364 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  18,  1900. 
United  Horticnltnral  Benefit  and  Provident 
Society— Annual  Dinner. 
It  cannot  be  too  widely  known  amongst  the  gardeners  of  the  United 
Kingdom,  particularly,  perhaps,  by  those  who  are  practically  still  on  the 
threshold  of  what,  it  may  be  hoped,  will  prove  a  long  and  prosperous 
career,  that  this  is  an  institution  which,  in  a  quiet,  unobtrusive  way,  is 
doing  an  immense  amount  of  good  solid  work  on  behalf  of  those  whose 
lives  are  given  over  to  gardening.  As  has  been  said  on  more  than  one 
occasion,  it  was  •“  instituted  by  gardeners,  is  managed  by  gardeners, 
for  the  beneht  of  gardeners.”  Never  in  its  history  of  five  and  thirty 
years  has  this  splendid  policy  been  deviated  from,  and  the  result  is  that 
after  early  struggles  in  comparative  poverty,  it  passed  on  to  an  age  of 
progress,  and  lives  now  in  what  may  be  justly  designated  an  era  of 
prosperity.  May  this  last  stage  be  maintained  is  the  sincere  wish  of 
everyone  who  has  the  best  interests  of  the  craft  at  heart.  On  Thursday 
evening,  under  the  presidency  of  Mr.  George  Munro,  the  fourteenth 
anniversary  dinner  was  held  in  the  Venetian  Chamber  of  the  Holborn 
Restaurant,  when  considerably  over  one  hundred  members  and  friends 
sat  down.  The  chairman  was  supported  by  Messrs.  J.  Munro,  H.  J. 
Veitch,  W.  Roupell,  G,  W.  Roach,  Arnold  Moss,  C.  Osman,  H.  J.  Ingram, 
Peter  Kay,  V.M.H.,  H.  J.  and  W.  Cutbush,  J.  Hudson,  J.  George, 
Nathan  Cole,  W.  Farr,  with  many  others,  in  addition  to  the  secretary, 
Mr.  W.  Collins. 
Immediately  upon  the  conclusion  of  the  report  and  following 
the  loyal  toasts,  Mr.  Munro  rose  to  propose  the  toast  of  the  evening, 
“Continued  Prosperity  to  the  United  Horticultural  Benefit  and 
Provident  Society.”  At  the  outset  the  chairman  carried  his  auditors 
back  to  1865,  when  the  society  was  formed,  and  observed  that  for 
twenty  years  it  did  not  flourish.  In  or  about  the  year  1885,  however, 
the  Jotcrnal  of  Horticulture  spoke  powerfully  in  favour  of  the  society, 
and  to  the  work  done  by  this  Journal  at  that  period  Mr.  Munro 
ascribed  much  of  the  excellent  progress  that  commenced  therewith 
and  has  since  continued.  There  were  now,  he  remarked,  800 
members,  of  whom  sixty-five  had  joined  since  the  last  anniversary 
dinner.  He  was  pleased  to  see  so  many  young  men  present,  and 
trusted  that  those  amongst  them  who  were  not  already  members  would 
lose  no  time  in  having  their  names  added  to  the  roll.  Pointed 
reference  was  next  made  to  the  fact  that  there  were  two  scales  of 
payment,  one  of  which  called  for  an  outlay  of  9d.  per  week,  the  other 
6d.,  which  carried  the  respective  benefits  during  illness  of  18s.  and 
I2s.  for  twenty- six  weeks,  and  9s.  and  6s.  for  a  further  twenty-six 
weeks,  thus  giving  the  member  very  substantial  relief  for  a  complete 
year.  Then,  said  the  chairman,  there  were  the  Benevolent  Fund,  to 
which  everyone  had  to  contribute  a  small  annual  sum  ;  the  Manage¬ 
ment  Fund,  which  called  for  2s.  6d.  per  annum  from  every  member; 
and  the  Convalescent  Fund,  which  is  entirely  supported  by  the 
voluntary  contributions  of  members  and  their  friends,  and  which 
owed  its  origin  to  Mr.  N.  N.  Sherwood,  V.M.H.  As  implied  in  its 
name,  the  object  of  this  latter  fund  was  to  send  a  member  who  had 
been  ill,  and  who  was  still  unable  through  weakness  to  resume  work, 
to  the  seaside  or  other  approved  place  to  recruit.  This  is  a  scheme 
that  is  obviously  worthy  of  all  support.  Then,  said  the  speaker, 
though  a  member’s  balance  was  constantly  being  augmented,  he  could 
draw  nothing  until  he  was  seventy  years  of  age,  but  notwithstanding 
this  he  did  not  consider  that  the  balance  of  £16,(  00  was  any  too 
