Narember 20, 1373. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



391 



tbrov.- a little light on its comparative failure with us in Kng- 

 lanj this year. It is essentially an early-flowering Hose, and 

 uomes at that period bright, with a peculiar freshness of colour 

 and clearness of petal that are specially charming. It suffered, 

 like all the early sorts this year, from the spring frosts ; the 

 first blooms were destroyed, and the second flowers coming 

 on, the weaker succeeding growth arrived somewhat feeble in 

 ■character right in the hot weather of July. It will probably, 

 like its " double " amongst men (see " The \Yicked World ") 

 regain its position in 1874. — Geokge Paul. 



APEICOT TEEES UNDER GLASS. 



It is now twenty years since I planted out dwarf Apricot 

 trees in glass-roofed sheds to bear fruit. After a few years I 

 feuud the roofs too low, so that our spring frosts killed the 

 young fruit. Since then I have planted low standards. My 

 bearing trees, now ten years old, are pictures of fertility ; they 

 are the Royal and the Peach-.ipricot. The former ripens a 

 fortnight before the latter, and is a charming early and prolific 

 sort. They have bat little pruning, but their young shoots 

 are shortened to one-half their length in July and August, and 

 crowded shoots removed in winter. The trees are planted in 

 the central border of an orchard house 12 feet high, the soU 

 imdug ; when full of fruit they have water in hot weather, say 

 twice a-week. Allow me to give an extract from my book, 

 -'The Orchard House," fifteenth edition, lS7o. 



" By growing the Peach-Apricot in cheap houses as half or 

 fall standards, in borders unstirred and always hard, our 

 markets can be supplied with Apricots at a price not at present 

 thought of. Such trees should be planted from 7 to 8 feet 

 apart. 



"Our market gardeners, at present wedded to their wall 

 culture of fruit trees, will do well to cover a few acres of ground 

 with cheap orchard houses, and to plant out in them half- 

 standard and standard Apricot trees. Covent Garden will then 

 be supplied with such Apricots as have rarely been seen there. 

 They may be sold cheap, and yet yield a fortune to the growers. 

 The Peach, the Royal, and the Moorpark Apricots are the only 

 kinds adapted for this profitable mode of culture. 



" The trees when planted out will require in spring a light 

 dressing of the surface-dressing compost on the surface round 

 their stems, and of course water during the summer, although 

 not nearly to the extent required by potted trees." — Thos. 



ElVEBS. 



EOTAL HOETICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 



At the Show on Wednesday, Nov. l'2th, I had the opjior- 

 tunity of sounding some experienced old horticulturists as to 

 the practicability of bringing in a large number of Fellows at 

 a guinea subscription without admission fee, five hundred of 

 us to bring in on an average ten one-guinea Fellows each. 

 ilore than one said, " Oh, I could bring in twenty if refiuired ;" 

 others said, " The leading gardeners could and would afford 

 to become Fellows at a guinea." What I would venture to 

 propose is, that by agreement with II. II. Commissioners we 

 should arrange for room for exhibitions and committee meet- 

 ings at South Kensington, that the guinea subscription should 

 entitle to a transferable ticket (it might be necessary to restrict 

 tile use to the same person the same day), the ticket to admit 

 to all the Society's shows, large and small, in London and in 

 the country, but not to the recreation part of the gardens, 

 and to admit bearer and two friends to the Chiswick Gardens ; 

 the Fellow to have the privilege of cuttings, &c., as at present. 



I think that it is now generally felt that matters cannot go 

 on as they are. It is no question of who are in power. I 

 believe that if the Council consisted of the tv,'elvo wisest men 

 in London, and if they all regularly attended, they could not 

 make the Society what it ought to be on its present basis. The 

 old, wise, experienced Council, after aU the time, thought, and 

 consideration devoted to the subject, could make nothing of it, 

 and so were driven to the suggested arrangement with the 

 Commissioners, clearing oft rent and debenture-debt, and 

 giving something to the good of horticulture. Those who 

 beat know the Society know how utterly rotten are its foun- 

 dations. It is a horticultural society the major part of whoso 

 Fellows care little for horticulture, and the principal part of 

 whose funds is of necessity appUed to non-horticultural ob- 

 jects. It does not matter who are on the Council, they cannot 

 change this essentially false state of things. Wo have had 

 enough, and more than enough, of attempts at patching-up 



and trying to alleviate symptoms ; the time is surely now come 

 for tackling the disease itself. 



