40^ 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



[ ikikf S». iMe. 



OD tlio prosperous stale of the sriences and their applications, and 

 particularly iii the progroH^ of Ilorticultnro, of %vh)cb thif; Intoniatioual 

 gathering furnishes a proof. Our age is in this respect a great age. 

 Horticulture has been pnshfil to an extraordinary- dojjree of i>erfectioD, 

 anil the natural ftcieuces have also advanctJ. \\'hat science wants, 

 above all, is liberty — not only politiciJ liberty, which is to u certain 

 extent very necessary ; but, ubovo ull, that liberty which is accordod 

 to each individual by public opinion. Vt\- have sot-n uatious and afjea 

 where, under an absolute uiouarohr, there ha** been a pieut deal of 

 libertj' of thought; and virr ri-rtid^ free conntrieg in which public 

 opinion has exercised an actual tyranny over individuals. Those who 

 seek for scientific truth require to be protected by the jmblie, even 

 more than by a free political tsystem. All the world ou;{ht to know 

 the advantas;e of toliTutiuu of opinion, and public reprehension oupht 

 only to fall on badfaitli. Science prospers when national institutions 

 and public opinion allow it freedom. At the present time horticnlture 

 flourishes more particularly in the West of Kurope, in Eujjlaud, 

 Belgium, and HoUand; and in some cities, such as ParLs, Berlin, and 

 Hamburgh. Evidently a climate offerinj^ neither extremes of cold, 

 nor heat, nor dryness, is favourable to its development. EWdentlv. 

 also, the iutelliRent and painstaking; peoples of these western lands 

 naturally give themselves to the minute details of cultivation : but 

 there is .still a contlition which overrules all. Horticulture, carried to 

 a certain extent, is a luxurv. It supposes riches, and there is no 

 extent of euuntr)' more K'^uerally rich thuu Wisteni Kurope on either 

 side of the Channel. Will International Ilortirnltural Exhibitions 

 spring up in the future on that arena ? We must hope for it as well 

 as for a more important object — peace, for war devours men as well as 

 capital. Ima^^ue to yourself (said M. De CaudoUe). what is the 

 coat of the millious of soldiers at the present day massed together on 

 Continental Europe. You will Hud, perhaps, that with their pay for a 

 single day we could construct a conservatorj' reaching from Paris to 

 Berlin. And here is a piece of advice which may be given beforehand 

 to the horticulturists of the east and south of the Continent — not to 

 make an insignificant imitation of English, Belgian, or Butch culture, 

 bat rather to create a new sj'stem of horticulture as diflfereut from 

 these as possible, suitable to their particular climates — a system of 

 horticnlture having for its foundation the plants of Asia, Africa, and 

 Australia, capable of supporting heat, cold, and dryness. In making 

 efforts in this direction they will do something new and remarkable, 

 and the horticulturists of the west will go to see the exhibitions of 

 eastern and middle Europe with the same pleasure that they visit in 

 the present day their own exhibitions." M. l>e Candolle concluded 

 by again thanking the assembly for the kindness which they had shown 

 to the foreign visitors. 



The Right Hon. C. Nisbet Hamilton, in proposing *' Success to 

 the International Horticultural Exhibition and Botanical Congress," 

 said : " He had no doubt that those who had witnessed the Exhibition 

 were highly gratified by what they had seen. For his own part he 

 must confess, that although he had seen numerous exhibitions of 

 flowers in many parts of the world, the present Exhibition surpassed 

 tiiem all. Lord Bacon had said, nearly three hundred years ago, ' God 

 first planted a garden, which, indeed, is the purest of human pleasures ; 

 it is the greatest refreshment to the spirits of men , without which build- 

 ings and palaces are but gross handiwork.' This, it should be remem- 

 bered, was an expression employed by one of cur greatest philosophers. 

