G 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  G,  i8fc: 
THE  GARDENERS’  ROYAL  BENEVOLENT 
INSTITUTION. 
The  Sixtieth  Annual  Festival  Dinner. 
The  annual  dinner  of  the  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution 
may  be  looked  upon  as  one  of  ibe  functions  illustrating;  the  social  side  of 
horticulture,  for  not  onl)-  is  some  person  of  quality  in  the  chair,  but  men 
of  light  and  leading  in  the  world  of  gardening  are  always  well  represented. 
The  Diamond  Jubilee  dinner  of  the  Institution,  which  took  place  in  the 
Whitehall  Rooms,  Hotel  Metropole,  on  the  evening  of  the  28th  ult.  was  no 
exception  to  the  rule.  The  chair  was  graced  by  the  presence  of  the  Rt.  Hon, 
the  Earl  of  Derby.  K.G.,  G.C.B.,  and  with  him,  as  the  lawyers  say,  were 
Sir  J.  Whittaker  Ellis,  Bart.,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Pilkington.  M.P., 
whilst  gathered  round  the  board  there  were,  amongst  others,  Messrs. 
H.  J.  Yeitch,  N.  N.  Sherwood,  J.  H.  Yeitch,  H.  Morgan  Veitcb,  Geo. 
Monro,  H.  B.  May,  .las.  II.  Laing,  J.  O’Brien,  J.  Assbee,  P.  Crowley, 
P.  Kay,  J.  Lee,  H.  J.  Cutbush.W.  A.  Bilney,  Jno.  Laing-,  jun..  A. Monro, 
W.  Gleeson,  II.  James,  J.  Hudson,  J.  Willard,  P.  R.  Barr,  W.  Russell, 
•T.  E.  Jefferies,  J.  Douglas,  W.  Y.  Baker,  A.  Outram,  T.  W.  Oakshott, 
R.  Lowe,  and  ,T.  Woodroffe.  The  Very  Reverend  the  Dean  of  Rochester 
was  a  notable  absentee,  but  in  a  letter  read  by  Mr.  Ingram,  the 
Secretary,  he  expressed  his  regret  at  not  being  able  to  attend,  and 
accompanied  this  by  a  substantial  donation. 
Dinner  was  announced  for  seven  o’clock,  and  was  served  with  the 
•customary  punctuality  and  dispatch  of  the  Mdtmpole.  After  the  long 
succession  of  comestibles  had  been  discussed  the  Chairman  rose,  as  a  loyal 
subject,  to  propose  the  toast,  which,  to  use  his  own  words,  “comes  most 
readily  to  the  lips  of  every  Englishman,” — Her  Majesty  the  Queen.”  The 
toast  of  “The  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales  and  the  Rest  of  the  Reigning 
House”  followed. 