The South Kensington Garden land, worth £300,000, bought 

 with public money, mustfif kept private, yield a return to be 

 applied to public objects. If the Kensingtonians could by 

 admission fees pay £15,000 a-year rent — that is, £12,000 for 

 interest at 4 per cent, and £.3000 for cost of maintenance, they 

 would have a strong case in favour of keeping their recreation 

 grounds private. Having friends round the gardens I wish 

 this could be done, but is it possible ? I now call on the hor- 

 ticultural world, especially on its leaders, to come forward and 

 express their opinion, and to state whether they will exert 

 themselves to put the Society at last on a reasonable and solid 

 foundation. With five thousand one-guinea Fellows we should 

 be independent of all parties and of all authorities. It is the 

 interest of H.M. Commissioners, for the public good, to have 

 little and big shows at South Kensington ; it would be our 

 interest to hold them there. Surely wo could not disagree 

 over this our only point of contact. I ask, then, that horti- 

 culturists with influence shall canvass their friends and those 

 who are guided by their opinion, and ascertain whether they 

 will give in their names as willing to join the Society if recon- 

 stituted on some such basis as the above. They would, of 

 course, by so doing bind themselves to nothing until the details 

 had been worked out and brought before them. I venture to 

 say that we would receive any lists of such provisional Fellows 

 as should be sent in. I should have no hesitation in putting 

 my name down for ten Fellows. — George F. Wilson, Ileathcr- 

 hank, IVeijhridf/e Heath. 



The following circular has been sent to the Fellows of the 

 Society, and we recommend it to their favourable attention : — 



N'ovember 17th. 1873. 

 We, the undersigned Fellows of the Royal Horticultural So- 

 ciety, appeal to our fellow members, in the present disastrous 

 state of the Society, for their advice and assistance, and at the 

 same time desire to draw their attention to the following facts : — • 



I. The present Council was elected by a very small number 

 of the Fellows, displacing a Council consisting of His Grace the 

 Duke of Buccleuch, as President, and well known and trusted 

 friends of horticultural science. The legality by which this 

 Council was elected is disputed ; and we believe that a Chancery 

 suit to try the question is imminent, which would necessarDy 

 paralyse the Society. 



II. The Society is unable to pay an annual rental of ^£2400 to 

 its landlords (Her Majesty's Commissioners for the Exhibition 

 of ly.jl). It bas paid rental only twice iu twelve years. 



III. It is known to have liabilities to the extent of many thou- 

 sands, which it cannot meet. 



IV. The debenture-holders have formed a league to recover 

 their loan, to the Society, of ±'50,000. 



V. The prospects of horticultural science are, therefore, as bad 

 as possible. 



VI. Under these circumstances we ask our fellow members to 

 join with us in appealing to the landlords of the ground (the Royal 

 Commissioners) to terminate the lease, relieve the Society of all 

 its pecuniary liabilities, compound with Life Fellows, making 

 satisfactory arrangements to euable the Society to hold its 

 Committee Meetings and a certain number of Shows at South 

 Kensington every year. 



VII. Fellows who concur in this policy are requested to sign 

 the enclosed form without delay, and return it, if possible, on or 

 before the 1st December. 



D.iNiEL CooPEB, Bart. 

 G. F. Wilson, F.R.S. 

 Habry James Veitch. 

 Robert Hogg, F.L.S. 

 Wm. Paul. 

 Thos. Moore, F.L.S. 

 Maxwell T. Masters, F.R.S. 

 John Fbaser. 

 John Densy. 



J. R. Pe.ikson, Chilwell, Notts. 

 Chas. Noule, Bagshot. 

 Chas. Tur.neb, Slough. 

 Wm. Rouinson, F.L.S. 

 John B. Haig, 14, Chapel St., 



Belgrave Square. 

 Chas. Lee, Hammersmith. 

 James Cutiiusii, Highgate. 

 Jno. Stand.'sh, Ascot, Berks. 



— 20, Prince's Gardens, South Kensington, LonJon, S.W. 



LEAF SOIL. 



This subject, opened-up by Mr. Pearson in last week's issue 

 of the Journal, is one of very great importance to gardeners 

 and plant-growers. I quite agree with Mr. Pearson in believing 

 that there is leaf mould and leaf mould. The various effects 

 which it has had upon the same species of plants has fre- 

 quently struck me. For instance, I have grown Francisceas 

 and flowered them most profusely, indeed finer than I ever 

 saw them anywhere else, in leaf mould with a slight addition 

 of Eeigate sand, and I have had them refuse to grow iu leaf 



