March  16,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  OARDENEU. 
221 
THE  UNITED  HORTICULTURAL  BENEFIT  AND 
PROVIDENT  SOCIETY. 
OuK  only  horticultural  benefit  society  continues  to  grow  in  size  and 
importance,  as  healthy  institutions  have  a  knack  of  doing,  and  its  annual 
business  meetings  are  usually  well  attended.  The  1899  fixture,  which  took 
place  at  the  Caledonian  Hotel,  Adelphi,  Strand,  on  Monday  evening  last, 
was  rather  an  exception  in  this  respect,  for  the  attendance  was  certainly 
meagre.  This  might  have  been  brought  about,  as  was  suggested,  by 
the  knowledge  possessed  by  the  members  that  all  affairs  were  right 
and  satisfactory.  Be  that  as  it  may,  everything  worked  without  a  hitch, 
aad  there  was  no  demur  raised  to  anything.  Mr.  J.  Fraser,  of  “The 
Gardening  World,”  took  the  chair  at  eight  o’clock  precisely. 
After  the  customary  preliminaries  had  been  disposed  of  the  report  and 
statement  of  accounts  were  presented  by  the  Secretary,  Mr.  W.  Collins, 
and  the  Hon.  Treasurer,  Mr.  Jas.  Hudson.  The  adoption  of  the  report 
and  statement  of  accounts  was  formally  moved  by  the  Chairman,  seconded 
by  Mr.  Coates,  and  carried  nem.  con.  It  is  pleasing  to  know  that  the 
several  funds  are  in  excellent  condition. 
This  done,  the  Chairman  reviewed  at  some  length  the  scope  and  object 
of  the  Society,  as  well  as  its  working  and  present  status.  Mr.  Fraser 
expressed  surprise  that  a  society  like 
the  “  United,”  which  could  fairly 
claim  to  be  national,  could  be  carried 
on  with  so  little  expense  of  manage¬ 
ment,  and  suggested  that  the  secre¬ 
tarial  duties  were  performed  by  Mr. 
Collins  more  as  a  labour  of  love  than 
for  the  sake  of  emolument.  After 
touching  upon  the  benefits  to  be 
obtained  by  members  in  the  way  of 
sick  pay — 18s.  per  week  for  twenty-six 
weeks,  and  9s.  per  week  for  another 
twenty-six  weeks  in  each  year,  for  the 
upper  division,  and  12s.  and  Ss.  per 
week  for  the  same  respective  periods  in 
the  lower  division — Mr.  Fraser  laid 
special  stress  upon  the  provident  section 
of  the  Society.  Under  this  section  a 
certain  amount  was  laid  aside  each 
year  to  the  credit  of  each  member,  these 
deposits  bearing  interest  until  both 
principal  and  interest  were  withdrawn 
by  the  member  on  attaining  the  age  of 
seventy  years,  or  previously  by  his 
heirs  or  executors  in  the  event  of  death. 
The  Benevolent  Fund  was  warmly 
praised,  and  Mr.  Fraser  concluded  by 
advising  every  member  to  do  his  best 
individually  to  bring  other  members 
into  the  fold. 
It  was  resolved,  following  the  pro¬ 
posal  of  Mr.  A.  Hemsley,  to  print 
25,000  copies  of  the  report  in  addition 
to  those  required  for  the  members,  in 
order  that  by  being  distributed  they 
might  advertise  the  claims  of  the 
Society.  The  meeting  was  scarcely 
moved  out  of  the  even  tenor  of  its  way 
even  by  the  election  of  the  committee¬ 
men,  although  there  certainly  was  a 
thrill  of  animation.  The  retiring  mem¬ 
bers,  Messrs.  H.  Peerless,  E.  Burge, 
and  W.  Foreman,  were  re-elected  ;  and 
Messrs.  Summers,  Taylor,  and  C.  F.  Harding  were  chosen  to  fill  the 
places  of  Messrs.  N.  Cole.  G.  W.  Cummins,  and  E.  G.  Wheeler.  Mr. 
Harding  goes  on  Committee  as  a  representative  of  the  journeymen 
gardeners. 
