers. 
For  more  than  half  a  century  he  had  enjoyed  the  fellowship  and 
brotherly  sympathy  of  gardeners.  He  had  been  an  enthusiastic  foxhunter, 
had  played  bowls  and  cricket,  had  dabbled  in  archery,  and  had  mixed  with 
the  keenest  votaries  of  these  games,  but  nowhere  had  he  'experienced  so 
much  sympathy  and  fellow  feeling  as  amongst  the  gardeners.  It  was  all 
the  same,  both  from  coronets  and  billycocks,  in  ducal  halls  and  in  humble 
cottages.  And  when  he  crossed  the  Atlantic,  there  was  scarcely  an  hotel 
in  the  United  States  where  he  did  not  find  awaiting  him  a  box  of  Roses  or 
Carnations,  tributes  of  love  and  fraternity.  A  gardener  was  a  friend  at 
all  times,  and  a  brother  bom  for  adversity.  The  Dean  concluded  his 
eloquent  address  by  saying  that  the  work  of  the  Gardeners’  Royal 
Benevolent  Institution  was  fully  deserving  of  the  blessing  that  came  upon 
the  prophet  of  old — “  The  blessing  of  him  that  was  ready  to  perish  came 
upon  me,  and  I  caused  the  widow’s  heart  to  sing  for  joy.”  Coupled 
with  the  toast  was  the  name  of  Mr.  A.  W.  Stjttok. 
That  gentleman  replied  in  a  few  words,  in  which  he  drew  attention  to 
the  fact  that  the  state  of  their  gardens  would  depend  upon  their  gardeners, 
hence  it  was  incumbent  upon  them  to  do  all  they  could  for  the  gardener. 
He  spoke  appreciatively  of  that  standard  work,  “  The  History  of  Garden¬ 
ing  in  England,”  written  by  the  Hon.  Alicia  Amherst,  now  Mrs.  Evelyn 
Cecil.  The  clergy  had  done  much  to  advance  the  cause,  and  in  addition 
to  the  Dean  of  Rochester,  gentlemen  like  the  Rev.  W.  Wilks,  Rev.  G. 
Engleheart,  and  Rev.  H.  D’Ombrain  had  achieved  much.  The  members 
of  the  Royal  Family  were  great  gardeners,  and  he  instanced  her  Majesty’s 
love  for  it  as  exhibited  by  the  way  in  which,  according  to  her  express 
instructions,  the  nine  little  gardens  at  Osborne,  formerly  belonging  to 
the  young  Princes  and  Princesses,  were  still  cared  for,  and  the  produce  duly 
taken  to  Her  Majesty’s  table.  With  regard  to  the  proposed  branch  society 
at  Reading,  he  thought  that  IMr.  C.  E.  Keyser  of  Aldermaston  would 
become  its  president. 
Mr.  Geo.  Munro  then  gave  “  Our  Country  Friends  ;  ”  the  first  time, 
he  said,  that  it  had  ever  been  proposed  there  as  a  toast.  The  work,  these 
auxiliaries  were  doing  could  not  be  valued  too  highly,  for  they  were 
interesting  people  who  have  hitherto  been  inclined  to  regard  the  Institu¬ 
tion  as  a  London  one  simply.  He  could  not  refrain  from  mentioning  in 
this  connection  Mr.  White  of  Worcester  and  Mr.  George  Dickson  of 
Che.ster,  both  of  whom  had  worked  hard  and  consistently  for  the  Society. 
It  was  painfully  instructive  to  learn,  however,  how  comparatively  little 
the  Institution  was  known,  for  while  there  was  one  county  with  188 
subscribers,  there  were  eleven  that  had  less  than  ten  each,  and  three 
counties  with  only  one  subscriber  in  each.  This  only  showed  what  a  lot 
of  fallow  ground  "there  was  to  oreak  up,  what  a  lot  remained  for  them  to 
do.  Mr.  Geo.  Dickson,  whose  name  was  associated  with  the  toast, 
responded  very  briefly. 
The  amount  of  the  evening’s  subscriptions  was  then  announced  by  the 
Secretary,  and  was  found  to  reach  a  grand  total  of  £2300,  inclusive  of 
subscriptions  and  donations  to  the  Institution  and  the  Victorian  Era 
Fund.  The  following  are  the  chief  subscribers  to  this  very  gratifying 
total  : — His  Grace  the  Duke  of  Portland,  50  guineas  ;  Sir  Oswald 
Mosley,  donation  50  guineas  and  annual  subscription  £10;  Messrs. 
Rothschild,  100  guineas  ;  IMr.  Coleman,  50  guineas  ;  Messrs.  Hurst  and 
Son,  £20  ;  Mr.  N.  N.  Sherwood,  £50  ;  Mr.  W.  Sherwood,  5  guineas  ; 
Mr.  E.  Sherwood,  5  guineas  ;  Miss  Sherwood,  5  guineas  ;  Messrs.  Dick¬ 
son  and  Robinson,  £35  ;  Mr.  A.  W.  Sutton,  £50  ;  Mr.  M.  H.  E.  Sutton, 
£25  ;  Messrs.  Jas.  Veitch  &  Son,  Ltd,  £20  ;  Mr.  H.  J.  Veitch,  £50  ;  Mr. 
Leonard  Sutton,  £50  ;  Mr.  G.  Munro  (list),  £131  ;  Baron  Schroderj 
£20  ;  Mr.  A.  Wilson,  £20  ;  Lord  Wantage,  10  guineas  ;  Mr.  T.  W.  Bond, 
14  guineas  ;  Mr.  Geo.  Norman,  £15  6s.  ;  Mr.  W.  Thomson,  20  guineas  ; 
Mr.  G.  Maycock,  £10  ;  Mr.  N.  C.  Cohen,  5  guineas  ;  Mr.  P.  Blair,  £5  ; 
Mr.  W.  Crump,  £20  ;  Dean  Hole,  £5  ;  Mr.  W.  Jinks,  £18  lOs.  ;  Mr! 
