March 1, 187?. J 



JODKNAL OF HOUTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



157 



season; whereas if they were not introduced with the Azaleas 

 it is more than probable they might never have fonnd their 

 way in. My advice to all putting Azaleas into vineries at this 

 or any other time is to be certain that they are thoroughly clean. 

 I have found no difficulty in killing every insect by the follow- 

 ing means : — I fill a large tab or barrel full of clean water. 

 Tobacco juice is then added until the water is the colour of 

 London porter. Gishurst compound is then dissolved and added 

 until the water looks like soapsuds. The plants are then in an 

 inverted position submerged in the solution and allowed to 

 remain about one hour, and I have not seen the insect which 

 will survive this treatment. The mouth of the pot is rested on 

 pieces of wood laid across the tub. When they are taken out 

 of the water the mixture is not hurriedly syringed ofi the 

 leaves, but. on the contrary, it is allowed to dry on, and this I 

 am of opinion gives the leaves a disagreeable taste to the in- 

 sects for a long time afterwards. — J. M. 



EOYAL HOETICULTUBAL SOCIETY. 



Hx first letter on guinea fellowships, printed on the 21st of 

 October, 187.3, called " upon some one with time and a fresh 

 head at his disposal to come forward and take the lead," and 

 it was only when no one responded that, rather than a good 

 work should be shelved, I determined after urging the Council 

 about this time last year to make the appeal to the country, 

 to attempt the work myself. 



I said, and say still, that our snooessful experiment tried in 

 this neighbourhood is in my opinion absolutely conclusive. If 

 we could get about fifty owners of gardens who had either 

 never joined the Society or who had left it, to express their 

 willingness to become guinea Fellows or find a substitute, 

 it is nearly certain that with time and work other neighbour- 

 hoods would do likewise, with the result that we should have 

 Fellows enough to furnish all the funds which could possibly 

 be required. 



" A Guinea Man " considers that " the results have been 

 impotent." I do not agree with him. In our first issue of 

 names of would-be guinea Fellows there are a greater number 

 of those of the representative horticulturists of the country 

 than are contained in the long last-printed " list of Fellows," 

 that of 1873, before the great defection took place. " A Guinea 

 Man " quotes Mr. H. .T. Veitch's speech at the meeting of the 

 13th. I think Mr. Veitch should have given me notice of his 

 change of mind, though this cannot have been a very decided 

 one, as he said publicly after the meeting that he still believed 

 in the guinea fellowships ; but he certainly should not have 

 stated that one-third of our would-be Fellows were already 

 Fellows of the Society. Our names were 377 ; out of these 

 forty-three were, or had been (some had left) " already Fellows," 

 but five of these were lite Fellows who had compounded, there- 

 fore any further payment from them would have been so much 

 to the good. So, in fact, instead of two-thirds as stated, more 

 than nine-tenths of our names were practically new. 



I fully admit that some who, like "A Guinea Man," were 

 " believers in the guinea scheme," rather disappointed me. 

 (Did "A Guinea Man" ask a single friend to join?). But 

 where influential horticulturists took trouble in nemo districts 

 they brought in excellent names. Witness Col. Page of Llan- 

 daff, Rev. Harper Crewe of Triug, Dr. Lionel Beale of London, 

 who all collected first-class names. Miss Hope of Wardie, 

 too, brought in three very good names of ladies, besides her 

 own well-known one. Our number of names are the results 

 of the labour of but a few ; with a little more study and ex- 

 perience we shall learn how to induce more to work. Our 

 short list, too, contains such influential names that it must 

 tell. Some first-class names have come in since our list was 

 printed. A Yorkshire horticulturist, with his county's energy, 

 has gone to the expense of a lithographed letter from himself, 

 which he is sending round in hia district with our circular 

 enclosed. 



Now as to the future. What has made me work is this 

 strong fact, that the Society has never for any time together 

 (since its very early days when it started as a scientific society), 

 prospered. It has never trusted to those most interested in 

 horticulture for its support. All other scientific societies have 

 trusted to those most interested in their several objects and 

 have prospered. I believe if we should so change the con- 

 stitution of our Society as to resemble theirs in the above 

 respect, horticulture having more friends through the country 

 than any other science has, it would become the most pro- 

 eperoas Society of all. 



