Fetmary 15, 19T7. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



115 



joined Sonth Eensington they had a debt of if 10,000. Dr. Hogg, 

 who knows much moi'e about the matter than I do, tells xne 

 that though the original debt was .£10,000, it had been reduced 

 by the sale of houses in Regent Street, and the actual amount 

 of debt remaining was £5000. But whether it was £5000 or 

 flO.OOO, it shows that the method of carrying on the Society 

 was not succeBsful. Good fiuance, which is everything in the 

 management of a kingdom, is as necessary to a society [hear, 

 hear]. I am of opinieu that all this indirect and unnecessary 

 expenditure ought to be abolished. It is through the assistance 

 we have received from Mr. Veitch and others that we have been 

 enabled to have our exhibitions, and I am sure the Society can- 

 not be too thankful for the assistance received from Mr. Veitch 

 and other gentlemen [applause]. 



Mr. Elwes said he thought there was no reason whatever 

 why there should not bo a perfectly fair union between the 

 South .Kensington and the horticultural Fellows; and the South 

 Kensington Fellows should remember that after all, the Society 

 being a horticultural one, horticultural objects would be the 

 first objects of the Society. By the action of the Zoological 

 Society it was evident such a union was perfectly possible. No 

 Society was more popular, and, although some of the members 

 worked in a purely scientific groove, matters were 80 arranged 

 that the Society has attracted three-fourths of their members 

 who did not care a straw about zoology, but who joioed the 

 Society for the purpose of attending tlje gardens on Sunday 

 [laughter]. They also opened the gardens at a low figure on 

 Whit-Monday and other days, and so attracted a large number 

 of the people of London to them. Although it was impossible 

 for the Horticultural Gardens to have so much general attraction 

 as the Zoological Gardens, if the South Kensingtonians wished 

 them to be kept up they could do it by contributing their fair 

 share, which would enable the Fellows of the Society not only ' 

 to carry on the gardens as they ought to be carried on, but to do 

 good horticultural work besides. 



Tbe Phesldext then put the question, "That the Report be 

 adopted," and it was carried with one dissentient (Mr. Godson, 

 sen.) Thirty-nine new Fellows were then elected. 



Tne result of ballot was annoimced by the President. Those 

 recommended by the Council were declared elected as follows : — 

 President, Lord Aberdare; Treasurer, Mr. H. Webb; Secretary, 

 Dr. Robert Hogg; Expenses Committeemen, Mr. F. Campion, 

 Mr. H. Webb, and Mr W. Haughton; Auditors, Mr. J. Lee, 

 Mr. H. Little, and Mr. James F. West. 



The President, referring to the proposed alterations of the 

 bye-laws, said the Council had, as a last effort, to conciliate the 

 inhabitants of that neighbourhood, and so far as they could 

 ascertain by the expression of feeling, the proposed alteration 

 of the bye-laws would have a good result. They had j nst elected 

 the good number of thirty-nine Fellows, and in addition to that 

 iact they had a great many of those who had left the Society 

 returning to it, so in that respect the affairs of the Society looked 

 more promising [hear, hear.] He thought they should unani- 

 mously adopt the new bye-laws. 



Dr. "Hogg (Secretary), said it was proposed to alter the 14th 

 and 19th bye-laws, first by suspending the payment of the 

 entrance fee, wtiieh was jirovided for by the 11th bye-law. The 

 19 h bye-law provided that no Fellow whose entrance fee was 

 not paid should be entitled to vote at meetings of the Society. 

 It was now proposed to strike out the words "when the en- 

 trance fee has not been paid." 



The President in reply to Mr. Veitch, who put a question 

 respecting one-guinea membership, said he had not been able 

 to .attend the Council meetings lately, and was therefore unable 

 to say what attention had been given to that subject. He took 

 the view of Lord Alfred Churchill on the matter — that it would 

 be an excellent plan, if this were simply a horticultural society, 

 to have a guinea membership [hear, hear]. 



Lord Alfred S. Churchill said the guinea members should 

 have all the privileges of Fellows except that of voting at the 

 meetings of the Society. It had been felt that it would be open 

 to any person, who, say, had strong obj-'Ctions to the Council or 

 policy of the Society, to induce people to become guinea mem- 

 bers, in order to control the action of the other Fellows. The 

 Council thought they should give to guinea members all the 

 privileges of personal admission to the gardens and to shows, 

 exhibitions, &c. ; in fact, all existing privileges except that of 

 voting at the general meeting. He was glad to say two mem- 

 bers had been elected according to this plan. 



Mr. Godson asked if the guinea subscription ticket was 

 transferable. 



Lord A. S. Churchill said it was not. Any guinea Fellow who 

 desired to exercise his voice in tbe management of the Society 

 could do BO by paying an additional guinea. 



The altaratioDS in bye-laws 14 and 19 were then agreed to. 



