January  24,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
M 
GOOD  SAMARITAN  FUND.  Balance  Sheet,  1900. 
To  Balance . . .  <£0  17  0 
,,  Donations  1900  <£659  8  0 
„  Annual  subsciption .  110 
,,  Dividends .  10  6  0 
„  Return  of  income  tax .  0  2  7 
- ,£570  18  1 
.£571  15  1 
By  gratuities .  .£10  0  0 
„  Balance .  561  15  1 
- ,£571  15  1 
,£571  15  1 
We  have  audited  the  accounts,  and  certify  the  same  to  be  correct,  and 
everything  in  order,  and  have  also  satisfied  ourselves  that  the  securities  of 
the  invested  funds  are  in  the  hands  of  the  bankers,  by  whom  the  dividends 
are  received  on  behalf  of  the  Institution. 
(Signed)  Thomas  Swift,  5 
Thomas  Manning,  >  Auditors. 
Jesse  Willard,  ) 
January  1 6th,  1901. 
The  report  and  balance-sheet  having  been  read  by  the  secretary, 
Mr.  Yeitch  moved  that  they  be  adopted,  remarking  that  the  society’s 
affairs  had  never  been  more  satisfactory.  He  alluded  to  the  good 
fortune  the  society  had  had  in  being  honoured  by  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
who  had  bt  come  president,  and  to  the  fact  that  their  Royal  Highnesses 
the  Princess  of  Wales  and  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  York  had  become 
patrons.  The  society,  the  speaker  added,  could  not  fail  to  benefit  from 
such  illustrious  connections.  Mr.  Yeitch  then  pointed  out  the  excellence 
of  the  work  done  by  the  secretary,  and  the  exceptionally  small  expenses 
incurred  in  the  office  management,  considering  the  amount  of  work 
there  was  to  do.  Continuing,  he  said  it  was  the  most  successful 
financial  year  the  society  had  had.  In  conclusion  he  animadverted  to 
the  excellent  work  and  the  satisfactory  state  of  both  the  Good 
Samaritan  and  the  Victorian  Era  Funds.  Dr.  Masters  seconded  the 
proposal,  which  was  carried  unanimously. 
The  meeting  then  proceeded  to  the  election  of  the  officers  for  the 
ensuing  year.  Mr.  H.  J.  Yeitch  was  re-elected  treasurer,  and  Mr.  G.  J. 
Ingram  secretary.  The  auditors,  Messrs.  T.  Manning,  J.  Willard,  and 
T.  Swift  were  re-elected,  as  also  were  the  arbitrators.  » 
Mr.  H.  J.  Cutbush  then  proposed  and  Mr.  Barwell  seconded  that 
Isaac  Clark,  William  CottoD,  William  Craggs,  John  Eastwood,  Thomas 
Gale,  and  Elizabeth  Garris  be  placed  upon  the  funds  without  the 
trouble  or  expense  of  an  election.  This  was  carried. 
The  result  of  the  ballot  was  declared  shortly  after  5  p.m.,  when 
the  scrutineers  announced  the  result  as  follows  : — Agnes  Wright, 
7916  j  Wm.  Smith,  6299  ;  Thos.  Tyler  (life  member),  5208;  Geo. 
Wills,  4975;  Jas.  Thatcher,  4671;  John  Gibbons,  4604;  Cecilia  Kent, 
4228;  Elizabeth  Hackwell,  4190  ;  William  Tillery,  3961 ;  and  Samuel 
Mills,  3937.  It  had  been  intended  to  place  another  on  the  funds  without 
election,  but  certain  knowledge  made  this  impossible  for  the  time  being. 
It  was  therefore  proposed  that  Jas.  Finch,  3486,  and  Wm.  Moore,  2003, 
be  elected  in  the  place  of  the  one  omitted.  This  was  unanimously 
agreed  to. 
Annual  Friendly  Supper. 
At  the  supper  Mr.  Alderman  Piper  of  Worthing  presided,  and  there 
was  a  goodly  number  of  members  present.  After  the  meal  the  first 
toast  was  that  of  “The  Queen,”  and  the  chairman  had  the  painful 
duty  of  announcing  a  peaceful  ending  to  a  beautiful  life.  He  had,  he 
said,  to  propose  the  postponement  of  the  meeting,  and  he  was  sure  he 
should  be  expressing  the  sentiments  of  everyone  present  in  tendering 
heartfelt  sympathy  to  T.R.B.  the  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales  in  their 
trouble.  The  Queen,  continued  Mr.  Piper,  had  swayed  the  destinies 
of  the  Empire  and  of  the  world,  and  by  the  nobility  of  her  character 
and  the  purity  of  her  life  had  raised  the  moral  tone  not  of  England 
alone  but  of  the  entire  world.  Future  generations  would,  concluded 
the  speaker,  rise  up  add  call  her  blessed  for  her  great  good.  The 
proceedings  then  closed. 
