February H, 18ii7. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICUIiTDRB AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



121 



as that referred to was made with the Council, and has acted 

 with perfect consistency throughout ; but the production at the 

 Meeting of Mr. "Wilson Saunders's memorandum made at the 

 time the agreement is said to have been entered into, is so con- 

 clusive that Tve have no doubt but that a misunderstanding haB 

 existed on the matter ; and the subject merely requires to be 

 properly represented in the right (]_uarter for an amicable eettle- 

 ment to be effected. It is much to be regretted that Sir \Vent- 

 worth Dilke was not present at the Meeting, when h^ fiould 

 have answered the statements that were then made. 



The Annual Genentl Meeting of the lioyal Horticnltnral Society wna 

 held on Tuesday last, the l:ith bust. — His Grace tlie DnVc of Bocclaucb, 

 President of the Society, in the chair. 



The Assistant SKCBET.UiY (Cipt. Cocterell), read the advertisement 

 convening tbt- meetinjr, and then the minutes of the last General 

 Meetiup, which were cuiifiruied. ' 



The i:*iiHHiDENTthtn refjnepted Messrs. Fortune land Booth f6 act as 

 Scrutineers of the Ballot for the election of Members of Conucil and 

 Officers. I r ; : t 



Thp Assistant SficaETABy iheol read the following Report:— - 



it, ■- ■ ■ ■ REPORT or THE' COUNCIL. ' ■ ' ' ' ■^'■^''■ 



■>**i; Notwithstanding the monetary distross of ihe ' past ' ^irl the 

 Oonncil are able to report to the yellows an increase in the amohiit of 

 ^Quual Eubsuriptious. The sums x)aid by I'VUows as subscriptions in 

 1865 amounted to i'7i)75 Is. ,1//.. and, as will be seen by the annexed 

 statement of receipt and ey.weftditure, their an^aal suhscriptioasi rose 

 to £8170 n,s-. (V7. in It^tiG. 



"2. The rents for the flrcade-lettings to horticultural implement 

 makers have also increased more thaii so per cent, since thevear 1SG5, 

 aad durin** the last twelve months £3'1\.) have been i)aid to the Society 

 tuider this head, in addition to the sum of .-£149 17x. received for Her 

 Majesty's Commissioners of 1S51 for the stalls in the south-eastern 

 arcade. 



*' 3. The sales of garden produce from Chiswick for 18Gfi have like- 

 wise exceeded those of the previous year. In 18tJ5 these sales brought 

 in £650 3.S-. Hf/. ; in 18(36 they amounted to i;7l715,s. M. But for the 

 failure of a considerable portion of the fruit crops — n failure under 

 which all gardens in and about London suffered — :the receipta i'rom 

 this source would have been considei-ably greater. , ' ' 



_ "4. It will he seen, therefore, that in the sources' of incbihe' I'eftst 

 Uable to tluetnatiou the Society lias made decided progress'; and'al- 

 though the receipts from exhibitions and for daily admissious have 

 fallen considerably below tlie average, the Council are of opinion that 

 the affairs of the Society, though requiring strict economy^ are in an 

 encouraging position, for these deticiencies are traceable to causes 

 which have affected evei'y undertaking, whilst the progress made can 

 only be attributable to the increasing popularity of the Society, and to 

 the daily increasing number of wealthy residents in the neighbourhood 

 of the Gardens. 



" 5. The falling off in the receipts for exhibitions and admissions to 

 the Gardens is in part also attributable to another cause, which will not 

 probably be of frequent recurrence. .Although a payment was made 

 to the Society from the funds of the International Horticultural Exhi- 

 bition — and this payment was equivalent to that which is generally 

 cleared by the First Great Show of the Society, the place of which it 

 took — it by no means represented the whole diminution which it 

 occasioned, directly and indirectly, to the receipts of the Society. It 

 was proposed, when this arrangement was made, that the International 

 Exhibition should be open for four days only, but at the end ot the 

 four days its receipts fell so far short of the anticipations of its pro- 

 moters, that they found it necessary to apply to the Council for an ex- 

 tension of the time for which the Gardens were granted. The Council, 

 in the desire of saving from heavy loss those who had so liberally given 

 their names as the guarjintors of an undertaking devoted to the in- 

 terests of horticulture, at once acceded to the request, and, from the 

 serious financial failure which it threatened to become, the undertakin-r 

 was converted into a brilliant success. 



'^ 6. A further deticiency in the receipts, as compared with those of 

 1S65, was occasioned by the abolition of the cheap admissions, in com- 

 pliance with the wish expressed by the Fellows at the last annual 

 general meeting, and unfortunately the free admissions which were 

 granted to the public in lien of them, were not so successful as to 

 induce the CouucU to repeat them. They were taken advantage of 

 less by the classes for whom the boon was intended tlmn by those 

 whose presence in the Gardens the Council had no desire to encourage. 



■•' 7. It nmy be remembered by the Fellows that the library of the 

 late Dr. liiudley was last year announced for sale, and a proposition 

 was made that the Fellows of the Society should be invited to subscribe 

 for its purchuse. The Council, however, having been given to under- 

 stand that its purchase was contemplated by the Committee of the 

 International Kxhibition, thought it needless to bring it before the 

 Fellows. Pending a decision concerning the mode in which so desir- 

 able an object was to be attained, the Council decided to advance the 

 money for it, and they have now reason to believe that a portion of the 

 surplus from the International Kxhibition will be apphed to the form- 

 ation of a horticultural library at South Kensington, commencing 

 with the purchase of the Lindley Collection. 