The President observed that he thought in the present posi- 

 tion of the Society the entrance fee would operate in preventing 

 people from joining the Sociely, and that it was wise therefore 

 to exercise the power of doing aw^y with an entrance fee [hear.] 



Lord Alfred S. Chib^.till wished to mention an additional 



Bonrce of income to which they looked forward with hopefol 

 anticipations. Throughout the whole country there was a large 

 number of local horticultural societies, and the Council were 

 desirous of affiliating them with the Royal Hoiticultaral Society. 

 Indeed many of them had been affiliated to the Society for 

 years, and were put in the position of individual subscribers. 

 The Council proposed to give gold or silver medals for distri- 

 bution in the local shows [hear, hear]. That would enable the 

 local societies to distribute as rewards for merit at their shows 

 medals of the Royal Horticultural Society. He hoped that the 

 result of the proposition would be, as he did not doubt it would, 

 to bring to them a large number of local horticultural societies 

 scattered all over the country [hear, hear]. 



Dr. Denny said he wished to explain with reference to refund- 

 ing the money which was taken, that the Council could not 

 refund it out of the money which was lent. 



Mr. Godson.— Did you not apply that money to pay your 

 rent? _, 



The President. — No. "' ™~~ 



Dr. Denny further explained that the Finance Committee, 

 consisting of three of Her Majesty's Commissioners, objected to 

 any money being spent on provincial shows. He could not 

 believe but that if the matter had been properly put before 

 the Finance Committee the money might have been raised by 

 guarantee; but ho did not believe the Commissioners would 

 allow them to refund the money. 



Mr. H. Webu (Treasurer).— If I ever get any provincial show 

 money again it shall be properly invested [laughter], and not 

 at the dictation of President, Vice-president, or anybody else 

 [renewed Laughter]. 



Mr. H. Veitch.— I promise you that if yon get up good i ro- 

 vincial shows we will have the money to invest [hear, hear] 



A cordial vote of thanks was then given to the noble President, 

 and the proceedings terminated. 



Report of the Council — Notwithstanding the many disad- 

 vantages with which the Council have had to contend, they 

 have the satisfaction of congratulating the Society on the pro- 

 gress that has been made during the past year in the advance- 

 ment of scieutitio and practical horticulture. 



At no time in the history of the Society has greater interest 

 been manifested in this important pursuit, both commercially 

 and as an intellectual recreation ; and the operations of the 

 Society have been directed not only to promote and encourage, 

 but toanticipate the growing taste for horticulture by all the 

 appliances it has at command. 



The Scientific, the Fruit, and the Floral Committees have 

 met during the year without intermission, and worked assidu- 

 ously at their respective branches ; and under their superinten- 

 dence and direction much valuable work has been done in the 

 garden at Chiswick as well as at the meetings at South Ken- 

 sington. 



The meetings of the Scientific Committee have been well 

 attended. Many most interesting facts in the morphology and 

 physiology of plants, as well as the branches of teratology and 

 pathology, have from time to time been brought before the 

 meetings, and the investigations of the Entomological Depart- 

 ment, with reference to the injuries produced by insects on 

 plants, have been of the greatest importance. Mr. Smith's ob- 

 servations on the resting spores of the Perauospora, referred to 

 in last year's report, were on sever.al occasions fully confirmed, 

 while the facts afforded by tbe late lamented Mr. Scnee's very 

 numerous microscopical preparations of the aphides which attack 

 Potatoes, and which were found to be infested by the Perano= 

 spora actually producing oospores in situ, tended greatly to con- 

 firm the accuracy of Mr. Smith's researches, while his discove^ 

 of resting spores in the Fusisporium Solani, a fungus which is 

 sometimes almost as destructive as the Perauospora, demands 

 especial attention. Amongst other matters the grafting of a 

 dwarf Sunflower on the Jerusalem Artichoke, and that of differ- 

 ent species of Solanum on one another, as effected by Mr. Mania 

 of Bristol, though requiring confirmation, were of high interest; 

 while Dr. Hogg's attempt of a classification of Apples was 

 brought before the Committee and thoroughly discussed, its 

 Secretary bearing ample testimony to its usefulness and to the 

 credit which its operations ought to confer on the Horticultural 

 Society. . 



The Fruit Committe has also been engaged in doing good 

 work in its department, and the reports of the experiments that 

 were couducted at Chiswick under its superintendence will be 

 found in the part of the Society's Journal which has recently 

 been issued. These consist of elaborate trials of 211 varieties of 

 vegetables. Besides the reports that are already published there 

 are others in preparation which will treat on 150 varieties of 

 Strawberries. 



The large collection of cordon-trained Cherry trees, covering 

 the west wall of the garden at Chiswick, fruited last season for 

 the first time, and of these many notes were taken which will 

 furnish matter for a special report. This is the most complete 

 collection of Cherries that can be obtained, and consists of some 