These  constitutional  preliminaries  disposed  of,  the  noble  earl  proceeded, 
with  much  grace  of  speech  and  aptness  of  expression,  to  lay  the  claims  of 
the  Institution  before  the  meeting.  He  recounted,  in  humorous  fashion, 
his  own  two  maiden  efforts  as  a  gardener,  and  then  went  on  to  say  that, 
although  he  could  not  claim  to  have  any  deep  practical  knowledge  of  the 
“Art  that  does  mend  Nature,”  he  yielded  to  none  in  sympathy  for 
gardeners  and  gardening.  To  those  of  the  “craft”  who  had  been  unfor¬ 
tunate  in  the  battle  of  life,  the  “  Benevolent  ”  came  as  a  ministering  angel, 
making  1/e  easier  for  them,  and  in  some  cases  prolonging  it.  He  reminded 
his  audience  that  174  men  and  women  were  in  receipt  of  pensions,  and  of 
these  four  were  over  ninety  and  many  over  eighty  years  of  age.  It  seemed, 
then,  that  gardening  was  a  remarkably  healthy  avocation  ;  but  it  was 
more  than  probable  that  the  longevity  of  pensioners  was  in  great  measure 
due  to  the  relief  from  “anxiety  as  to  the  future  sustenance  that  drives 
more  men  to  their  doom  than  physical  illness.”  The  Institution  dis¬ 
bursed  upwards  of  £8000  annually  in  pensions,  and  there  was  a  sum  of 
between  £600  and  £700  to  find  for  working  expenses.  To  do  all  this 
there  was  only  a  regular  income  of  £900  from  invested  capital,  and  the 
rest  had  to  be  made  up  by  annual  subscriptions  and  donations.  His 
lordship  pointed  out  in  passing  that  as  long  as  money  could  be  had  as 
cheaply  as  at  present,  it  was  a  question  whether  subscriptions  were  not 
more  desirable  than  donations.  At  any  rate,  those  who  gave  money-  to 
the  cause  could  rest  assured  that  it  would  find  its  way  to  deserving 
cases,  and  he  asked  all  present  to  remember  that  many-  a  “  mickle  makes 
muckle.”  Passing  from  the  special  claims  of  the  Institution,  the  noble 
earl  went  on  to  press  home  the  claims  of  horticulture  as  a  whole,  and 
spoke  of  the  beneficent  influence  of  the  parks  and  open  spaces  that  were  as 
lungs  to  the  crowded  city,  and  of  the  rest  and  praco  of  the  country 
where  overtaxed  minds  might  find  that  release  from  care  they  so  much 
needed,  and  he  was  not  less  eloquent  in  his  unstinted  praise  of  ihe 
charms  of  the  suburban  garden  made  beautiful  by  the  exercise  of  one  of 
the  purest  and  noblest  tastes  which  the  Almighty  had  given  to  man. 
“  And  now-,  said  he,  in  conclusion,  “  will  you  hold  back  your  hand 
from  those  who  have  given  their  lives  in  such  a  cause  ?  Will  you  not 
rather  help  the  Institution  to  go  on  and  prosper  in  the  good  work  it 
has  undertaken,  and  to  which  its  existence  is  devoted?  Will  vou  not 
let  its  wants,  its  claims,  its  necessities,  appeal  to  hearts  which  have 
been  generous  in  the  past,  and  will,  I  trust,  be  not  less  liberal  again  ?” 
This  toast  of  “Prosperity  to  the  Institution”  was  coupled  with  the 
name  of  Mr.  Harry-  J.  Yeitch,  than  whom  no  society  has  had  a  more 
zealous  treasurer.  Mr.  Veitch,  in  replying,  gave  some  details  of  the 
workings  of  the  Institution,  and  the  work  done  during  the  past  year, 
in.  which  the  establishment  of  a  branch  at  Reading  stood  out  pro¬ 
minently-.  It  was  proposed  to  inaugurate  a  branch  at  Edinburgh,  but 
he  who  had  done  the  most  to  further  the  cause  in  the  northern  capital, 
Mr.  .Malcolm  Dunn,  had  lately  passed  to  his  rest.  During  the  year  the 
Institution  had  also  lost  one  of  its  founders,  Mr.  John  Lee,  who  died  at 
the  ripe  age  of  ri  e‘y-three  honoured  and  beloved  by  nil  who  knew  hirr. 
The  toast  of  “  Horticulture,  and  all  its  Branches,”  was  given  by  Sir 
J.  Whittaker  Ellis,  who  also  waxed  eloquent  upon  the  theme  of  the 
humanising  influence  of  the  gentle  art.  Mr.  W.  Atkinson  (Messrs, 
l  isher,  Son,  &  Sibray),  responded  at  some  leng'h. 
Mr.  W.  A.  Bilney-  proposed  “Our  Country  Eriends.”  and  in  the  course 
of  an  appropriate  speech  let  fall  the  suggestion  that  the  annual  banquet 
should  occasionally-  take  place  in  one  of  the  large  provincial  towns.  He 
thought  this  would  tend  to  promote  ihe  spreading  of  interest  in  the 
Institution  and  its  doings.  Mr.  R.  Piper,  with  whose  name  the  toast  was 
coupled,  replied. 
