INTRODUCTION*, 



The institution of the National Horticul- 

 tural Society, which has been established in 

 London under the gracious patronage of his 

 present Majesty, cannot fail in its object of 

 enriching- and beautifying the whole of the 

 British empire. 



Plants are procured through the exertions 

 of the members from every quarter of the 

 globe, and distributed to all parts of the king- 

 dom, together with directions for their suc- 

 cessful cultivation. This must conduce very 

 materially towards increasing a taste for 

 plants in general ; but still a large proportion 

 of intelligent persons, fond of Horticulture, 

 remain unconnected with the Society, many 

 of them residing at too considerable a dis- 

 tance to attend the meetings in the metro- 

 polis, and some wishing to avoid the annual 

 expense. On this account we should wish 

 to see local societies more generally esta- 

 blished in country towns, for the purpose of 

 exhibiting fruits and flowers, where the im- 

 provements in the art of their cultivation, 

 and the transactions of the National Society, 