" 8. In carrj-ing out the scheme for the year's arrangements, the 

 Ooaucil have rednced the expenditare wherever it could be done with* 



out impeding the effective working of the Society, and an analysis of 

 the accounts put into the hands of the Fellows will show that the 

 strictest economy has been exercised. The expenditure for the main- 

 tenance and improvement of Chiswick, and for assistance given by the 

 Rcientitic staff, will hereafter ^neld its due retUm in increased produce 

 in the Gorden and in reputation to the Sooi*ty, whilst to have stopped 

 the work which is being so ably carried on wonhl have been very in- 

 jurious to it. F'or full information on this head Fellows are referred 

 to the annexed report of the Chiawiok Board. In speaking of Chiswick 

 (iardens, the Conucil think it right to call the attention of the Fellows 

 to the fact, that JVIr. Thompson has now for a period of forty-five years 

 rendered very valuable services to the Society, the greater part of the 

 time as the Superintendent of the fmit and vegetable department. His 

 great age requires that ho should now have some rest from his labours, 

 and. pending the adoption of any ulterior measures that may be taken 

 for his advantage, the Council propose to continue to pay him the full 

 amount of his present salary', leaving it to himself to determine what 

 he can best do to assist the Societv- 



" y. The Education scheme for gardeners is working with success. 

 The examinations held this year have resulted in thirteen young men 

 receiving certificates either for horticulture or fruit and vegetable cul- 

 ture. Five of these gardeners are employed at Chiswick, five at the 

 Royal Gardens at Kew, and three were from private establishments. 

 Of those who presented themselves for examination, three had pre- 

 viously obtained certificates or prizes from the Society of Arts/ ex- 

 amining on behalf of the Royal Horticultural Society. Two also' 

 showed themselves worthy of election as Associates. ' * 



'^ 10. In their arrangementa for the present year the Conucil have 

 been induced to try the experiment of extenthng tlie duration of the 

 First Great Show to four days, and the principal exhibitors have 

 promised their suppoi-t in making the experiment a success. It is pro- 

 posed to hold the greater part of the Exhibition in the Great Ten^ 

 and in some additional canvas-covered spaces. The more delicat^ 

 plants will be shown in the Conservatory. 



" 11. Relations have been entered into with the Royal Agricultural 

 Society for holding an Autumnal Fruit and Flower 8how in the pro- 

 vinces in connection with their annual Agricultural Show, and arrange- 

 ments have been made with them for a conjoint Kxhibition at Bitiy 

 St. Kdmnnds in July next. The horticulturists of that place and of 

 the adjoining counties have entered into the scheme with a degree of 

 spirit which indicates that the guarantee from loss stipulated for by 

 the Council as a condition of holding the Show is not likely to bo 

 called into requisition. In a very few weeks from the announcement 

 of the Council's intention, the contributions to the guarantee fund 

 amounted to double the sum named as necessary ; and, in addition to 

 the prizes offered by this Society, cups, &c., to the value of no lec^' 

 than i.*226, have been offered by towns, counties, flower societies, 

 and private gentlemen. The Council confidently expect, therefore, 

 that tbe Show at Bury will not only exercise a beneficial influence on 

 horticulture, but that it will conduce also to the reputation of the 

 Royal Horticultural Sooiot\-. 



" 1'2. It was originally the intention of the Couneil to publish four 

 numbers of the Journal annually, to be paid for l>y subscriptions from 

 such Fellows as might wish to receive a copy of the work. The addi- 

 tional subscription did not, however, find sutlicient favour with the 

 Fellows to enable the Council to publish the Journal on this footing ; 

 and the Council, nn\rilliug to give up a plan which appeared to them 

 to be so important an aid to the objects of the Horticultural Society, 

 have determined to do what is possible towards it by bringing out the 

 numbers of the work at longer intervals, and supplying them at the 

 expense of the Society to the whole of its members. 



*■ 13. These and other proposed alterations and reductions in the 

 expenses of management will, it is hoped, effect all that is necessary 

 in the way of saving, without intrenching on the privileges and the 

 pleasures of the Fellows ; but the Council desire to impress upon 

 every subscriber the advantage to the cause of horticulture, of in- 

 ducing his friends to take a warmer interest in the work of the So- 

 ciety, and to enrol themselves amongst its Fellows. No better way 

 of effecting this offers itself than that of bringing them to visit the 

 Tuesday Fruit and Floral Exhibitions of the Society. Under thia 

 belief the Council have given to the Fellows the fuUest privileges 

 for these Shows, and they have also raised the payment for admission, 

 to the Gardens on these occasions, to enhance the advantages which 

 the Fellows' privilege of admittmg friends enables them to confer. 



"1-1. The Council are taking steps to get the tax removed from 

 Tobacco purchased for hoz-ticultural purposes, and the Chancellor of 

 the Exchequer has signified to the ConncU that he is very willing to 

 receive a deputation of the Society on this subject. He will fix au 

 early day for the purpose, and the' deputation will be headed by the 

 President oi the Society, His Grace the Duke of BucL-leuch. It is the 

 intention of the Council to iurite the leading horticulturists of the 

 country to join in it." 



REPORT OF THE CHISWICK BOARD. 



" The attention of tbe Chiswick Board of Directors has, during the 

 past year, been more especially directed towards restoring the Gardens 

 to their former state of efficiency, so that little, comparatively, has 

 been done of a strictly scientific nature. Some successful attempts afc 

 Hybridising, however, have been effected, the success of most of 

 which is at present uncertain ; one, however, a cross between the Ivy- 

 leaved Pelargonium and some of the best zoned yarieties, has been 



