42 



The Horticulturist and Journal 



The National Horticultural 

 Society. 



BY JAMES TAPLIN. 



A NATIONAL Horticultural Society 

 should certainly be started in this coun- 

 try, although perhaps the present time is not a 

 good one to commence it. When money is 

 scarce, science and learning is generally the 

 first to suffer ; but a large undertaking of this 

 sort requires much previous consideration and 

 discussion, so it is well to agitate the sub- 

 ject. 



In commencing a project of this kind, 

 much depends on the popularity and taste 

 of the president and other officers of the 

 Society. 



The president should be a gentleman of 

 influence and position, a well known patron 

 of horticulture generally ; certainly not a 

 nurseryman or florist, as this would probably, 

 among other reasons, cause a jealous feeling 

 among the other members of the trade ; 

 neither should it be a man who can only see 

 perfection in one branch of the profession, 

 for in that case he would probably soon ride 

 his hobby to death. 



I need only to point to the present con- 

 dition of the English Royal Horticultural 

 Society to show how not to do it. This 

 society has wasted money enough on hobbies 

 and theories to have made it the most popu- 

 lar and useful society in the world. With the 

 present result that at the end of every finan- 

 cial year, they are on the verge of bank- 

 ruptcy, and there is a regular fight between 

 the theorists and the few practicals who 

 joined the society for the love and advance 

 of horticulture, and who, hoping for better 

 things, have not, like many others, quitted 

 the society in disgust. 



I have only to refer to the time when 

 Knight, Banks and Lindley were the princi- 

 pals in the above society; then were the palmy 

 days at Chiswick ; the visitors were so nu- 

 merous to the show that I have been obliged 

 to pay six times the usual fare for a cab to 

 catch a train in London. Compare the 

 present condition, although patronized by 



royalty and all the leading nobility of the 

 country, and yet the shows do not pay expen- 

 ses, for the reason that genuine horticulture 

 is not represented at all, or only in the mi- 

 nority among the heads of the society. 



Such men as Hunnewell and Sargent are 

 the class of men required for president, and 

 then select well known nurserymen and flor- 

 ists, including firstrate gardeners, as a work- 

 ing committee ; and if decided to hold ex- 

 hibitions in various States, select a local 

 committee to join the general committee ia 

 carrying out the details, etc. There should 

 be a library and rooms for meetings to dis- 

 cuss various subjects connected with horti- 

 culture, and at which any novelties would 

 be shown to members, and the public gen- 

 erally. If considered desirable, new plants, 

 seeds, etc., might be collected for distribu- 

 tion among the members without interfering 

 with the regular dealer, by distributing 

 things which would be purchased for a few 

 cents from the trade. 



In fact a National Horticultural Society 

 would be of much service to all classes, and 

 should be started at the earliest oppor- 

 tunity. 



S. Amboy, N. J. 



A Profusely-yielding Straw- 

 berry Bed. 



THIS strawberry bed was, perhaps, thirty- 

 five or forty feet long^, and an oblong- 

 square — the earth a stiff, yellow clay. It 

 had been well prepared, by manuring, before 

 the plants were put in it, which was done in 

 the fall. The variety was Felton's improved 

 Albany Seedling. They were planted in 

 rows, at distances of four and a half inches, 

 the rows being one and a half feet apart. 

 Manure was put around the roots, which 

 were then covered with tan to one and a 

 half inches in depth. In the spring all the 

 weeds were kept away, and the runners cut 

 off until the plants were done bearing fruit. 

 Tan was also placed between the rows, to 

 prevent the berries from touching the ground. 



