Berkshire and The War: the "Reading Standard" pictorial record. Volume 4. p 764

The King and Queen'€™s Visit to Reading €” continued.
TH E IR MAJESTIES' THANKS
Buckingham Palace,
13th March , 1918.
D e a r M r. Sutton . I have re ce iv e d th eir
M a je stie s'€™ com m an d s to assure y o u o f how
g ra tified th e K in g and Q ueen w ere a t b e in g
a ble to visit th e Royal Seed Establishment at
Reading y e s te rd a y .
T h e ir M a jesties w ere g re a tly in terested in
seein g f o r them selves th e va riou s b ra n ch es o f
y o u r firm ’ s a ctivities, to w h ich th e present
tim es le n d a special u tility and im p orta n ce.
I n th a n k in g y o u fo r th e a rra n g e m e n ts m ad e
f o r this visit, I am to ad d h ow p leased both
th e K in g and Queen w ere b y th e w a y in which
e v e r y th in g was ca rrie d o u t.
I am , you rs fa it h fu lly ,
Cromer.

Arthur W . Sutton , Esq ., J .P .
Mr and M r s . Martin Sutton's
li tt le d a u g h t e r who
pres en ted the Queen w i t h a love ly bouquet.
[P h o to b y Walton Adams.


A
fine e x h ib it o f Lumiere transparencies,
s h o w in g m a n y vegetables and b e a u tifu l flowers
in th e ir n a tu ra l c o lo u r was m u ch a d m ired , as
w ere also th e e d u ca tio n a l exa m p les o f grasses
a n d clovers, an d th e cases o f insects in ju riou s to
farm and garden crops.
S a m p les o f radio-active ores, w h ich a t one
tim e it was h o p e d w ou ld p rov e o f m anurial
v a lu e w ere exa m in ed , as also w ere th e m a n y
p u b lica tio n s issued b y th e firm , th e c o n tr a s t b e ­
tw e e n th e first ed itio n o f M r. Martin Sutton's "œ Permanent and Temporary Pastures "
and
th e p resen t d a y issue b e in g esp ecia lly m a rk ed .
A fte r in sp ectin g th e Roll o f Honour c o n ta in ­
in g th e nam es o f o v e r 220 employees on active
service, th e ir M a jesties m a d e a to u r o f in sp ec­
tio n o f th e va riou s d e p a rtm e n ts , tw o p a rties b e­
in g fo rm e d .

The Queen c h a t t i n g to women seed pickers at Messrs. Sutton's .
[P h o to by€œ Daily Graphic

A t Messrs. SUTTON & SONS €” continued.
Vegetable Seeds f o r t h e Army and Navy, Flowers for graves in France