Mr.  W.  Collins’  value  as  Secretary  is  so  well  known  that  his 
re-election  was  simply  a  matter  of  form.  Thus  Mr.  A.  Hemsley  found 
ihe  meeting  entirely  with  him  in  his  appreciation  of  their  worthy 
Secretary,  as  did  also  Mr.  J.  Hudson,  who  supported  the  motion.  Mr. 
Hudson  mentioned  incidentally  that  the  turnover  between  himself  and 
^Ir.  Collins  during  the  past  year  had  been  £2000,  and  although  each  kept 
books  independently  of  the  other,  they  were  found  upon  comparison  at 
the  end  of  the  year  to  tally  even  to  a  penny. 
Hitherto  a  member  of  the  “  United”  has  not  had  an  official  emblem 
of  membership  ;  but  this  defect  has  now  been  made  good,  and  a  very 
handsome  emblem  designed  by  Mrs.  Harvey  'nee  Miss  Lilian  Hudson)  has 
been  accepted,  and  samples  of  it,  both  framed  and  unframed,  were  on  view. 
The  design  itself  is  13  inches  by  10  inches,  and  the  price  will  be  Is.  6d. 
The  accompanying  illustration,  which  has  been  prepared  from  a  photo¬ 
graph,  is  a  reduction  of  the  original,  and  brings  out  admirably  its 
salient  features.  Now  the  Society  has  an  emblem  as  well  as  a  motto,  and 
both  are  worthy  of  it. 
Votes  of  thanks  to  the  Committee,  the  Hon.  Treasurer  (Mr.  .las. 
Hudson,  who  has  been  connected  in  an  official  capacity  with  the  Society 
for  some  fourteen  or  fifteen  years),  the  Trustees,  the  Horticultural  Press, 
and  the  Chairman,  were  all  passed  through  hands  with  great  good  humour 
and  celerity.  Judging  from  appearances  everybody  connected  with  the 
Society  seems  to  like  work,  and  consequently  to  work  well. 
NOTES  ON  ALPINE  FLOWERS. 
WtJLFENIA  CARINTHIACA. 
While  it  is  more  pleasing  to  write  of  plants  which  will  give  satisfac¬ 
tion  to  growers,  it  is  none  the  less  needful  to  tell  of  those  which  hardly 
repay  the  trouble— even  if  it  be  small — of  growing  them.  Wulfenia 
carinthiaca  is  one  of  the  latter  class,  and  is  so  because  of  its  very  shy 
flowering.  The  writer  has  known  it  in  gardens  for  years  without 
producing  a  single  bloom,  and  in  others  where  a  large  plant  gives  an 
occasional  spike.  He  does  not,  however,  know  any  place  where  it  blooms 
with  the  freedom  it  ought  to  show  to  cause  it  to  be  recognised  as  a  good 
alpine  flower.  It  is  also  liable  to  perish  in  winter  if  allow'ed  to  form 
large  plants.  This  Wulfenia  was  introduced  from  the  Carinthian  Alps 
about  eighty  years  ago,  and  the  genus  was  named  in  honour  of  Francis 
Xavier  Wulfen,  a  botanist  who  was  the  author  of  a  work  on  the  plants  of 
Carinthia.  It  belongs  to  the  natural  order  of  Scrophularinece,  and  has  a 
loosely  arranged  spike  barely  a  foot  high,  bearing  blue  tiowers,  which  are 
somewhat  drooping.  Wulfenia  carinthiaca  is  propagated  by  seeds  or 
division,  and  may  be  grown  in  a  rather  peaty  soil.  The  plants  ought  to 
be  divided  in  April  if  increase  is  desired. 
Erythe^ea  Massoni. 
