64 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[February, 



Horticultural Societies. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Premiums at Horticultural Exhihitions. 

 — The Georgia Horticultural Society has adopted 

 a by-law which provides that iio medal, diploma or 

 money shall be awarded by this society as a testi- 

 monial of excellence for any fruit, plant, flower or 

 vegetable offered for exhibition. The verdict of 

 the special committee shall be the highest commen- 

 dation of the society. We should hardly suppose 

 that such a great departure irom established cus- 

 tom will be a success. But there is nothing like a 

 practical test, and we are glad the Georgia Society 

 undertakes it. 



It seems to us the true line of reform is in dis- 

 criminating verdicts, the jury giving the reasons 

 for the excellence, and the society taking the steps 

 by wide publicity to do honor to their own verdict 

 and to the merits of the exhibitor. The most 

 praisefui verdict is of little satisfaction to the ex- 

 hibitor if he has to put the record of it between the 

 covers of some book in his library. To be of any 

 real value to him he must "blow his own horn,'' 

 in regard to it in the end. If the societies \vere to 

 take this "blowing of the horn" in their hands, 

 it might then be some fair set-off for the lack of 

 money premiums. At any rate we are glad that 

 the action of the Georgia Society, looks like the 

 beginning of the examination into the old stupid 

 system of competition which we have so long urged 

 as needing reform. 



Reports of Horticultural Societies. — It is 

 a pleasure to note that the efforts of the Garden- 

 ers' Monthly in the line of judicial comparative 

 reports of committees, are being seconded by Mr. 

 Murkland, the Secretary of the New York Horti- 

 cultural Society. In his last annual report he says: 

 "And here just a few words to our Committee 

 on Plants and Flowers, and I speak as to men who 

 have the honor to frame a report each month which 

 is read in many different states and abroad, as the 

 report of one of the leading horticultural societies 

 in our Union. Noteworthy exhibits, too, should 

 be described in such a manner that readers who 

 have not been privileged to attend our meetings 



may have the exhibition tables spread before them 

 in your report. Pardon me if I refer to some of the 

 reports of the past year. For instance, in that of 

 last March we find the following: 'From Wm. 

 Bennett, a Dendrobium aggregatum majus. Ex- 

 tra good.' There are many such comments 

 throughout the reports of the year. Undoubtedly 

 the specimen was 'extra good,' but had I not seen 

 the plant I would have wondered what an extra 

 good plant was like, and if I were an inexperienced 

 orchid grower, with a specimen of the same variety 

 fifteen inches high, having four spikes of thirteen 

 large perfect flowers each, I would have, from 

 reading the report only, vainly wondered how my 

 plant compared with the one shown. And it must 

 be remembered that besides our membership in 

 New Y'ork and vicinity we have members in Mas- 

 sachusetts, .Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Illinois, 

 Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan, whose personal 

 contact with our exhibitions is confined to reading 

 your reports." 



Amateurs and Florists. — In future there will 

 be two classes of exhibitors in the New York Hor- 

 ticultural Society. Those who grow plants or 

 flowers for sale will not compete with those who 

 grow for pleasure merely. 



The American Pomological Society.— This 

 body meets only biennially. The next session will 

 be held in Philadelphia on the 12th, 13th and 14th 

 of September, 1883. 



President Wilder is working hard to make this 

 meeting one long to be remembered, in which 

 effort he is seconded by President Schaffer of the 

 Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. 



Hall of the New York Horticultural 

 Society. — This building, costing $100,000, has 

 been purchased solely by the Amateur Horticul- 

 turists of New York, in the pure love of horticul- 

 ture. Thirty-six paid for the whole, of whom sev- 

 enteen subscribed $5,000 each, six $2,000, and 

 thirteen $1,000. It is interesting to note that of 

 those interested in horticulture in New York, there 

 are more able to give $5,000 each than of lower 

 sums. 