 In England horticulture was pursued alike by the greatest and noblest, 

 and the poorest and humblest in the land ; and he believed that it had 

 a tendency to elevate the mind. Although, he said, we are proud in 

 this great country of our manufacturing and commercial prosperity, 

 we are proud also that such a meeting as the present cau be held under 

 the presidency of the chief magistrate of the City of London. It was 

 gratifj-ing to observe the taste for tioriculturf that exists among the 

 people, as is evidenced in many of the crowded lanes of the metropolis 

 and other densely populated places, by the care that is taken of a soli- 

 tai-y plant, such as a Geranium or a Fuchsia. Referring, again, to 

 the Exliibition of the morning, he would saythat Brussels and Amster- 

 dam had had their International Exhibitions, and London had followed 

 the exarai)le set by those places ; and he hoped he might say without 

 offence, that in this Show we had been enabled to surpass those that 

 had gone before. He trusted that although this was the first Show of 

 the kind that had taken place in London, it would not be the last.'' 



Dr. Hogg briefly responded. 



Sir C. W. DtLKE proposed *' The health of the Lord Mayor and the 

 Corporation of the City of London."' 



The L«RD Mayor said in reply : " My Lords, Ladies, and Gentlemen 

 —Different men, according to their different humours, have formed 

 various plans for bringing the whole human race under one head. A 

 tyrant wished that all mankind might have one neck, that he might 

 strangle it. A gallant bard grieved that * fair womanland could not 

 re8er\'e their smiles for him alone ;' and I, by an inverse process of 

 reasoning, would give my place to-night could I be blessed with a 

 thousand warm and varied tongues wherewith to bid you, from ' heart 

 to very heart.' one and all a sincere and earnest welcome. The gentle- 

 men who honour us with their presence here to-night have invited us 

 to view the most interesting, the most marvellous, and the most 

 "wonderful Exhibition the world has ever seen. I think I may call it the 

 queen of exhibitions. The right honourable gentleman has told us that 

 Lord Bacon says. *• The Almighty Father first planted a garden.' A 

 garden i^. and has been, the foundation of religion — of poetry — of all 



that is hrightent and holiest amongst men. What is there on earth 

 that 80 much contributes to our delight, to ourenjovnient, as a gurden ? 

 A garden is health — a garden is wealth — a garden is l)appiiief)=i. What 

 i«i more refreshing, more delightful than the sweot fmitit of earth ? 

 What is more fragrant than the breath of flowers ? It has been said 

 that Nature, so fair and bounteous in herself, needs not the hand of 

 man ty train and cultivate her; but Nature in every bhapu rcqaireff 

 cultivation. The luscious Peaeh, the clustering Vine, tlie fn^;nuit 

 JI%-rrh, the Rose divine, abondantly illustrate the truth of thi«. In 

 this age of great competitive and cosmopolitan industry onr neigh- 

 bours are doing with their flowers what we do with our sons — nrgft 

 them to take honours at home, and send them to gain laurels abroacL 

 On the part of this mnnicipalitv, I beg to assure you that we hold oat 

 to yon, one and all. the right hand of fellowshii) — that we recognise 

 the great merits of art, of scienco, and of literature, and wfe look 

 upon this Exhibition as one of the happy and peaceful triumphs of 

 our time. May it flourish, not only fur the present, and for onf 

 sukes. but may it flourish for the future." 



Prof. Kocii projiosed ** The Executive Committee of the Horticul- 

 tural Meeting, " and Sir D. Coopkr returned thanks. 



Mr. C. Dn-KE having proposed ** The Lady Mayoress and the Ladies," 

 the Lord Mayor, in acknowledging the toast, said that the Lady 

 Mayoress desired him to say that the sight she had seen that day was 

 one of the most gratifi'ing of hir life. 



During the evening the band of the Grenadier Guards, nnder thd 

 direction of Mr. D. Godfrey, played a choice selection of mnsic in the 

 gallery. 



DE.JErN*ER AT MESSRS. "V'EITCH'S. 

 Before commencing the formal business of the Congress on Wednofl- 

 day, the foreign botanists and giirdencrs were invited by Mr. Veitch, the 

 English horticulturist, to a magnificent dejeunir nt the Exotic Nurseries, 

 Chelsea. Tho forei^jn guests were met by a distinguished company of 

 their English confreres, and the occnsion was one of much interest. 

 Among the principal visitors were — Professor Lecoq ; Professor Triand. 

 of Paris: Professor Koch, of Berlin; Professor Morren, of Liige ; Dr. 