- - - 
Glasgow  International  Exhibition,  1901. — At  the  Glasgow 
International  Exhibition  this  year  the  Ptince  and  Princess  of  Wales, 
will  perform  the  opening  ceremony.  Amongst  the  foreign  nations 
Russia  so  far  easily  takes  the  lead,  having  acquired  11,131  square  feet 
in  the  inside  of  the  buildings  and  29,705  outside,  the  latter  figures 
representing  only  the  actual  floor  space  of  the  special  pavilions  and 
administration  office.  France  comes  second  witYi  20,600  square  feet, 
all  in  the  inside,  and  Japan  third  with  5000.  Cauada,  with  12,000 
square  feet  in  the  buildings  and  12,000  in  the  grounds,  is  the  largest 
exhibitor  amongst  the  colonials,  Western  Australia  following  with 
10,925,  while  Queensland  makes  a  good  third  with  8050  square  feet. 
A  flower  show  on  a  big  scale  is  to  be  held  towards  the  end  of  August, 
and  will  be  followed  early  in  September  by  a  fruit  show,  valuable  prizes 
being  offered  at  both  so  as  to  insure  the  support  of  the  chief  growers. 
The  exhibition  authorities  are  to  communicate  with  foreign  and 
colonial  governments  desirous  of  taking  part  in  special  fruit  shows, 
the  impression  being  that  such  exhibitions  would  be  appreciated  by 
visitors,  and  prove  benefioial  to  exhibitors. 
Young  Gardeners’  Domain. 
Crocks  and  Pots. 
Everything  must  have  a  beginning,  and  the  young  gardener’s 
introduction  to  the  horticultural  art  is  often  by  way  of  the  crocking 
bench.  Not  a  very  pretentious  start,  perhaps,  that  of  cleaning  and 
crocking  pots  ;  nor  is  it  a  very  highly  skilled  acquirement  at  the  best,  but 
a  necessary  one  for  all  that.  Shakespeare  has  told  us  that  we  may 
find  sermons  in  stones,  and  possibly  if  Shakespeare  had  lived  in  these 
days  and  been  a  gardener  he  might  have  treated  us  to  a  homily  on  the 
humble  and  prosaic  crock.  The  very  youthful  gardener  may  be  lucky 
enough  sometimes  to  escape  his  apprenticeship  with  the  crock  hammer 
if  he  enters  an  establishment  where  each  journeyman  is  expected  to 
crock  his  own  pots,  or  where  a  labourer  is  requisitioned  for  the  job,  but 
not  infrequently,  at  the  outset  of  his  career,  he  finds  himself  wondering 
if  his  life  is  to  be  an  eternal  round  of  wiping  out  and  crocking  pots, 
clearing  up  after  other  people,  and  such-like  menial  occupations-. 
We  have  in  mind  a  certain  youngster  who  once  went  to  a  horticultural 
college.  He  was  brimful  of  enthusiasm  as  he  thought  of  the  Grapes, 
the  Melons,  and  the  Cucumbers  be  would  learn  to  grow  ;  of  the  Ferns 
and  bedding  stuff  he  would  learn  to  raise;  and  of  how,  after  a  short 
time,  he  would  find  himself  producing  such  magnificent  Roses,  such 
glorious  Chrysanthemums,  such  superb  Carnations,  that  gardeners  of 
his  acquaintance  who  had  not  had  the  advantage  of  a  college  training 
should  turn  green  with  envy.  He  laughed  to  scorn  those  wiseacres  who 
shook  their  heads  and  said  that  these  colleges  were  all  very  well,  but 
they  would  never  turn  out  gardeners  ;  they  were  so  unpractical ;  there 
was  too  much  theory  ;  book-learning  was  all  very  well  in  its  way,  but 
that  way  did  not  lie  in  the  direction  of  growing  the  best  stuff  at  the 
lowest  cost.  But  the  young  enthusiast  was  unmoved;  surely  it  was 
practical,  or  if  it  was  not,  then  a  college  training  must  be  a  delightful 
means  of  acquiring  experience  without  undertaking  any  of  the  arduous 
labour  usually  considered  necessary.  But,  alas  !  two  long,  solid  days, 
seated  on  an  upturned  tub  washing  pots  was  sufficient  to  damp  his 
ardour,  and  he  began  to  think  that  college  horticulture  was,  if  anything, 
a  trifle  too  practical.  But  in  reality  there  is  something  to  be  learnt, 
even  in  connection  with  cleaning  and  crocking  pots,  though  it  is 
unquestionably  not  the  most  desirable  part  of  the  gardener’s  routine. 
