June  4,  1806. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER , 
519 
then,  aie  the  new  Roses,  as  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascertain,  imported 
to  us  from  abroad  for  this  season.  There  may  be  some  unexpected  beauty 
amongst  them,  but  I  have  not  heard  of  any,  nor  do  I  think  that  our  Rose 
growers  are  so  keen  on  visiting  the  French  nurseries  as  they  used  to 
be,  while  for  the  reasons  I  have  already  stated  I  do  not  think  that 
many  of  the  Roses  now  enumerated  will  appear  in  the  stands  for  new 
Roses  this  season,  for  when  exhibitors  have  the  opportunity  of  growing 
good  plants  of  the  home-raised  new  varieties,  it  is  not  likely  that  they 
will  put  up  with  the  weakly  flowers  obtained  from  the  small  plants  sent 
over  from  abroad,  and  Newtownarde,  Cheshunt,  Waltham  Gross,  and 
Bath  afford  many  flowers  from  which  selections  of  twelves  can  be 
made. — D.,  Beal. 
MORINAS. 
One  of  the  smallest,  yet  one  of  the  most  beautiful  border  plants  we 
possess  is  Morina  persica.  It  is  said  by  some  to  be  half-hardy,  but  1 
have  proved  it  to  be  perfectly  hardy,  having  had  it  fully  exposed  for 
at  least  a  dozen  years.  I  find  the  plants  succeed  in  a  thoroughly  drained 
situation  fully  exposed,  and  the  soil  broken  up  to  the  depth  of  2  feet. 
Good  friable  loam,  sandy  peat,  well-decomposed  hotbed  manure,  a  little 
charcoal  dust  or  coarse  grit  is  a  suitable  compost.  The  border  should 
be  prepared  some  time  before  planting,  to  allow  it  to  become  firm.  Tne 
plants  must  be  firmly  placed  in  the  soil,  and  well  watered.  They 
like  a  moderately  moist,  but  not  a  wet,  situation.  When  once  well 
established  they  last  a  number  of  years. 
They  may  be  increased  by  division,  but  that  sometimes  proves 
injurious  to  their  future  well-doing,  and  I  have  known  them  after  being 
wounded  go  off  altogether.  They  seed  freely,  often  sow  themselves 
where  established,  and  may  be  removed  at  pleasure.  The  seedB  may 
be  sown  in  the  spring,  the  young  plants  be  grown  in  pits  or  frames,  and 
planted  oat  in  the  autumn  or  spring.  They  are  well  adapted  for  indoor 
decoration,  and  some  should  be  kept  in  pots  for  that,  purpose  as  hardy 
herbaceoas  plants  for  exhibition.  Why  such  plants  are  so  seldom  seen 
in  our  herbaceous  borders  I  am  at  a  los3  to  account  for.  Surely  the 
time  is  not  far  distant  when  attention  will  be  directed  to  their  cultivation. 
I  only  have  two  kinds  in  my  garden — I  think  we  have  room  here  for 
hybrids. 
Alorina  persica,  from  Persia,  is  a  very  beautiful  border  plant,  and  is 
the  commoner  of  the  two,  but  is  scarcely  met  with  in  a  day’s  journey. 
The  flowers,  being  red  and  white,  have  a  very  pleasing  effect.  Alorina 
longifolia,  said  to  be  from  India,  is  of  rather  stronger  habit,  but  equally 
interesting,  the  flowers  bearing  a  shade  of  purple.  This  species  is  some¬ 
what  of  a  rarity*  and  as  a  border  flower  it.  is  seldom  to  be  seen, — X. 
THE  GARDENERS’  ROYAL  BENEVOLENT 
INSTITUTION. — Annual  Dinner. 
AMONGST  the  various  gardening  charities  none  is  more  popular 
nor  occupies  a  higher  position  than  the  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent 
Institution.  It  is  with  pleasure  we  are  able  to  state  that  the  fifty- 
seventh  anniversary  dinner,  which  took  place  in  the  Whitehall  Rooms, 
Hotel  Metropole,  on  Saturday,  May  30th,  proved  in  every  way  a  brilliant 
success.  For  upwards  of  half  a  century  this  Institution  has  been  carrying 
on  its  great  work  of  rendering  assistance  to  aged  and  disabled  gardeners 
and  their  widows,  thus  bringing  a  ray  of  sunshine  into  lives  that  would 
