June  5,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
491 
unloosening  of  the  purse-strings.  Mr.  Veitch,  on  behalf  of  the 
committee  and  institution,  thanked  his  Grace  for  the  interest- 
he  had  exhibited.  He  made  a  passing  reference  to  the  presence 
with  them  of  Mr.  George  Monro,  who  had  been  seriously  ill  last 
year  at  this  date.  Mr.  Nathaniel  Sherwood’s  absence  Avas  much 
missed  and  regretted,  but  Mr.  Veitch  was  able  to  give  hopes  of 
this  respected  gentleman’s  early  and  complete  restoration  to 
business  activity  and  to  social  communion.  The  treasurer  stated 
that  190  pensioners  are  receiving  assistance,  two  of  whom  are 
each  ninety-four  years  of  age,  and  both  have  been  nineteen  years 
on  the  funds.  He  jocularly  remarked  that  these  tAvo  Avorthies, 
in  common  with  numerous  others,  had  come  to  the  institution 
with  excellent  medical  certificates  as  to  their  extreme  ill-health ! 
The  youngest  pensioner  is  fifty  years  of  age,  but  is  totally  blind. 
As  a  rule  no  person  is  elected  until  sixty  years  of  age,  unless  in 
very  exceptional  cases. 
The  Good  Samaritan  Fund  is  doing  splendid  work.  It  was 
formed  for  the  purpose  of  giving  help  to  those  in  real  need  Avhile 
waiting  to  be  elected  to  the  full  pension.  Mr.  Veitch  read  a 
number  of  touching  letters  from  persons  Avho  have  had  benefits 
from  the  institution  from  time  to-  time.  Letters  so  full  of 
fervency  could  only  come  from  those  Avho  had  experienced 
extreme  necessity,  and  in  order  to  support  such  very  deserving 
cases  it  is  essential  that  every  means  should  be  taken  to  augment 
the  aimual  income.  The  institution  exists  for  gardeners  of 
England,  Scotland,  Ireland,  and  Wales — it  has  no  individual 
nationality,  but  opens  its  doors  to  all.  Tliis  is  a  fact  overlooked 
by  most  of  the  gardeners  outside  the  southern  parts  of  England. 
Could  the  funds  be  increased,  hoAV  much  more  might  be  done! 
With  only  one  election  annually,  and  sixty  persons  seeking  to  be 
elected  where  only  a  score  of  places  are  vacant,  the  committee 
feels  that  it  can  assist  only  a  section  of  a  necessitous  band.  The 
money  is  usually  sent  through  the  clergyman  of  the  parish  or 
through  someone  Avell  knoAvn  and  responsible.  The  Avorking 
expenses  of  the  institution  are  exceedingly  light.  The  members 
of  committee  are  all  honorai-y,  and  the  ofiice  staff  and  expenses 
are,  indeed,  very  limited,  and  could  not  be  more  economically 
conducted.  These  matters  were  expressed  by  Mr.  Veitch  by  way 
of  shoAving  that  monetary  contributions  are  directly  applied  to 
the  cause  for  Avhich  they  are  given,  and  everything  that  can  be 
done  is  done  to  sav-e,  augment,  and  judiciously  utilise  the  funds. 
Lieut. -Colonel  R.  Pilkington,  M.P.,  next  proposed  a  toast  to 
“  Horticulture,”  which  Avas  responded  to  by  Mr.  W.  J.  Jeffries 
in  the  absence,  through  illness,  of  Mr.  A.  W.  Sutton;  and  the 
last  toast,  that  of  “  The  Chairman,”  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Geo. 
Monro,  was  very  tactfully  delivered  and  courteously  replied  to. 
Following  this,  the  secretary,  Mr.  Geo.  Ingram,  announced  the 
names  of  the  chief  subscribers,  furnishing  a  total  of  £1,800. 
The  Chairman  £25,  Messrs.  Rothschilds  100  guineas,  Baron 
Schroder  £50,  M.  J.  Sutton  £50,  A.  J.  Sutton  £50,  N.  N.  Sher- 
Avood  25  guineas,  H.  J.  Veitch  25  guineas,  Lieut. -Colenel  Pilking¬ 
ton  £25,  Covent  Garden  Table  £134,  and  many  other  sums. 