A  whisper  had  already  circulated  that  subscriptions  were  coming  in 
well,  but  there  was  a  gasp  of  astonishment  and  delight  when  Mr.  Ingram 
announced,  at  the  Chairman's  invitation,  the  sum  collected  to  be  £2500. 
The  Chairman  headed  the  list  with  200  guineas,  thus  proving  his  interest 
by  something  stronger  than  mere  words,  although  these  were  practical 
ai  d  convincing  enough. 
Mr.  Sherwood  performed  the  agreeable  task  of  toasting  the  Chairman, 
and  expressing  to  him  the  thanks  of  all  the  friends  of  the  “  Benevolent,’ 
not  only  for  his  presence  there  that  evening,  but  also  for  his  very  practical 
support  and  patronage.  Lord  Derby  renlied  in  his  happiest  vein. 
The  musical  arrangements,  with  which  the  toast  list  was  pleasantly 
varied,  were  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Herbert  Schartau,  and  the 
tables  were  prettily  decorated  with  flowers  and  plants  contributed  by 
friends.  Altogether  the  Diamond  Jubilee  dinner  was  a  most  successful 
gathering. 
LONDON  COUNTY  COUNCIL  HORTICULTURE. 
It  has  been  recently  mentioned  that  the  London  County  Council  is 
about  to  send  one  or  more  students,  in  addition  to  others  already  there, 
to  the  Botanic  Gardens,  Regent's  Park,  to  learn  gardening.  How  far  it 
may  be  a  fit  place  to  learn  horticulture  of  a  practical  kind  in  I  do  not 
know  ;  but  a  few  days  since,  and  on  the  occasion  of  the  annual  inspection 
of  the  boys,  I  visited  the  largo  Industrial  Schools  of  the  Council,  at 
Feltkam,  Middlesex,  and  seeing  that  there  are  in  that  great  institution 
some  750  bovs,  many  of  whom  are  stout  and  sturdy,  well  fed  and  clothed, 
I  wondered  that  as  there  is  a  very  extensive  area  of  ground  available  for 
garden  purposes,  that  gardening  as  a  specific  subject  is  not  there  taught. 
There  is  of  the  bovs  an  agricultural  section.  These  lads  labour  in  the 
fields,  and  do  such  garden  work  as  is  presented  ;  but  then  it  is  of  a  some¬ 
what  rough  nature,  and  by  no  means  equal  to  what  may  be  seen  on  any 
fairly  good  group  of  allotments.  ...  . 
Really  the  school  would  make  for  the  purposes  of  furnishing  practical 
training  in  gardeneing  one  of  the  finest  institutions  conceivable,  and,  of 
course,  for  agricultural  purposes  also  it  is  admirably  fitted.  Being 
near  the  metropolis,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  great  market  garden  district, 
it  would  be  specially  fitting  were  the  boys  trained  in  the  gardening 
vocation,  because  they  could  thus  be  made  later  in  life  so  helpful  in 
providing  fruit  and  vegetable  culture  for  market  sale. 
But  the  garden  department  at  the  school  is  now  of  the  crudest,  and 
can  hardly  be  described  as  gardening  at  all.  There  is  little  glass,  and. 
no  fruit  culture  :  indeed,  such  gardening  as  is  in  evidence  is  less  uselul  or 
good  than  was  the  gardening  seen  there  twenty  j  ears  since.  It  is  on  a 
level  with  field  culture,  and  that  is  all.  LTnhappily  the  boys  sent  to  the 
school  are  of  a  low  type,  although  there  can  te  no  doubt  under  strict 
discipline  and  control  exceedingly  teachable.  But  those  instructed  in  out¬ 
door  vocations  are,  when  they  leave,  either  drafted  off  to  the  Colonies  or 
to  Wales.  Why  they  should  not  he  trained  to  become  first  rate  workers  in 
gardens,  especially  in  those  devoted  to  market  purposes,  it  is  hard  to  under¬ 
stand.  Of  course,  the  school  under  such  conditions  exists  as  a  sort  of  neces¬ 
sary  evil,  because  of  our  very  depraved  and  distressing  social  conditions. 