large.  It  was  necessary,  he  remarked,  in  considering  this  amount  to 
bear  in  mind  the  fact  that  the  society  was  comparatively  young,  and 
to  face  the  inevitable  fact  that  during  the  coming  twenty  years  many 
members  would  attain  to  the  age  which  allowed  them  to  withdraw 
their  money  for  the  benefit  of  their  old  age.  He  called  attention  to 
the  fact  that  though  no  hat  would  be  passed  round  any  money  that 
might  be  contributed  at  the  dinner  would  be  placed  to  the  credit  of 
the  Benevolent  Fund,  unless  otherwise  stated,  and  added  that  money 
was  wanted  and  could  be  well  employed.  The  outlook  for  this 
association,  which  is  at  once  a  benefit  society,  a  bank,  and  an 
insurance  corporation,  Mr.  Munro  considered  good,  and  at  this  juncture 
he  paid  a  graceful  and  thoroughly  deserved  tribute  to  the  excellent 
work  done  by  Mr.  Collins,  whom  he  thought  was  hardly  likely  to  die  a 
millionaire  from  the  salary  he  was  receiving  as  secretary.  Gardeners, 
continued  Mr.  Munro,  who  did  not  belong  to  the  society  were  worse 
than  foolish,  and  he  called  upon  the  present  800  members  to  put 
their  shoulders  to  the  wheel,  and  by  concerted  effort  to  induce  their 
friends  to  join,  as  the  more  there  were  the  greater  the  amount  of 
good  that  could  be  done.  Mr.  Munro  was  heartily  applauded  on  the 
conclusion  of  his  forceful  speech. 
The  name  of  Mr.  Jas.  Hudson,  V.M.H.,  was  coupled  with  this  toast, 
and  he,  as  treasurer  of  the  Society,  gave  the  meeting  some  pertinent 
facts  in  the  shape  of  figures.  This  financier-gardener  evidently 
believes  in  advertising,  for,  said  he,  “  when  you  have  got  a  good  thing 
make  it  known.”  This  is  excellent  advice  that  might  he  advantageously 
applied  to  various  things  connected  with  the  craft  besides  this  society. 
Mr.  Hudson  was,  he  said,  looking  for  the  time  when  the  roll  of  members 
reached  1000  and  the  total  sum  invested  was  £20,000.  Then,  and  not 
till  then,  he  said,  he  might  feel  inclined  to  retire  from  his  post.  But 
we  can  inform  Mr.  Hudson  that  it  is  quite  certain  that  the  members 
would  not  let  him  go  without  a  struggle,  even  when  such  an  Arcadian 
state  of  affairs  is  reached.  The  working  expenses,  proceeded  the 
speaker,  amounted  to  23.  lOid.  per  member,  of  which,  as  the  chairman 
had  told  them,  each  member  was  compelled  to  pay  23.  6d.  He  was 
hoping  that  ere  long  they  would  be  paying  their  secretary  a  respectable 
salary,  and  called  attention  to  the  report  being  almost  a  directory, 
inasmuch  as  it  contains  the  names  and  addresses  of  800  members. 
Mr.  Hudson  then  called  attention  to  the  most  interesting  fact  that 
there  were  three  of  the  original  members  present  at  the  dinner,  of 
whom  at  least  two  signed  the  rules  that  were  submitted  for  registration 
under  the  Friendly  Societies’  Act.  These  gentlemen  were  Messrs. 
Nathan  Cole,  Jas.  George,  and  Joe  Wheeler.  He  hoped  for  the  continued 
and  increased  prosperity  of  the  institution.! 
Mr.  Chas.  H.  Curtis  next  submitted  the  toast  of  “  The  Honorary  and 
Life  Members,”  remarking  that  the  society  was  immensely  indebted  to 
those  gentlemen,  not  so  much  for  the  money  they  subscribed  as  for  the 
beneficial  influence  their  names  exerted  on  behalf  of  the  funds.  Several 
of  them  were,  he  observed,  employers  of  labour,  who  by  their  example 
might  induce  those  under  them  to  subscribe  to  the  funds  of  a  society — 
a  proceeding  which  was  succinctly  described  as  tantamount  to  taking 
money  from  one  pocket  and  placing  it  carefully  in  the  other.  He 
thought  an  increase  of  life  and  honorary  members  would  go  far  in  aiding 
them  to  reach  the  much  desired  1000  ordinary  or  paying  members. 
Mr.  Curtis  coupled  with  this  toast  the  name  of  Mr.  Arnold  Moss. 