This  is,  it  appears,  the  correct  designation  of  a  little  plant  best  known 
by  the  name  of  E.  diffusa.  One  cannot 
but  qualify  this  statement  by  saying 
_  that  the  plant  is  little  known,  because 
of  the  difiBculty  some  find  in  retaining 
it  as  a  permanent  occupant  of  their 
gardens.  It  frequently  dies  with  many 
after  flowering.  With  the  writer  it  has 
been  more  complaisant,  and  he  has  had, 
and  still  has,  one  plant  in  the  same 
position  that  it  has  occupied  for  seven 
or  eight  years.  In  bis  garden  it  is 
grown  in  light  sandy  peat  soil  on  the 
raised  edge  of  a  path,  and  where  it  is 
partially  shaded  in  summer  by  tail 
herbaceous  plants.  One  requirement  is 
carefully  attended  to  in  summer  ;  this 
is  a  plentiful  supply  of  water  in  con¬ 
tinued  dry  weather.  In  light  very  well- 
drained  soil  this  little  plant  has  a 
thorough  soaking  of  water  when  it 
appears  to  be  becoming  in  need  of  same. 
E.  Massoni  is  a  charming  little 
flower  of  a  reddish  purple,  not  unlike 
a  dwarfer  and  prettier  form  of  the 
native  dwarf  Centaury,  E.  Centaurium. 
It  is  increased  by  division  or  by  seeds. 
The  latter  is  the  more  convenient 
method,  and  gives  better  results.  Seeds 
are  freely  produced,  and  may  be  sown 
as  soon  as  ripe,  or  in  spring.  E.  !Mas- 
soni  is  a  native  of  the  Azores,  but  has 
proved  quite  hardy  with  the  writer, 
never  receiving  any  protection  in 
winter.  While  partial  shade,  as  is  pre¬ 
viously  mentioned,  is  given  here,  the 
plant  ought  not  to  be  overhung  by  other 
flowers.  It  opens  in  sunny  weather. 
Erythronium  americanum. 
On  ipage  94  E.  Hartwegi  was  briefly 
spoken  of,  and  the  writer  now  desires 
to  refer  at  greater  length  to  a  plant 
which  has  been  introduced  for  a  long 
time,  but  which  has  given  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to  cultivators.  This 
is  Erythronium  americanum  (the  American  Dog’s-tootl^  Violet)— an 
unfortunate  name,  seem* 
from  across  the  Atlantic. 
Violet  is  its  refusal  to 
satisfactory  with  others. 
that  we  have  now  so  many  Erythroniums 
The  troublesome  feature  of  this  Dog’s-tooth 
flower  under  the  treatment  which  proves  so 
This  appears  to  be  caused  by  its  splitting 
up  into  small  offsets,  which  go  so  deeply  into  the  soil  as  to  becoim* 
unable  to  flower.  The  way  to  prevent  this  is  to  enclose  the  plants 
within  stones  all  round  and  a'  the  bottom.  A  good  stiff  sotl  is  also  an 
advantage.  The  flowers  of  E.  americanum  are  yellow,  and  it  is  a  pretty 
and  pleasing  plant  where  it  does  well. 
CAMI’ANULA  SOLDANELLHIFLOEA. 
The  Soldanella-tlowered  Campanula  is  little  seen,  and  it  is  not  often 
that  one  finds  it  offered  for  sale.  It  partakes  in  its  general  features 
of  the  style  of  the  native  Campanula  rotundifolia,  or  of  C.  Hosti.  The 
flowers  of  what  one  may  call  the  preferable  form  are  semi-double,  and  are 
remarkably  pretty  and  uncommon  looking  in  a  collection  of  the  smaller 
Bellflowers.  It  grows  9  inches  or  a  foot  high.  Increase  of  C  soldanellm- 
flora  is  effected  by'  means  of  division  or  cuttings.  It  may  be  also  raised 
from  seeds,  but  only  a  proportion  of  the  seedlings  will  come  semi-double. 
Some  raised  by  the  writer  presented  a  good  deal  of  variation.  There  were 
the  semi-doubh-  form  in  ireifect  condition  ;  flowers  similar  to  those  of  the 
Harebell  or  C.  Hosti,  and  others  with  narrow,  deeply  cut  .segments 
varying  in  size.  C.  soldanellaeflora  grows  well  in  almost  any  moderately 
heavy  soil,  and  lasts  longer  in  bloom  if  in  alight  shade,  but  not  overhung 
by  other  plants  or  by  trees. — Alpixus. 