The  musical  programme  AA*as  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Herbert  Schartau,  assisted  by  Miss  Marian  Iceton,  Miss  Edith 
Clegg,  and  Mr.  Robert  Radford.  Miss  Ethel  Marsh  gave 
delightful  violin  solos,  and  Mr.  Valentine  Hill’s  humorous  recita¬ 
tion  Avas  greatly  appreciated. 
Iris  orientalis  (syn.  ochroleu.ca) 
There  are  some  very  interesting  old  plants  Avhich  have  been 
figured  in  the  older  volumes  of  the  “  Botanical  Magazine,”  and 
when  time  permits  one  often  turns  over  Avith,  pleasure  the  pages 
of  the  volumes  in  one’s  possession,  though  this  is  a  little  pro¬ 
vocative  of  the  desire  to  have  a  complete  set  of  this  valued  and 
valuable  work.  Thus,  the  other  day  I  came  across  the  old  Iris, 
generally  known  in  the  gardens  Avhere  it  is  knoAvn  at  all  as 
ochroleuca,  but  noAv  called  orientalis,  which  is  rather  confusing 
because  of  the  variety  of  sibirica  which  bears  that  name.  The 
plate  gives  a  very  good  representation  of  the  flower  and  a  portion 
of  the  stem  and  foliage,  showing  w-ell  the  ivory-white  of  the 
groundwork  of  the  blooms  and  the  ochreous  yellow  which  occupies 
a  considerable  proportion  of  the  blooms.  The  flower  is  not  to  be 
compared  in  dimensions  with  those  of  the  popular  “  German  ” 
Irises,  but  resembles  more  in  general  appearance,  and,  indeed, 
in  the  whole  character  of  the  plant,  that  of  our  native  I.  pseud- 
acorus.  Like  that  species,  too,  it  is  a  moisture  lover,  and  is  well 
suited  for  naturalising  by  the  sides  of  streams  or  ponds,  or  in 
the  moist  positions  to  be  found  almost  in  all  “  wild  gardens,” 
those  delightful  features  of  many  a  noble  demesne  no  at  adays. 
Its  clustered  flowers  on  their  3ft  stems  look  very  pleasing  in  such 
places  in  June,  and  at  other  times  the  leaves  themselves  are 
welcome  to  those  avIio  appreciate  the  SAvord-like  foliage  of  so 
many  of  the  plants  of  this  fine  family.  From  the  “Botanical 
Magazine”  I  learn  that  it  Avas  known  as  Pooocke’s  Iris,  from  it 
haA-ing  been  introduced  to  this  country  by  Br.  Pococke. 
— S.'  Arnott. 
London  Dahlia  Union. 
A  grand  Dahlia  competition  has  been  arranged  for  Septem¬ 
ber  16,  17,  and  18,  to  be  held  in  the  Royal  Aquarium,  West¬ 
minster,  and  a  schedule  of  prizes  has  been  issued.  This  can  be 
had  from  Mr.  Richard  Dean,  42,  Ranelagh  Road,  Ealing. 
National  Fruit  Growers’  Federation. 
The  first  meeting  of  the  provisional  committee  of  the  aboA-e 
society,  as  announced  by  us  last  Aveek,  Avas  held  on  Wednesday, 
May  14,  at  the  Westminster  Palace  Hotel.  There  aars  a  good 
attendance,  the  folloAving  leading  groAvers  being  present :  Messrs. 
Herbert  Leney,  A.  White,  G.  E.  Champion,  F.  Smith,  E.  Neve, 
G.  Farmer,  W.  W.  Skinner,  A.  Mi.skin,  and  W.  Cable,  from 
Kent;  A.  Grant,  Cambridgeshire;  Colonel  Long,  M.P.,  and  Mr. 
Idiens,  Worcestershire;  W.  Craze,  CornAvall ;  H.  F.  Getting, 
Herefordshire;  W,  Bracey,  Norfolk;  A.  H.  H.  MatthcAvs,. 
Secretary  of  the  Central  Chamber  of  Agriculture;  and  A.  T. 
MattheAvs,  late  Secretary  of  the  National  Agricultural  ITnion. 
Telegrams  and  letters  of  approval  and  regret  for  non-attendance 
were  read  from  Colonel  Warde,  M.P.,  H.  Wickham,  W.  Wing, 
R.  C.  Champion,  Colonel  Willan,  J.  H.  Best,  J.  W.  Lawry,  W. 
Shand,  Jas.  W’ood,  W.  Kru.se,  W.  Ellis,  J.  Boorman,  and  others. 
