February  27,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
181 
“  FREELY  RECEIVED,”  THEREFORE  - 
You  who  have  little  garden  plots,  you  with  broad  parterres,  you 
with  ranges  of  glass,  remember  in  these  bright  spring  days  those 
less  fortunate  brothers  and  Bisters  whose  lives  are  spent  in  the  busy 
city  among  bricks  and  mortar,  whose  only  chance  of  flowers  is  by 
purchase.  Their  love  for  the  beautiful  is  as  keen  as  yours,  and  the 
love  that  prompts  the  gift  of  a  few  spring  blossoms  makes  that 
gift  doubly  dear. 
Look  just  now  at  the  wealth  of  Snowdrops  in  your  borders, 
among  your  orchard  grass,  along  the  side  of  the  plantation.  Do 
you  grudge  a  few  packed  carefully  in  a  small  box  with  some  Ivy 
leaves  to  eke  out  the  scanty  greenery?  It  is  so  satisfactory  fo 
send  flowers  that  travel  well,  and  most  spring  ones  come  under 
that  catagory.  Presently,  if  not  already,  there  will  be  the  sweet- 
scented  Violet.  Children  are  eager  and  willing  helpers,  and  can 
soon  be  taught  to  gather  and  tie  up  the  fragrant  little  bunches. 
Daffodil*  will  bear  much  travel,  and  make  such  a  glorious  note  of 
colour  in  a  dark  room. 
Primroses  will  touch  a  chord  that  may  have  been  silent  for 
years,  reminding  the  receiver  of  happy  childhood  days  when 
the  first  Primrose  was  such  a  treasure  and  such  a  prize.  To  those 
who  can  alford  the  luxury  (for  it  is  a  luxury)  how  delightful  to  be 
able  to  take  a  nice  pot  plant  from  an  overflowing  greenhouse.  If 
not  quite  developed,  so  much  the  better.  A  weary  convalescence 
may  be  cheered  by  the  sight  of  the  opening  floweret,  and  in  spring 
there  is  choice  of  so  much.  A  pot  of  Crocuses  is  brilliant  as  bur¬ 
nished  metal,  a  bit  of  Spiraea  with  Us  lovely  contrast  of  pure  white 
and  shining  green,  and  so  on  through  a  long  list. 
It  seems  so  sad  to  heap  upon  the  cold  grave  the  loveliest 
emblems  of  life,  emblems  which  might  have  gone  to  cheer  the 
suffering  one  on  his  dreary  passage  to  the  gates  of  death.  “  If 
ever  you  hear  I  am  ill,”  said  one  friend,  “  send  me  flowers  ;  they 
are  my  greatest  comfort.  Do  not  wait  till  I  am  dr  ad,  I  shall  not  care 
then.”  It  is  sometimes  tiresome  and  inconvenient  to  send  off 
the  little  posies,  but  remember  the  little  act  of  self-denial  is  good 
discipline  for  you,  and  it  is  noted  by  Him  whose  loving  hand  so 
lavishly  provides  you  with  these  gifts  of  which  you  are  but  the 
■toward. — The  Missus. 
INSTABILITY  OF  PLANT  NOMENCLATURE. 
The  Rev.  C.  Wolley-Dod,  whose  kindness  in  many  ways  I  so  o’ten 
experience,  has  been  at  the  trouble  of  writing  me  with  re'erei  ce  to  my 
note  on  this  subject  on  page  162.  As  Mr.  Wolley-Dod  is  an  authority 
upon  these  questions  I  feel  bound  to  say  that  he  tells  me  the  inconsistencies 
of  the  Kew  H and  List  of  Herbaceous  Plants  are  very  few,  and  from  what 
he  says  I  have  been  in  error  in  some  points.  I  do  not  know  that  I  am  at 
liberty  to  quote  the  concise  explanation  given  by  him  regarding  the 
complicated  rule  as  to  the  use  of  capital  letters,  but  he  will  perhaps 
allow  me  to  gave  the  gist  of  what  is  apposite  to  my  remarks  upon  the 
names  of  the  Campanulas — ie.,  that  in  the  case  of  proper  names,  where 
the  name  is  turned  into  an  adjective  a  small  initial  is  correct  Thus  in 
the  instances  I  gave  C.  Grossekii  and  C.  Ht-n  lersoni  are  correctly  given 
in  the  Kew  Hand  List  with  capitals,  and  C.  morettiana  and  C.  porten- 
■chlagiana  are  also  correctly  printed  with  small  letters.  I  think  it  is 
only  fair  to  the  compilers  of  the  Lland  List  to  say  this,  and  I  hope  Mr. 