In  cases  where  the  plants  are  to  stand  in  the  pots  some  time  or 
where  the  pots  are  very  dirty,  it  is  generally  best,  if  time  can  be  spared 
to  wash  them  thoroughly,  inside  and  out,  using  a  stiff  brush,  and 
standing  them  upside  down  to  dry  before  using.  All  green  deposit  or 
mould  should  be  got  off  the  outside,  as  it  impedes  a  free  circulation  of 
air  which  pei  etrates  through  the  sides  of  the  pot  to  the  roots 
and  assists  in  assuring  their  healthy  growth,  besides  an  improved 
appearance,  which  is  not  alwajs  an  entirely  secondary  consideration. 
It  is  important  that  the  inside  of  the  pot  should  be  dry  before  using,  or 
it  will  be  found  that  on  turning  out  for  repotting  the  ball  of  soil  will 
be  inclined  to  adhere  to  the  sides,  instead  of  coining  away  clean  and 
whole  as  it  should  do.  As  au  alternative  to  scrubbing,  the  usual  method 
of  cleaning  is  to  wipe  out  the  inside  of  the  pot  with  an  old  piece  of  rag  or 
sacking,  which  is  much  the  quicker  operation,  though,  perhaps,  a  good 
many  young  gardeners  if  offered  their  choice  between  wiping  out  a 
dusty  pot  with  a  dusty  piece  of  sacking  in  a  cloud  of  choking  dust 
almost  enough  to  make  one  think  of  the  Sahara  Desert,  and  washing 
the  pots,  would  choose  the  latter. 
Crocking  is  a  fairly  simple  matter,  and  yet  very  few  novices  will 
be  likely  to  perform  it  satisfactorily  at  first  without  a  word  or  two  of 
advice  from  the  foreman  or  gardener,  for  to  break  crocks  quickly  and 
yet  to  get  them  of  the  size  and  shape  suitable  for  the  pots  they  are 
intended  for  is  not  a  work  of  instinct.  If  too  small  they  will  perhaps 
slip  through  the  hole,  or  allow  the  soil  to  fall  through  and  obstruct  the 
drainage,  causing  waterlogging.  Nor  should  tfyey  be  so  large  that  they 
do  not  rest  on  the  bottom  of  tl  e  pot,  but  lodge  about  three-parts  of  the 
way  down,  for,  as  it  will  probably  be  explained  to  the  novice,  the  sides 
of  the  pot  are  in  no  danger  of  falling  in,  and  the  purpose  of  a  crock  is 
not  to  act  as  a  support  to  them.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  not  advisable 
to  put  your  crock  in  the  pot  to  try  how  it  fits,  and  then  take  it  out  and 
make  a  few  alterations  like  a  dressmaker  with  a  ladies’  gown  ;  nor  is  it 
worth  while  to  tap  and  chip  round  the  crock  like  a  sculptor  at  work  on 
a  stati  e,  if  you  have  any  ambition  to  ever  be  anything  more  than  a 
crock- breaker.  The  crock  over  the  hole  at  the  bottom  of  the  pot  should 
always  be  placed  hollow  side  downwards,  and  the  amount  of  drainage 
necessary  depends  almost  entirely  upon  ciicumstances.  Generally 
speaking,  any  pot  less  than  4  inches  in  diameter  will  do  with  one  crock 
at  the  bottom,  but  no  rule  can  be  laid  down. — A.  W.  D. 
Thanks  to  “  An  Old  Boy.” 
Many  thanks,  old  friend,  for  the  New  Year’s  thoughts  for  young 
thinkers  (page  18).  We  h*ve  not  forgotten  your  work  of  lour  years 
ago.  The  ground  you  trenched  then  has  not  all  become  barren,  though 
some  of  it  would  benefit  by  being  thrown  up  for  the  weather  to 
pulverise.  You  may  tell  your  cr.tical  friend  that  there  are  some  of  us 
who  si  ill  can  point  to  it  as  a  red  letter  day  of  their  lives  ;  when  some 
of  the  best  actions  of  their  lives  were  started.  So  cheer  up,  old  friend 
and  may  you  be  spared  to  fight  the  battles  for  the  bothy,  and  to  give 
counsel  for  many  years  to  come.  With  best  wishes  for  a  happy  and 
prosperous  year  from  your  boys. — W.  C. 
