ai8 



JOURNAL Oi' HORTIOtJLTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 18, 1875. 



and list. In the course of a fortnight the fractures were 

 entirely healed, the leaves self-supporting, and there are now 

 only slight soars remaining not the eighth of the length of the 

 original wounds. — E. E. P., Richmond, Surrcij. 



[Our readers will smile when they first read of applying 

 Friar's balsam to a wounded leaf, but the application is justi- 

 fied by frequent practice. There is not, probably, any more 

 healing power in the Friar's balsam than in gum water ; any 

 such application excluding the air and preventing the lips of 

 the wound drying would be effectual. The sooner the wound 

 is closed the more certain the healing. — Eds.] 



BOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 To those who attended the adjourned meeting on Tuesday 

 the 0th inst. it must be well known that at an early stage of 

 the proceedings I was about to make a few observations, but 

 the Chairman ruled that a gentleman rising at the same time 

 as I did had the precedence. The remarks I desired to make 

 had no reference to the report, and therefore after the amend- 

 ment was proposed and seconded thought I should be out of 

 place in intruding my general remarks on the meeting : hence 

 my now writing. 



It has been observed, both outside the Royal Horticultural 

 Society and in, that the professional horticulturists take but 

 little prominent part in the Society's annual meetings, that 

 their voices are seldom heard in the discussions, and therefore 

 they have been treated as nonentities and as unworthy of any 

 consideration : I judged, therefore, it was necessary for some 

 one of them to explain their position and set the case right to 

 the Fellows generally. 



There are various reasons for the reticence and seeming 

 apathy of the professional horticulturists at the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society's meetings. They as a body, from their studious 

 avocation, are somewhat diffident ; their opinions are seldom 

 or never asked except in a secondary way, and hence the smaU 

 action they have prominently taken ; and some of them feel — 

 I among the number — that they could not spare the time to 

 always take an active part in the Society's affairs, but those 

 that could not do so would zealously support their colleagues. 

 When alluded to, however, it must be apparent that horti- 

 culturists cannot possibly take any zealous interest in the 

 Royal Horticultural Society constructed as it is at present, for 

 it is a Society formed for a technical object, but with a Council 

 elected for carrying on its work with few exceptions composed 

 of gentlemen almost entirely devoid of the necessary technical 

 knowledge for that purpose. But what would be thought of 

 the Royal Medical Society if it had no doctor on its Council ? 

 Would the Linnean Society of London be looked up to with 

 the respect it is by scientific men throughout the world it its 

 managing members had not a profound knowledge of botany 

 and zoology ? Would the Architects' Association carry on its 

 work for any good purpose if no architects were on its board ? 

 In what an anomalous position, then, is the Council of the 

 Royal Horticultural Society without a single professional hor- 

 ticulturist belonging to it ? 



I know all the objections that can be urged against this. It 

 has been said that the Council of the Society could not be 

 composed of gardeners. RosBibly not : but there are gardeners 

 and gardeners, and I am afraid the professional horticulturists 

 would be found lacking much of the technical knowledge that 

 a gardener refiuires. However that may be, there have been 

 eminent men who have not been ashamed to be called gar- 

 deners. The professional horticulturist, however, is only a 

 gardener somewhat in the sense that an architect is a carpenter 

 or mason. 



Again, it has been urged that if professional men were on 

 the Council of the Royal Horticultural Society it would bo 

 swayed by trade influences. Dut has anyone ever heard such 

 an argument against the Chemical Society because chemists 

 direct its affairs ? or, indeed, can such be alleged against other 

 societies because professional and business men take an active 

 part in their administration ? It has also been staled that it 

 is of the utmost importance, considering the state of the 

 Society's affairs, that good financiers should be on the Council 

 rather than horticulturists ; but I have yet to learn that the 

 latter are wanting in this respect. The yearly expenditure or 

 monetary transactions of the Royal Horticultural Society are 

 as nothing compared to those of the best horticulturists, which 

 are generally guided to a successful issue. 