 Reicbenbacb, of Ilfiinburg; M. B»rillet, Paris; M. Vilmorin, Paris; 

 M. Pepin, delegated by the French Gnvcmment ; M. ScUo, Potsdam ; M. 

 Nisson. Naples ; Paron O^^y, Antwerp; M. lijndcn, Brussels ; M. Van den 

 Hecke ; M.Willink. Amsterdam ; M. Kreltigc. Haarlem ; Viscount Foree- 

 ville ; Sir Wentworth Dilke, Bart.; Sir D. Cooper, Bart.; Rev. Joshna 

 Dix; Rev. Mr. Berkeley; J. McNab. Esq., Edinburgh ; Dr. Moore, Dublin ; 

 Dr. Hogg; Dr. Masters ; G. Eyles, Esq. ; J.Liddell, Esq., Ac. Mr. Veitch, 

 senior, presided. Among the toasts drtinl; was one to "The Foreigners 

 l>resent." To this the representatives of France. Belgium, Holland, Ger- 

 many, and Italy responded. Several of these gentlemen spoke in English, 

 and expressed their admiration nt the pre-eminence of British horticnl- 

 ture. Mr. J. G. Veitch, who has travelled in Japan, Australia, and other 

 regions searching for new plants, many of which he has successfully in- 

 troduced to cultivation, replying to some complimentary remarks of one 

 of the foreign professors present, spoke In French. Sir Wentworth Dilke, 

 as Chairman of the Executive Committee, returned thanks for the obser- 

 vations made compliinentarv' to this country. The visitors inspected 

 Messrs. Vcitch's valuable collection of plants, (he most notable of which, 

 however, are now being exhibited at tho Show. The whole occasion was 

 marked by the most cordial feeling, and was a matter of luuch gruti- 

 fication to those present. Each guest, on leaving, entered his signatn*© 

 in a book, and received from Mr. Veitch his carte -de -visite as a souvcn'r. 



DINNER AT ST. MARTINS HALL. 



Ox Thursday evening upwards of five hundred gentlemen sat down to 

 dinner at St. Martin's Hall, Lord H. G. Lennox. M.P., presiding. 



Among those present were Sir Wentworth Dilkc, Bart., the Rev. Joshua 

 Dix, Rev. S. R. Hole, Dr. Hogg, Mr. T. Moore, Mr, C. Edmonds, Messrs. 

 Lee, &c. 



On the removal of the cloth, tho CHArRM.\N said the first toast on the 

 present occasion was one which all EuRlishmen delighted to honour. 

 For many years they had had the happiness of being under the most 

 constitutional of Sovereigns, a Lady whose private life would b^ar com- 

 parison with that of any other in the land. These were great blessings, 

 and would always secure that, wherever the toast was proposed, it would 

 be received with enthusiasm. He was one of those who thought that, 

 possessing such blessings, they could not do better than enumerate them 

 on every possible occasion. 



The Chairman next proposed that of the Prince of Wales, with that 

 beautiful D;inish Rose which had been transplanted to this country, and 

 who, they trusted, might long flouri'ih on British soil, and the other mem- 

 bers of the Royal Family. Prince Alfred was a true British tar. He had seen 

 him on board of ship in the Mediterranean, where he took all his watches 

 and performed all the duties as the sons or brothers of tho-jc pre-sent would 

 have done if they had been in that position. He trusted aUo that thoy 

 would give an extra cheer for the Princess Helena, who was about to bo 

 married, but who, he was hajipy to say, was not aI)out to leave England* 

 but to remain here to bo a solace to her widowed mother. 



The Chairman next proposed "The Army, Navy, and Volunteers," 

 associatint; with it the name of The Macleod of Macleod, who briefly 

 returned thanks. 



The Chairman said he must now crave the indulgence of the meeting 

 while he proposed tho toast of the evening. It was a toast which would 

 naturally tax the powers of a chainnan under any circumstances, for in 

 itself it "possessed an intrinsic interest to all present. Ho trusted that 

 that interest would act as a cloak to cover the deficiencies of him in 

 whose hands it had been placed. The toast, as placed in his hands, was 

 "Success to the Promoters of the Horticultural Exhibition and the 

 Botanical Congress." He himself was one of those promoter^, and it 

 would be indecent to propose success to himself. He would, therefore, 

 with the permission of the meeting, substitute "Succofls to the Horti- 

 cultural Exhibition and the Botanical Congress now sitting in Loudon." 

 From the tirst time this scheme was broached, he had given it his ruost 