Wolley-Dod  will  favour  your  readers  with  an  explanation  of  this  com¬ 
plicated  subject.  I  hope  to  profit  personally  by  his  valuable  note,  which 
has  thrown  considerable  light  upon  a  difficulty  we  all  have  to  encounter 
some  time  or  other. — S.  Arnott. 
[We  shall  be  very  much  obliged  if  Mr.  Wolley-Dod  is  able  to  comply 
with  Mr.  Arnott’s  request.  We  have  not  questioned  the  accuracy 
of  the  Band  LPt  names,  but  we  drew  attention  to  several  of  them 
being  in  conflict  with  the  rendering  of  the  s»me  names  in  ihat  monu¬ 
mental  modern  work  the  Index  Kewensis,  We  gave  some  instances  of 
divergencies  on  page  139,  January  13th,  and  desired  to  know  for  public 
information  whether  the  almost  new  and  greater  work  mentioned  was 
to  be  superseded  by  the  infinitely  smaller  but  newer  Hand  List.  We 
look  to  Kew,  and  the  distinguished  chief  of  this  national  establish¬ 
ment,  for  authoritative  information  on  this  admittedly  important 
subject.  We  have  been  in  the  habit  of  referring  to  the  Index  Kewensis 
a9  a  safe  guide  in  respect  of  plant  nomenclature,  but  the  Hand  List 
iB  not  in  harmony  with  it.  We  can  understand  the  accident  of  an 
occasional  misprint  occurring  in  either  work,  though  we  suspect  such 
accidents  me  rare  ;  but  by  no  stretch  of  the  imagination  can  we  conclude 
that  eight  names  taken  from  two  pages  only  of  the  Hand  List  that 
differ  from  the  names  of  the  same  plants  in  the  Index  Kewensis  are 
accidentally  rendered  in  either  case.  As  Mr.  Arnott  says,  “  We  have 
so  much  good  work  from  Kew,  that  finding  fault  with  anything 
emanating  from  that  source  is  an  unwelcome  task.”  It  is  none  the  less 
a  duty  to  point  out  discrepancies  in  public  works  of  the  nature  indi¬ 
cated,  while  it  is  obviously  legitimate  for  the  public  to  desire  informa¬ 
tion  on  the  subject.] 
ROYAL  GARDENERS’  ORPHAN  FUND. 
Annual  General  Meeting, 
The  members  of  the  above  charitable  institution  met  on  Friday  last 
at  Anderton’s  Hotel,  Fleet  Street,  to  receive  the  report  of  the  Executive 
Committee  and  statement  of  accounts  for  the  year  ending  December  31st, 
1895.  W.  Marshall,  Esq .,  presided,  and  after  the  preliminary  business 
had  been  dispatched  read  the  report  and  balance-sheet,  which  are  as 
follows  :  — 
The  Executive  Committee  in  presenting  their  eighth  annual  report, 
have  again  the  pleasure  of  congratulating  the  subscribers  to  the  Royal 
Gardeners’  Orphan  Fund  on  the  closing  of  another  successful  financial 
year,  and  on  the  continued  prosperity  of  the  charity.  The  income 
derived  from  annual  subscriptions  still,  however,  gives  the  Committee 
some  anxiety,  the  past  year’s  receipts  again  showing  a  slight  decrease. 
The  Committee  earnestly  appeal  to  gardeners  for  more  generous  support 
of  the  Fund. 
By  the  lamented  death  of  the  President,  the  Rt.  Hon.  Sir  Julian 
Goldsmid,  Bart.,  M.P.,  the  Royal  Gardeners’  Orphan  Fund  has  lost 
a  munificent  supporter,  and  bis  loss  is  deeply  deplored  by  every 
friend  of  the  charity.  It  is  with  the  greatest  satisfaction  the 
Committee  are  privileged  to  announce  that  His  Grace  the  Duke  of 
Bedford  has  been  pleased  to  accept  the  Presidency  of  the  Fund. 
The  Committee  have  further  to  mourn  the  death  of  an  old  member 
of  the  Executive  Committee  in  the  person  of  Mr.  John  Wills,  who 
was,  from  the  establishment  of  the  Fund,  one  of  the  most  generous 
supporters. 