W.  Y,  Baker,  13  guineas;  Mr.  Chas,  Turner,  5  guineas;  Mr.  B.  E. 
Smith,  2  guineas  ;  Mr.  P.  Crowley,  6  guineas  ;  Messrs.  Wrench  &  Son, 
5  guineas  ;  Mr.  G.  H.  Richards,  10  guineas  ;  Messrs.  Fisher,  Son  and 
Sibray,  10  guineas  ;  Mr.  W.  J.  Corrie,  5  guineas  ;  Mr.  J.  F.  McLeod, 
2  guineas  ;  and  Worcester  Auxiliary,  £70.  It  was  announced  that  the 
list  opened  by  Mr.  Geo.  Dickson  was  not  yet  completed,  but  when  closed 
it  would  total  from  £50  to  £100. 
At  the  close  Mr.  N.  N.  Sherwood  invited  all  to  drink  to  the  health 
of  their  Chairman,  Sir  Oswald  Mosley,  who  was  a  great  patron  of  horti¬ 
culture.  His  gardens  at  Rolleston  were  opened  frequently  to  the  public, 
and  in  this  and  other  ways  he  was  the  beau  ideal  of  a  real  old  English 
country  gentleman.  In  replying.  Sir  Oswald  expressed  his  pleasure  at 
being  amongst  them,  and  assured  them  that  if  at  any  time  any  of  them 
should  be  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Rolleston,  it  would  give  him  great 
pleasure  to  show  them  round  himself.  In  conclusion  he  spoke  of  the 
work  of  their  Secretary,  Mr.  Ingram,  in  hghly  appreciative  terms. 
The  speeches  and  toasts  were  agreeably  interspersed  with,  and 
varied  by  vocal  and  instrumental  music,  Mr.  Herbert  Schartau,  as  on 
other  occasions,  proving  himself  a  successful  entertainer,  as  well  as 
organiser  of  entertainers.  The  songs  by  Mesdames  J.  Lucie  Johnstone, 
and  Edith  Serpell,  and  Messrs.  Schartau  and  Chas.  Chilley,  were  much 
applauded,  whilst  the  really  humorous  sketch  by  Mr.  Walter  Churcher 
did  not  lack  its  setting  of  responsive  laughter.  The  tables  were 
handsomely  decorated  with  flowers  and  plants  supplied  by  Messrs. 
Sander  &  Co  of  St.  Albans. 
A  HOLIDAY  TOUR. 
During  a  recent  visit  to  Kirkbean  parish  in  Kirkcudbrightshire,  on 
my  way  to  London,  I  was  shown  near  Southwick  (the  residence  of  Sir 
Mark  J.  Stewart,  M.P.)  a  magnificent  Silver  Eir  with  a  trunk  18  feet 
in  circumference,  and  above  80  feet  high,  rivalling,  if  not  eclipsing, 
the  famous  variety  at  Traquair,  in  Peeblesshire,  which  I  have  pre¬ 
viously  described  in  the  Journal  of  Hwticulture.  On  the  same  day  I 
visited  the  beautiful  gardens  at  Southwick  and  Cavens  ;  the  former  of 
which  is  celebrated  for  Anemones  and  Begonias,  the  latter  for  the  culture 
of  Oriental  Lilies.  The  head  gardener  to  A.  Oswald,  Esq.,  at  Cavens 
told  me  he  had  a  specimen  of  Lilium  giganteum  last  year  which  grew 
upwards  like  a  tree  to  a  height  of  13  feet,  and  produced  twenty-one 
perfectly  developed  flowers.  It  is  seldom  that  this  great  Himalayan 
Lily  attains  in  any  region  to  such  imposing  dimensions. 
I  was  accompanied  to  the  gardens  of  Cavens  House  by  your  accom¬ 
plished  contributor,  Mr.  S.  Arnott,  whose  collection  of  alpine  and  her¬ 
baceous  flowers  at  Carsethorn  on  the  Solway  I  found,  as  I  had 
anticipated,  wonderfully  attractive.  For  brightness  and  fragrance  the 
garden  of  Mr.  Arnott  could  not  easily  be  surpassed.  His  late  flowering 
Tulips,  Narcissi,  and  Auriculas  were  especially  impressive.  In  his 
congenial  company  I  spent  many  hours,  on  a  day  of  brilliant  sunlight  and 
perfect  peace,  examining  and  admiring  his  flowers,  which  have  come  to 
him  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 
During  the  same  week  I  re-visited  several  of  the  great  English  horti* 
culturists,  including  Mr.  Wm.  Paul  of  Waltham  Cross,  who  showed  me 
several  new  and  highly  interesting  Roses  of  his  own,  raised  by  himself  ; 
Mr.  T.  E.  Rivers  of  Sawbridgeworth,  Mr.  F.  Sander  of  St.  Albans,  Messrs. 
Veitch  and  Sons  and  Mr.  Wm.  Bull  of  Chelse^  Mr.  J.  S.  Baker  of  Kew, 
who  has  a  veritable  genius  for  plant  classification  ;  and  Mr.  Harry 
Turner,  who  showed  me  the  grand  collection  of  Carnations,  Roses,  and 
Pelargoniums  at  the  Royal  Nurseries,  Slough. — David  R.  W ILLI amson. 