otherwise  be  gloomy.  The  Institution  therefore  has  a  strong  claim  on 
the  sympathy  of  all  interested  in  horticulture.  On  this  occasion  the 
chair  was  occupied  by  the  Rq  Hon.  the  Earl  of  Lathom,  G.C.B,  P.C., 
who  was  supported  by  Sir  Oswald  Mosley,  Bart,.,  tne  Rt.  Hon.  Viscount 
Powerscourt,  His  Honour  Judge  Philbrick,  Q.C.,  Harry  J.  Veitch,  Esq  , 
N.  N.  Sherwood,  Esq.,  and  a  large  company  ot  well-known  horticulturists. 
Lord  Lathom,  when  proposing  the  loyal  toasts,  remarked  that,  Her 
Slajesty  the  Queen  had  been  pleased  on  this  occasion  to  give  a  donation, 
and  that  Prince  Christian  was  also  a  subscriber.  (Cheers.)  His  Lord- 
ship  then  gave  the  toast  of  the  evening — namely,  “  Continued  Success 
to  the  Institution,”  and  coupled  with  it  the  name  of  the  Treasurer — 
Harry  J.  Veitch,  Esq.  His  Lordship  said  that  in  rising  to  propose  that 
toast  he  felt  himself  in  a  somewhat  difficult  position,  as  when  he  remem¬ 
bered  the  names  of  those  who  bad  occupied  that  chair  before  him  he 
felt  himself  incompetent  to  follow  them.  The  science  of  gardening,  he 
continued,  appeals  to  everyone,  both  countrymen  and  townsmen, 
whether  it  be  in  the  cultivation  of  flowers  or  vegetables.  Where  would 
be  the  beauty  of  landscape  without  trees?  (Hear,  hear.)  He  would 
have  no  difficulty  in  going  into  a  long  history  of  gardening,  but  they 
all  knew  how  the  science  had  grown,  aDd  how  by  degrees  advance  had 
been  made,  till  now  we  live  under  advantages  that  never  before  existed. 
(Cheers.) 
I  could  tell  you,  continued  Lord  Lathom,  of  gardens  I  have  seen  at 
home  and  abroad,  but  you  are  all  experts,  and,  therefore,  I  will  not 
weary  you.  For  his  own  part,  he  said,  he  was  more  a  lover  of  the 
beautiful  than  one  who  lived  to  increase  the  art  of  cultivation  of  beautiful 
flowers.  He  had  noticed  the  rush  on  the  Chrysanthemums,  and  though 
admitting  the  beauty  of  the  flower  the  plant  was  not  difficult  to  grow, 
and,  therefore,  it  did  not  appeal  to  him  as  it  did  to  some  enthusiasts. 
Those,  however,  who  give  up  their  lives  to  the  pursuit  of  horticulture 
deserve  to  be  succoured  and  helped  when  they  can  no  longer  work,  and 
that  was  why  he  had  been  asked  to  occupy  the  chair  on  that  occasion. 
Going  on  to  speak  of  the  benefits  of  the  Institution,  his  Lordship  said 
there  were  two  points  that  impressed  themselves  very  much  upon  him— 
first,  the  very  economical  way  in  which  the  work  is  carried  on,  as  the 
Secretary  (Mr.  iDgrarn)  keeps  down  the  clerical  expenses,  and  with  the  aid 
of  a  boy  uoes  the  whole  of  the  work  connected  therewith,  therefore  he 
thought  all  honour  was  due  to  hicu  ;  secondly,  the  Institution  encourages 
self  help,  as  after  being  subscribers  for  a  certain  number  of  years,  and  in 
the  event  of  old  age,  gardeners  have  made  a  good  insurance  ;  and  again, 
it  not  only  helps  the  men,  but  the  women  also.  This,  he  thought,  was 
a  great  point,  as  it  is  very  hard  after  a  man  has  paid  a  sum  of  money  to 
provide  for  emergency  and  in  the  event  of  his  death  his  widow  to  get 
nothing. 
They  all  knew  that  gardeners  were  no  better  paid  than  most  men, 
and  in  many  cases  had  to  provide  for  large  families,  hence  their 
inability  to  make  much  provision  for  old  age,  and  it  was  to  meet  such 
cases  that  he  now  asked  for  their  assistance.  As  a  rule  gardeners  were 
a  highly  cultivated  class  of  men,  but  he  was  sorry  to  say  that  there  were 
157  persons  on  the  pension  list,  eighty-two  men  and  seventy-five  women. 
He  regretted  also  that  there  were  now  thirty-one  pressing  cases 
vtiere  assistance  was  needed.  That  the  charity  is  widespread  no  further 
evidence  was  required  than  the  fact  that  during  the  fifty -eight  years 
m  which  the  Institution  has  been  in  existence  a  sum  of  £70,000  had  been 
spent  in  providing  pensions.  (Cheers.)  The  appeal  for  help  was  a  strong 
one,  and  though  no  words  of  his  could  make  them  give  more  than  they 
had  come  with  the  intention  of  giving,  yet  perhaps  he  might  induce 
them  to  give  more  next  time,  or  at  any  rate  tell  their  friends,  and  in  this 
way  he  felt  sure  many  could  be  induced  to  subscribe  who  had  Dever  been 
subscribers  before.  He  hoped  they  would  do  all  they  could  to  bring 
the  Society  before  the  public,  and  confessed  that  until  last  yeai  he  for 
one  had  never  heard  of  its  existence.  He  thanked  them  for  having 
listened  to  him  so  patiently,  and  wished  every  success  to  the  Institution. 
(Prolonged  cheers.) 