TliB many failures in the Society's affairs are owing in a 

 great measure to one great fundamental cauee, and that is that 



the Society has never, since I can remember, had a thoroughly 

 practical horticultural council — a council in which the horti- 

 culturists throughout the United Kingdom, both professional 

 and amateur, could have perfect confidence. If it had I have 

 Uttle hesitation in saying that instead of four thousand it 

 would have nearer forty thousand Fellows, and not by re- 

 ducing the subscription, as a member of the late Council has 

 proposed, for now there is a two-guinea fellowship. 



Alluding to a member of the late Council reminds me that 

 it did good horticultural work by establishing the provincial 

 exhibitions. These, however, have fallen through, as I believe 

 they also would if they had been carried on by the late Council, 

 for the simple reason that if the Royal Horticultural Society 

 of London is desired in the provinces it is not because of its 

 name, it is not in consequence of men of great social influence 

 being on its Council — for in any district there are county 

 families ; but what is desired is to hold communion with, to 

 make the personal acquaintance of, and to fraternise with men 

 whose names are known, not alone at Kensington but through- 

 out the horticultural world, for their technical kuowledge and 

 their practical experience, and there were only one or two such 

 on the late Council. 



With fair management and with such a Council as I have 

 suggested I have no doubt an annual profit of from £1000 to 

 £2000 would be made from the provincial exhibition, and this 

 besides doing legitimate horticultural work, enlisting the sym- 

 pathy, and making a large number of Fellows in the districts 

 which were visited. But I venture to say, and I do so with 

 some regret — still it is necessary to be candid, although I 

 should be sorry to wound the feelings of the Council — that 

 beyond a few their names would not be known in connection 

 with horticulture outside the Horticultural Society. What an 

 anomalous position, then, horticulture in London is in. If it 

 were necessary for the Society to send a deputation on any 

 horticultural matter abroad, beyond one or two their names 

 would not even be known. 



Fortunately, however, horticulture does not depend on any 

 society, the love of it increases with the higher development of 

 civilisation ; still professional horticulturists! cannot but de- 

 plore the present state of what should be the first horticultural 

 society, not in England alone, but in the world. And this 

 brings me to the consideration of the Horticultural tlardene, 

 for about these I differ somewhat from my colleagues. 



They are leased on such easy terms that I am not one of 

 those who advocate giving them up; for whatever may be said 

 against those gardens, I consider them a monument of horti- 

 cultural skill as a town garden, and from what I have seen I 

 much doubt if they are to be equalled in any capital in Europe. 

 The rent need only be paid once in five years — something, 

 therefore, under £500 a-year for those magnificent ornamental 

 grounds. I know it is stated that £500 a-year cannot be sot 

 aside to defray the rent ; that £2400 must be paid in one year, 

 and that every fifth year ; and here again crops-up the want of 

 a truly practical horticultural council, for various ways would 

 then suggest themselves of easily providing the rent. A plau 

 occurs to me at this moment — viz., to hold a grand international 

 horticultural exhibition every five years. I doubt not the hor- 

 ticultural FeUows would provide a guarantee fund, and if not, 

 I believe the professional horticulturists would subscribe it 

 themselves. But work such as this would involve could scarcely 

 be expected from amateurs, much less from those who are not 

 horticulturists. Amateurs may render good advice and service, 

 but in practical work and technical knowledge they can seldom 

 be expected to take the place of the professional miiu. If any 

 one had a sick child tliey would scarcely send for their amateur 

 friend who has always a favourite pill to prescribe or some 

 essence to recommend, but would rather send for the man of 

 professional skill, in whose practical knowledge the utmost 

 rehance could be placed. The Horticultural Society is now 

 that sick child, and the inference is obvious. 



If the primary object of the Horticultural Society is to be 

 merely the keeping of the gardens at Kensington as a London 

 square, then good horticultural work is not of paramount im- 

 portance, and it matters but little how the Council is con- 

 structed ; but if the legitimate objects for which the Society 

 was founded are to be carried out, it behoves the Fellows to 

 take action and see that a good Council of the best professional 

 and amateur horticulturists are guiding it. 



As an instance of what practical horticulturists can do, I 

 may mention that previous to 1805 we at different times had 

 been receiving invitations from our foreign friends to inter- 

 national entertainments, we had accepted of their hospitality 



