330 THE FLORIST. 



THE ROYAL SOUTH LONDON FLORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The shows are now over, exclaims many an exhibitor, with a satisfac- 

 tory shrug that can be rehshed only by those who know the toils and 

 anxiety ot' repeatedly showing at the leading exhibitions. The princi- 

 pal exhibitors at the Metropolitan shows have this year had plenty to 

 do, the season having opened well at the Regent's Park and Chiswick in 

 May, followed by tne monster exhibition at the Crystal Palace in June, 

 while the other great shows followed steadily after. Then came a host 

 of provincial displays that made incessant claims on the grower of Horists' 

 flowers ; Oxford, Dudley, JManchester, Brighton, Cambridge, Edin- 

 burgh, Norwich, and many others, all in their turn requirmg close 

 attention from the leading cultivators of florists' flowers. Not the least 

 important shows of the year have been thoseof the South London Flori- 

 ■ cultural Society, held under the auspices of Mr. Simpson, the enter- 

 prising and very liberal proprietor of the Royal Cremorne Gardens. 

 The exhibition in June was remarkable, among other things, for a splen- 

 did display of Orchids, Geraniums, and other stove and greenhouse 

 plants, the like of which can only be seen at Regent's Park or Chiswick, 

 but the day was unfortunately very wet. The last show was held in 

 August, when there was a very large display of Dahlias and Hollyhocks 

 by the leading growers. The South London Floricultural Society has 

 been an important body that has been in existence upwards of 20 years, 

 during which period the Surrey Zoological Gardens have been the scene 

 of the Society's various exhibitions. The connection, however, termi- 

 nated last year, and Mr. Simpson, hearing that such was the case, offered, 

 in a manner that was highly appreciated by the committee, the use of 

 his grounds for the Society's shows, and so the South London Floricul- 

 tural Society migrated to their new home at the Royal Cremorne 

 Gardens. A few of the principal exhibitors, feehng that Mr. Simpson 

 had thus earned some mark of respect lirom them, invited that gentle- 

 man to a complimentary dinner at Cremorne on Thursday evening, 

 October 4th, when after the usual loyal and complimentary toasts had 

 passed, some conversation took place as to the practicabihty of re-esta- 

 blishing the South London Society at Cremorne, and amalgamating one 

 or two other societies with it, and a general feeling seemed to be in 

 favour of doing so. It is rather a heavy tax on the pocket of many by 

 subscribing a guinea each to so many societies. I, for one, belong to 

 the National, South London, and Pomological, besides being a subscribei 

 to the Gardeners' Benevolent Institution, and other minor societies ; 

 and if, at least, two of these societies were thrown into one, the change 

 would be regarded with a great degree of satisfaction by many. Now 

 in the case of the three first named societies, it has been proposed to 

 amalgamate them, so that one subscription may do for all, believing 

 that " union is strength," and that by securing a larger number of sub- 

 scribers, a larger amount of prizes may be offered, and a greater amount 

 of good effected. Now, although I am dt-cidedly in favour of uniting 

 the South London and the National Floricultural Societies, I am not so 

 certain that we can with so much propriety advocate the same step on 

 the part of the Pomological Society, because it is only a new society, 