The Council have admitted three classes, one of Fellows 

 paying £4 Is. and having two transferable tickets, a second 

 paying £2 2s. having one transferable, a third members with- 

 out a vote having one non-transferable ticket. I believe one 

 reason for withholding a vote from these last was the fear 

 that so many in the neighbourhood might become guinea 

 Fellows that their votes would swamp those of Fellows not on 

 the spot. A member of the Council, after the meeting, I un- 

 derstood to say would have supported guinea fellowships to 

 those living outside the London letters. If the Council would 

 agree to this, I think that many of the best horticulturists of 

 the country rather than wait until 1892 would come in, though 

 some would not. Fellows living out of town have less good 

 from the gardens, therefore it seems fair that they should pay 

 less. It has been said. Let those who want to vote pay £2 2s. 

 Not a few of the very best horticulturists of the country cannot 

 or will not pay more than a guinea, and I do not think it reason- 

 able to ask more from them. Anyone looking at our list will 

 see supporters from distant parts of the kingdom; many of 

 them when sending their names said that they could not 

 expect personal good, but to help a Society for promotion of 

 their favourite science they would become guinea Fellows. I 

 must again remind, that some of the best horticulturists in 

 the country whose names would add strength to any society, 

 and who have great influence in their districts (especially 

 clergymen), aro often not overburdened with guineas in pro- 

 portion to the number of calls upon them, and that a guinea 

 is as much as they will or can be expected to spare. 



If these representative horticulturists would come in — 

 and I believe they would in numbers — the Society would be 

 leavened with the horticultural element which has been the 

 great object of our work. Some would say the Society has 

 still the South Kensington encumbrance. True, but if they 

 were asked only for a guinea it is not they who would pay for 

 this, they would get horticultural consideration for their 

 guinea, while the £4 4s. and £2 2s. subscribers would pay for 

 the South Kensington Gardens. These have often been likened 

 to a white elephant, but it is not the white elephant (at least 

 as far as horticulturists are concerned), that is an evil, but 

 the having to pay for its keep, and this they would not have 

 to do. If the Council will not grant guinea fellowships with 

 votes to those living outside the letters, I would counsel going 

 on collecting names and waiting, trusting to the chapter of 

 accidents. The Council may rechange their policy, the £10,000 

 for the year may not be raised. The public or Parliament 

 may effectually protest against the land bought with the people's 

 shillings being used except for public purposes. In any case, 

 judging from the tone of letters to me, I think the best hor- 

 ticulturists will not, by giving guineas for a membership with- 

 out a vote, to that extent bolster-up what such a long ex- 

 perience has shown to lead only to unsucjess. 



" A Guinea Man " speaks of the " approval of silence" of the 

 meeting when guinea members were not given votes, and 

 mentions that I was present. Guinea membership not having 

 been mentioned in the report. I at first thought the Council 

 had let it drop ; but any way. the idea of guinea fellowship 

 outside the letters not having then been suggested, and our 

 supporters having only given their names for fellowship with 

 a vote when free from encumbrance, we were not concerned in 

 the matter; besides, I deny that silence gives consent, or 

 means more than a desire to avoid needless discussion. For 

 instance, the report says of the fortnightly meetings—" The 

 large attendance of Fellows and their friends that are usually 

 seen at these meetings," I whispered to my neighbour that I 

 thought that the attendance had been notoriously painfully 

 small, but did not consider it my business to protest against 

 the statement. — George F. Wilson. 



The following letter from Mr. Hanghton has appeared in 

 the Pall Hall Gazette .•— 



" Sib, — I do not in the least contest your right to criticise 

 the acts of the Society and of the Commissioners ; but I may 

 not unreasonably ask for accuracy in the statement of facts 

 when yon seek to condemn the efforts of the Council of the 

 former body on their merits. In your article of yesterday you 

 speak of " public land " which the Society monopolises ; its 

 land being in fact no more public than that of St. Bartholo- 

 mew's Hospital or of one of the City companies. The Com- 

 missioners hold in fee their South Kensington property as 

 trustees for certain purposes which our law terms charitable. 

 The benefit of that property by dedicating part of it as an 

 ornamental garden was one of the objects avowed on the face 