The  Committee  have  gratefully  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of 
£171  9s.  from  the  “  William  Thomson  Memorial  ”  Committee,  being 
the  proportion  of  the  amount  collected,  which  was  voted  to  the  Orphan 
Fund  as  a  memorial  of  Mr.  William  Thomson,  of  Clovenfords,  a  waim 
supporter  of  the  Charity,  and  a  distinguished  member  of  the  gardening 
community.  The  right  of  voting  in  connection  with  this  Memorial  will 
be  exercised  by  the  Royal  Caledonian  Horticultural  Society  for  fifteen 
yearB.  The  Committee  also  most  thankfully  acknowledge  the  receipt 
of  a  legacy  of  £100  from  Mr.  George  Taber,  and  one  of  £5  5s.  from  Mr. 
J.  Taplin. 
The  annual  festival  dinner,  which  was  presided  over  by  Mr.  Harry 
J.  Veitch,  proved  specially  satisfactory,  the  sum  of  £592  nett  being 
thereby  realised.  A  most  cordial  vote  of  thanks  is  hereby  tendered  to 
Mr.  Yeitch  for  his  noble  generosity  to  the  Charity  at  all  times,  and  for 
his  able  advocacy  of  the  claims  of  the  Fund  on  that  occasion. 
Since  the  foundation  of  the  Charity  in  1887,  in  commemoration  of 
Hei  Majesty’s  Jubilee,  seventy  orphan  children  have  been  elected  to 
receive  the  benefits  which  it  confers.  Seven  of  these  have  been  retired, 
owing  to  the  age  limit,  and  two  from  other  causes,  leaving  sixty-one  as 
the  number  of  recipients  at  the  end  of  the  year,  to  which  the  Committee 
recommend  the  election  of  ten  more  this  day. 
In  addition  to  the  payment  of  the  regular  allowances,  applications 
were  made  during  the  year  on  behalf  of  some  of  the  children  retiring, 
for  further  assistance,  according  to  Rule  xiii.,  and  special  grants  have 
been  made  in  three  cases  amounting  in  all  to  £21,  with  the  happiest 
results. 
Mr.  N.  N.  Sherwood,  in  addition  to  his  generous  support  of  the  Fund 
in  the  past,  has  very  kindly  undertaken  to  pay  to  the  Royal  Gardeners’ 
Orphan  Fund  the  sum  of  £13  a  year  in  accordance  with  Rule  xii.,  for 
the  maintenance  of  the  child  Frederick  Barson,  as  a  memorial  of  the  late 
Mrs.  Emma  Sherwood. 
The  members  of  the  Committee  who  retire  by  rotation  are  Messrs. 
Head,  Lainar,  Nicholson,  Osman,  Poupart,  Smith,  Turner,  and  Walker, 
and  all  being  eligible  they  offer  themselves  for  re-election,  with  the 
exception  of  Mr.  Turner,  who  retires.  Mr.  Reynolds,  Acton,  is 
nominated  to  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Mr.  John  Wills, 
and  Mr.  J.  Lyne,  Foxbury  Gardens,  Chislehurst,  in  the  place  of  Mr. 
H.  Turner  ;  also  the  retiring  Auditor,  Mr.  M.  Rowan ;  and  the 
Treasurer,  Mr.  T.  B.  Haywood,  are  again  nominated. 
The  work  in  connection  with  the  administration  of  the  Fund  having 
greatly  increased  during  the  past  few  years,  the  Committee  have  had 
the  matter  under  consideration,  and  recommend  that  a  paid  Secretary 
to  the  Fund  be  appointed. 
The  Committee  recommend  that  Mr.  A.  F.  Barron  be  the  Secretary 
of  the  Fund,  at  an  annual  payment  of  100  guineas. 
The  adoption  of  the  above  report  was  moved  by  the  Chairman,  and 
seconded  by  Mr.  Shepherd,  and  after  a  few  comments  it  was  carried 
without  dissension.  Mr.  Poupart  proposed,  and  Mr.  McLeod  seconded, 
that  Mr.  Rowan  be  again  re-elected  Auditor  to  the  Fund,  and  that  a 
hearty  vote  of  thanks  be  accorded  him,  which  motion  was  carried. 
On  the  proposal  of  Mr.  Wynne,  seconded  by  Mr.  Shepherd,  it  was 
decided  that  the  Executive  Committee  be  again  re-elected,  and  that 
their  efforts  in  the  past  should  receive  the  hearty  thanks  of  the  meeting, 
Mr.  Bates  moved  that  Mr.  Reynolds  of  Gunnersbury,  and  Mr.  J.  Lyne, 
Foxbury  Gardens,  be  elected  as  members  of  the  Executive  Committee  to 