The  headquarters  of  the  federation  AAill  be  in  London.  The 
minimum  annual  subscription  was  fixed  at  10s. 
Death  of  Mr.  Wm.  Bull. 
The  founder  of  the  nursery  firm  Avhose  quarters  are  in  the 
King’s  Road,  Chelsea,  died  on  the  morning  of  June  1,  after  only 
three  days’  illness.  Bom  at  Winchester,  in  Hami).shire,  he  A'.  as 
educated  privately  at  Shirley,  near  Southampton.  When  barely 
fourteen  years  of  age  he  entei-ed  his  flcricultural  career  at  a 
nursery  in  Winchester,  but  soon  removed  to  Messrs.  E.  G. 
Henderson  and  Son’s  Nunsery,  at  St.  John’s  Wood,  London. 
After  a  number  of  succe.ssful  years’  experience  he  became  a 
traveller  for  this  firm  at  the  age  of  tAA-enty,  and  at  twenty-six  he 
AA’as  invited  to  join  Messrs.  Wm.  Rclli.sson  and  Sons,  of  Tooting, 
also  in  the  capacity  of  traveller.  While  so  engaged  he  toured 
throughout  the  United  Kingdom  and  in  nearly  every  country  of 
Europe,  much  to  the  gain  of  his  employers.  He  desired  a  partner¬ 
ship  at  the  age  of  thirty-tAvo  ;  but  matters  Avere  not  satisfactorily 
arranged  AA'ith  the  finn,  and  Mr.  Bull  therefore  determined  to 
open  a  business  of  his  oavu.  In  January,  1861,  he  acquired  the 
property,  noAV  his  freehold,  in  the  King’s  Road,  Chelsea,  S.W., 
and  from  that  time  onwards  there  Avas  no  looking  backward.  His 
business  literally  progre.s.sed  by  “  leaps  and  bounds,”  and  stands 
to-day  in  an  enviable  position.  Mr.  Bull  AA’as  the  introducer  of 
numerous  Avell-knoAvn  decorative  plants,  among  Avhich  may  be 
named  Jasminum  nitidum,  Ari.stolochia  elegans,  Dractena 
Victoria,  Ficus  radicans  variegata,  Phoenix  rupicola,  and 
numerous  good  Orchids,  for  Avhich  his  establishment  has  long  been 
rencAvned.  The  “Economic  Metropolitan  RevicAV  ”  remarks  that 
Avhen  the  Coffee  plantations  of  Ceylon  Avere  devastated  by  the 
parasitic  micro-fungus,  Hemileia  vastatrix,  it  Avas  Mr.  William 
Bull  AA’ho  boldly  came  tO'  the  rescue  by  supplying  the  planter’s  in 
their  time  of  distress  Avith  a  variety  from  Liberia  that  Avas  much 
more  robu.st.  Of  this  neAV  and  A-igerous  kind  of  Coffee  plant 
tens  of  thousands  of  sturdy  seedlings  Avere  shipped  from  the 
Chelsea  establishment  to  almost  every  Coffee  groAving  country — 
notably,  to  Ceylon,  the  Dutch  East  Indies,  Brazil,  and  Central 
America.  He  w’as  the  inA-entor  of  an  improA-ed  plant  case  for 
exporting  plants  in.  The  late  gentleman  Avas  one  of  the  favoured 
foAv  selected  to  receive  the  Victoria  Medal  of  Honour  gi’antcd  by 
Her  Most  Gracious  Majesty  as  a  special  mark  of  faA'our  to  horti¬ 
culturists  in  the  year  of  Jubilee;  Avas  a  P'ellow  of  the  Linmean 
Society-,  the  Royal  Geographical  Society,  the  Zoological  Society, 
the  Royal  Horticultural  Society-,  and  the  Royal  Botanical 
Society  ;  a  Member  of  the  Society  of  Arts  and  of  the  Anthropo¬ 
logical  Institute.  Mr.  William  Bull  Avas  also  a  Mombor  of  the 
Societe  Royale  d’Agi-iculture  et  dc  Botani(|ue  de  Gaud,  the 
Societe  Nationalo  d’Horticulturc  de  France,  and  of  the  Hniii- 
cultural  Societies  of  Berlin  and  St.  Petersburg. 
