MARCH. G9 



ROYAL BOTANIC SOCIETY. 



The Schedule for the coming season has just been issued, and I am 

 bound to admit that, for extent, variety, liberality, and arrangement, 

 perhaps its equal was never before seen. To me this is a circum- 

 stance of the greatest delight ; for I was foremost in the complaints 

 of last and previous years, thoroughly condemning the ill-advised 

 stubbornness and determined injustice so painfully apparent on the 

 censors in general, and of Florists' flowers in particular. To such a 

 pitch had this arrived, that at least an effort to check it was needed, 

 otherwise the glories of the Park had set. The miscellaneous ex- 

 hibitors were early in the field, and by a series of well-timed tem- 

 perate meetings and discussions, resolved to offer a model schedule 

 for the consideration of the Council; this, accompanied by positive yet 

 respectful requests, met, as it fully deserved, not only the considera- 

 tion, but, I may say, general adoption by the Management ; and fur- 

 ther, to meet the requirements as regards the chosen censors, the 

 exhibitors themselves were directed to agree to two, the Society 

 reserving to itself the right of confirming such recommendation, and 

 of adding thereto a third; thus also was the subject treated relative to 

 the judges of Florists' flowers. So far let us hope all will work well ; 

 evidently there is a desire on both sides that it should do so, and I 

 do not fear the result. As regards regulations, they are to be strictly 

 enforced, and not before circumstances needed it. One of the evils 

 I will briefly refer to, viz. the crowd of lookers-on, idlers, trespas- 

 sers, surrounding the collections during the short time allowed for 

 the difficult duty of judging , why, a complete multitude seemed to 

 have laid themselves out to overrun, or overhear, or threaten the 

 censors from their duty. 



Now men while judging must of necessity interchange opinions 

 freely, nor can fair awards be arrived at other than by such means ; 

 and it needs that in a performance onerous at the best, all interrup- 

 tion be avoided and observation checked ; for we may truly say 

 the world is full of tattlers, and that the very walls have ears ; and 

 for a censor to be challenged at every turn for what he said and did 

 when judging, in no way adds to the comfort and agreeableness that 

 should obtain at floral exhibitions after the cares of the morning are 

 past. A second regulation is to be enforced : in this exhibitors them- 

 selves are largely interested, viz. that notice of intention to exhibit 

 is to secure, so far as practicable, a place for every thing and every 

 thing in it. 



Of the division of collections, that private growers and dealers ex- 

 hibit independently of each other, being a means to the great end of 

 general satisfaction, I have long since endeavoured to enforce ; it is 

 by the schedule now before me largely so restricted ; and wisely too, I 

 think, as well as regards miscellaneous collections, as it pertains to 

 Florists' flowers both in pots and in a cut state. For 20 stove and 

 greenhouse plants, to amateurs only, are offered, 20/., 15/., 10/., and 

 5/. For 16 ditto, to dealers only, 10/., 11., 51., 31. Then, again, is 