H.  J.  Veitch,  Esq.,  rose  amid  applause  to  reply,  and  thanked  his 
Lordship  on  behalf  of  the  Institution  for  being  amongst  them,  an  honour 
which  he  felt  sure  they  all  appreciated.  He  did  not  propose  to  weary 
them  with  many  figures,  but  as  this  was  the  tenth  anniversary  of  his 
election  as  Treasurer  he  should  like  to  mention  a  few  facts  that  would 
speak  for  themselves.  Ten  years  ago  they  had  £21,100  invested  capital, 
at  the  present  time  they  had  £26,207,  or,  if  represented  at  the  current 
market  value  of  the  investments,  £31,000.  This  increase  of  £10,000  in 
ten  years  showed  that  the  money  had  been  soundly  and  judiciously 
invested.  At  the  same  time  their  liabilities  had  iucreased  correspond¬ 
ingly.  Ten  years  ago  there  were  104  pensioners,  to-day  there  are  157. 
Pensioners  now  receive  more  than  they  did  at  first,  and  he  hoped  the 
pay  would  be  increased  still  further  (cheers).  Twice  they  had  been  able 
to  put  on  all  tbe  applicants  without  an  election.  Once  at  the  jubilee 
of  Her  Majesty  the  Queen,  and  also  at  the  jubilee  of  the  Institution  ; 
out  he  was  afraid  it  would  be  a  long  time  before  they  were  able  to  do  so 
again.  Ten  years  ago  fifteen  persons  applied  for  help,  and  now  thirty- 
one  cases  were  pressing.  LaBt  January  there  were  forty-one  applicants, 
and  he  was  afraid  there  would  be  more,  as  through  the  present  bad  times 
there  were  many  gardeners  out  of  situation,  and  as  the  Institution  gets 
better  known  there  are  sure  to  be  more  applications. 
Memories  would  go  back,  he  said,  to  their  late  indefatigable 
Secretary,  Mr.  Cutler.  Many  wondered  what  would  become  of  the 
Society  when  he  was  taken  away  after  fifty  years’  service.  There  was  a 
saying,  however,  that  there  were  as  good  fish  in  the  sea  as  ever  came 
out,  and  in  securing  the  services  op  Mr.  Ingram  they  were  fortunate  in 
cafchiog  their  fisb,  for  he  bad  proved  himself  to  be  competent  in  every 
way,  and  it  was  a  pleasure  to  work  with  him.  Mr.  Veitch  then  iead  an 
amusiug  letter  from  Air.  John  Lee,  the  father  of  the  Institution.  Mr.  Lie 
much  regretted  not  being  able  to  attend  the  dinner,  but  unfortunately 
in  endeavouring  to  prure  his  own  vines  he  had  fallen  and  fractured  his 
skull  (loud  laughter);  he  was  also  suffering  from  the  effects  of  a  bid 
crld.  Apart  from  these  ailments  he  was  fairly  well  for  an  old  fellow 
over  ninety  (laugh  er),  and  hoped  they  would  have  a  large  collection. 
The  Treasurer  then  made  some  reference  to  the  alteration*  that 
bad  been  made  in  the  rules.  At  first  it  had  been  considered  necessary, 
wnen  forming  tbe  Committee,  to  choose  the  members  from  round  London, 
as  it  was  impossible  for  those  dwelling  long  distances  away  to  attend  the 
frequent  meetings.  At  the  revision  of  the  rule,  however,  they  decided  to 
increase  the  number  from  twenty-four  to  thirty-six,  and  that  the  extra 
twelve  should  be  chosen  from  a  distance  of  not  less  than  fifty  miles  from 
the  metropolis.  An  annual  sum  of  £600  a  year  went  for  rent,  salaries, 
and  other  expenses,  and  to  show  what  the  work  of  the  Secretary  is  he 
might  add  that  last  year  no  less  than  11,000  letters  and  circulars  were 
sent  out.  It 'was  necessary  that  they  should  keep  a  reserve  fund  in 
order  to  meet  with  any  future  emergencies. 
Mr.  Veitch  then  read  a  letter  from  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence,  Bart., 
regretting  his  inability  to  attend,  this  being  the  first  time  he  had  missed 
for  many  years.  He  had,  however,  enclosed  £21,  and  expressed  himself 
much  in  sympathy  with  the  Institution. 
The  toast  of  “  Horticulture  ”  was  proposed  by  His  Honour  Judge 
Philbrick,  Q  C,,  who  remarked  in  commencement  that  one  of  the 
greatest  and  wisest  of  men,  Lord  Bacon,  once  said  that  when  God 
Almighty  made  the  world  one  of  the  first  things  he  made  wa»  a  garden. 
Gardening,  continued  the  learned  Judge,  is  the  purest  of  all  pleasures, 
and  as  a  nation  makes  progress  iu  civilisation  so  the  art  increases,  and 
though  in  a  higher  state  of  perfection  now  than  hitherto,  gardening  was 
largely  carried  on  in  ancient  times,  and  even  now  we  speak  of  the  hanging 
gardens  ot  Babylon  as  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world.  The  study  of 
horticulture  has  brought  restoration  and  peace  to  the  troubled  spirit  ;  it 
has  brought  happiness  to  those  who  have  become  imbued  with  the  love 
of  it,  therefore  he  was  proud  to  be  there  that  evening  and  give  the  toast 
of  “Horticulture.” 