Mr.  Moss  opened  in  his  usual  dryly  humourous  style  with  a  reference 
to  the  fact  that  he  had  been  honoured  with  the  letters  V.M.H,  after  his 
name  in  the  toast  list.  He  had,  he  observed,  no  idea  what  they  meant, 
but  possibly  it  was  “vice  master  of  hounds,”  or  “  very  much  here,” 
but  whichever  was  the  true  interpretation  he  would  endeavour  to  earn 
it  before  the  next  golden  jubilee.  Mr.  Moss  strongly  urged  young 
men  to  join  the  ranks  of  a  society  which  offered  so  many  manifest 
advantages,  and  encouraged  that  spirit  of  independence,  which  he 
thought  was  not  so  conspicuous  now  as  was  the  case  in  years  gone  by. 
Mr.  Moss  did  not  speak  at  great  length,  but  his  remarks  were  listened 
to  with  pleasure  by  everyone  present. 
The  remaining  toasts  having  been  duly  proposed  and  responded  to, 
a  most  successful  gathering  was  brought  to  a  close,  and  we  trust  that 
at  the  next  anniversary  dinner  the  membership  will  have  made  a 
material  advance,  and  that  the  1000  will  be  an  established  fact. 
We  learned  that  the  subscriptions  included  five  guineas  to  the 
Benevolent  Fund  from  Mr.  George  Monro,  five  guineas  to  the 
Convalescent  Fund  from«Mr.  N.  N.  Sherwood,  and  five  guineas  from 
Mr.  Harry  J.  Veitch,  one  guinea  from  Mr.  T.  N.  Cox,  half  a  guinea  from 
Mr.  G.  W.  Roach,  Spitalfields  Market,  and  a  similar  amount  from  Mr. 
R.  Dean,  V.M.H.  In  addition  to  these  Messrs.  W.  Cutbush  &  Sons, 
Highgate,  and  Willingham  Bros.,  Pineapple  Nurseries,  become  honorary 
members  at  a  subscription  of  one  guinea  per  annum. 
- - 
Young  Gardeners’  Domain. 
The  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Examination. 
With  the  shortening  days  of  autumn  the  usual  evening  classes  and 
different  series  of  lectures  on  horticultural  subjects,  held  under  the 
auspices  of  the  County  Councils  and  other  bodies  appointed  to  undertake 
the  management  of  technical  instruction  work,  will  ba  commencing,  and 
many  industrious  climbers  on  various  rungs  of  the  ladder  of  horticultural 
success  will  be  turning  their  minds  to  such  unaccustomed  studies  as 
botany,  chemistry,  entomology,  and  geology,  in  the  expectation  of 
obtaining  one  of  those  much-coveted  rectangular  pieces  of  cardboard 
bearing  the  signatures  of  the  president  and  secretary  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society,  and  testifying  that  so-and-so  passed  in  the  year 
1901  the  annual  examination  held  by  that  body.  The  time  may  not 
therefore  be  altogether  inopportune  for  again  repeating  the  question 
which  by  this  time  begins  to  bear  the  aspect  of  a  hardy  annual  : — 
“  Is  the  certificate  presented  by  the  R.H.S.  for  passing  its  examina¬ 
tion  of  any  real  value  to  a  practical  gardener,  and  if  not,  could  it  be 
made  so  ?  ” 
That  to  obtain  a  good  place  in  the  examination  a  certain  amount  of 
intelligence  and  education,  as  well  as  a  theoretical  knowledge,  extending 
over  a  considerable  area  of  general  garden  and  greenhouse  work,  is 
requisite  cannot  be  doubted.  But  the  question  as  to  whether  the 
successful  examinee  is  likely  to  be  a  more  thorough  or  efficient  gardener 
scarcely  seems  to  need  discussion,  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  bulk 
of  the  first  places  go  to  candidates  from  various  training  schools 
and  colleges,  and  that  boys  of  sixteen  or  seventeen,  and  even  girls,  with 
six  months  or  a  year’s  coaching,  stand  a  better  chance  ot  appearing 
high  up  on  the  list  than  a  sound  practical  gardener  of  twenty  years’ 
standing.  As  a  duel  between  the  big  technical  instruction  centres  it 
may  be  very  interesting,  but  as  a  test  of  gardening  skill  or  attainment 
in  any  direction  it  is  of  scarcely  any  value.  Hardly  anyone,  either  a 
private  employer  or  a  nurseryman,  would  think  of  taking  into 
consideration  the  possession  by  an  applicant  for  a  situation  of  a  first- 
class  certificate ;  he  would  only  take  account  of  the  previous  positions 
which  his  prospective  employe  had  held,  the  number  of  years  he  had 
worked  at  hie  trade,  the  kind  of  stuff  which  he  had  had  the  greatest 