T h e seed te stin g la b o r a t o r y was n ext visited
b y th e ir M a jesties, w h ere th ou sa n d s o f sam ples
o f fo o d p ro d u cin g seeds a re te ste d b e fo r e d istri­
b u tio n , and th e a n a ly tica l p u rity d e te rm in e d b y
aid o f th e m icro sco p e an d o th e r scien tific in­
s tru m en ts.
T h e lo a d in g floor, fro m w h ich go o d s are d e s­
p a tch e d to th e sta tion s, was passed th ro u g h on
th e w a y t o th e p e a p ick in g ro o m , w h ere im p e r­
fe c t seed s w ere b e in g re m o v e d fr o m la rg e q u a n ­
tities o f peas an d b ea n s. T h e w ork h e re is d on e
b y w o m e n , som e o f w h om h a v e b een e m p lo y e d
in this o cc u p a tio n f o r 30 yea rs.
T h e “ s to c k s e e d ” ro o m , c o n ta in in g all the
In th e sh ip p in g an d export office th e Royal
“ m o th e r seeds ” fro m w h ich th e supplies are
p a rty w ere m u ch in te re ste d in a c h a r t o f the
g ro w n , was noticed., a n d in th e flow er seed
w hole w o rld sh ow in g e v e r y p la c e w h ere th e firm
has a d is trib u tin g a g e n cy . P h o to g r a p h s s h o w in g
o r d e r room a la rg e o rd e r fro m th e Director o f
Graves Registration , B .E .F ., f o r seeds f o r b e a u ­
the p ro d u c tio n o f mutton, a n d beef in New Zealand­
t ify in g th e Military Cemeteries in France was
land, th e cattle fe e d in g off ro o ts g ro w n fro m
seeds sen t o u t b y th e firm , w ere co m m e n te d
seen in p re p a ra tio n .
u pon .
I n th e potato d e p a rtm e n t la rg e q u a n titie s o f
potatoes an d artichokes f o r th e va riou s base
P a ssin g th ro u g h th e pea granary , th e vegetable­
d e p o ts a t h o m e and in F ra n c e w ere b e in g g o t
a ble seed ro o m was visited , w h ere o v e r a th o u
rea d y, w om en b e in g n o tice d ca rr y in g o u t th e
san d ord ers are b e in g e x e c u te d d a ily , and w h ere
w ork fo rm e rly d o n e b y m en.
the R o y a l p a rty w ere a ble to see in e x e c u tio n
T h e ir M a je stie s th en saw th e d e sp a tch office
m an y co m m a n d s fr o m th e Army a n d Navy
and also the in v o ice office, w h ere g irl typists
Canteen s€™ B o a r d f o r seed t o p ro d u c e v e g e ta b le s
m ak e som e th o u sa n d in v oices d a ily , passed
in th e va riou s m ilita ry d istricts o f this co u n try
th ro u g h th e le d g e r office, w h ere a b o u r 90,000
and overseas.
O rd ers f o r th e va riou s R o y a l
c u sto m e rs ’ a cco u n ts a re kep t, an d finally into
ga rd e n s, an d a p erson a l o n e fr o m t h e Food
Controlle r (Lord Rhondda ) w ere also b e in g g o t
a b u n d le to h im se lf a rra n g e d on shelves on the
rea d y. A la rg e n u m b e r o f th e e m p lo y e e s here
p rin cip le o f a lib r a r y . T h ese b u n d les in clu d ed
now are w om en , m a n y b e in g th e w ives an d d e ­
th e R o y a l co m m a n d s as w ell as m o st o f th e
p en d a n ts o f th e m en now o n a ctiv e service.
la n d ow n ers and n o b ility o f th e c o u n tr y , th e
T h e d r y in g ro o m fo r re m o v in g the superfluous
shelves c o n ta in in g w h ich , if p la ce d end to e n d ,
m oistu re fr o m seeds b e fo r e th e y a re sen t a cross
w
ou ld m ak e a pile h ig h e r th a n Snowdon .
th e tro p ics was o f sp ecial in te re st, as also was
D u rin g th e cou rse o f th e visit th eir M a je stie s
the la rg e farm seed o rd e r ro o m , w h ere ro o t an d
saw th e firm ’ s le ctu re h a ll, now in th e o c c u p a ­
o th e r seeds f o r th e Roya farm s a re g o t re a d y .
tio n o f th e m ilita ry a u th o ritie s, and h a d in tr o ­
A n o rd e r f o r s om e ton s o f r o o t and clo v e r seeds
d u ce d to th em th e h e a d s o f d e p a rtm e n ts, d is­
fo r th e fa rm s o f L o r d Iv e a g h w as n o tice d in
ch a rg e d sold iers an d sailors, a n d vetera n e m ­
ex e cu tio n . I t w as this ro o m , w h ich is p ro b a b ly
p loyees o f o v e r 50 y e a rs ’ se rv ice w ith th e firm .
the la rg e s t in th e c o u n try d e v o te d to this special
A t th e close o f th e v isit H is M a je s ty exp ressed
p u rp ose, w h ich was u sed for th e Masonic banquet
w h ich his M a je sty th e la te K in g E d w a rd , th e p leasu re th e visit had b e e n , e n a b lin g them
to see th e im p o r ta n t w ork the firm w ere d o in g
V I I ., th en P rin c e o f W a le s , a cco m p a n ie d b y H is
in h e lp in g to k eep u p th e fo o d su p p ly o f the
R o y a l H ig h n e ss th e Duke o f Connaught, p re ­
sid ed , on th e occa sio n o f th e in s ta lla tio n o f the
la te Duke o f Clarence an d Avondale as Provincial
l Grand Master o f Berkshire .
a m a rk o f th e firm ’ s a p p re cia tio n o f th e s tre n u ­
s e ffo rts b e in g m a d e t o co p e w ith th e d e m a n d
T h e R o y a l p a r t y th e n p r o ce e d e d t o th e fa rm
f o r fo o d p ro d u c tio n seeds, M essrs. S u tto n a sk ed j
seed stores, h a v in g a c a p a c ity o f o v e r 300,000
th e a cce p ta n ce b y all o f th e ir e m p lo y e e s o f one
cu b ic fe e t, and n o tice d th e e n o r m o u s q u a n titie s
w e e k ’ s extra wages la st Friday . T h e y exp ressed p«j
o f ro o t an d grass seeds, a n d in sp e cte d in d e ta il
th e h o p e th a t p a r t o f this a m o u n t a t lea st w ou ld
th e sp e cia l seed cle a n in g m a c h in e ry a n d the
b
e in v ested in War Savings Certificates, and. so
process o f m ix in g grass a n d clo v e r seeds f o r th e
h e lp to h a sten a v icto rio u s p ea ce.
d iffe re n t soils a n d clim a te s.

T h e first, con sistin g o f H is M a je sty th e K in g ,
th e K in g'€™ s S u ite , th e Lord Lieutenant o f Berkshire­
, T h e Mayor o f Reading , th e Town Clerk,
an d th e Borough Member
(C o lo n e l Leslie Wilso n , C .M .G ., D .S .O .), w e re co n d u cte d
b y M r. Arthur Sutton an d M r. Martin H . F . Sutton ;
and th e second, con sistin g o f H e r M a je sty th e
Queen, th e Q u e e n ' s S uite, D a m e Edith Benyon ,
th e Mayoress, M rs. Clutterbuck , M rs. Leslie
Wilson a n d o t h e r la d ie s, c o n d u cte d b y M r.
Leonard Sutton .