Could,  however,  this  great  institution  be  devoted  to  better  things 
what  a  splendid  school  ot  gardening  of  the  most  useful  and  practical 
nature  it  might  be,  and  how  much  better  would  the  London  County 
Council’s  money  be  expended  than  it  now  is,  because  under  wise  and 
liberal  direction  the  schools  might  be  thus  made  to  be  the  finest  training 
school  of  gardening  for  boys  in  the  world.  What  a  pity  it  is  that  some 
such  ideas  as  these  cannot  he  made  to  enter  the  minds  of  the  Council 
now.  What  an  opportunity  might  be  made  to  render  to  the  nation  at  large 
valuable  service.  Some  five  or  six  years  of  training  in  such  an  institu¬ 
tion,  with  all  the  best  appliances  in  gardening  furnished,  should  turn 
lads  out  as  most  valuable  workers,  and  thus  render  high  service  to 
horticulture  as  a  national  vocation. — A.  Dean. 
[Unless  great  alterations  have  been  made  in  the  Regents  Park 
gardens  of  late  years,  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  the  routine  operations  in 
useful  and  profitable  gardening  can  be  efficiently  taught.  The  great 
want  of  the  times  is  the  provision,  not  of  professional  gardeners  capable 
of  taking  charge  of  the  gardens  of  the  wealth)-,  but  trained  workers,  or 
expert  labourers  for  meeting  the  requirements  of  the  ever-growing 
industry  of  commercial  gardening,  in  which  competent  workers  are  at 
times  so  scarce.  If  the  London  County  Council  can  transform  the  raw 
material  at  its  command  into  profitable  wage  earners  in  the  direction 
indicated,  infinitely  more  good  will  be  done  than  by  teaching  botany 
in  Battersea  and  other  parks,  or  so-called  advanced  gardening  anywhere 
in  the  metropolitan  district.] 
PEAT  MOSS  LITTER  AND  GARDEN  CROPS. 
I  AM  puzzled  with  my  garden  crops,  including  Peas,  Beans,  Cauli¬ 
flowers,  Spinach,  and,  indeed,  all  vegetables.  Five  years  ago  this  garden 
would  grow  anything  thoroughly  well,  when  good  stable  and  cow  manure 
was  used.  Since  that  time,  however,  I  have  used  nothing  but  peat  moss 
litter  from  the  stables,  and  I  find  the  larger  part  of  my  crops  are  a  failure. 
They  become  yellow,  and  the  foliage  is  small.  I  planted  a  number  of 
tuberous-rooted  Begonias  in  flower  beds,  all  of  which  were  healthy  when 
put  out,  but  they  are  eoing  off  the  same  as  the  vegetables.  These  beds 
were  also  manured  with  peat  moss  litter.  I  have  seen  things  going  wrong 
for  two  years,  and  last  year  I  ascribed  it  to  the  drought.  This  season  I 
watered  all  the  vegetables  and  flowers  during  the  short  spell  of  dry 
weather,  but  the  results  are  no  better. 
I  shall  be  glad  to  know  if  any  readers  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture 
have  had  experience  with  this  peat  litter,  and  the  result  of  their  opera¬ 
tions.  I  am  of  the  opinion  it  has  poisoned  the  ground,  and  nothing  will 
thrive  until  I  put  good  manure  on  agaiD,  but  should  like  confirmation  on 
this  point,  and  suggestions  as  to  the  best  steps  to  take. — W.  M, 
