Ootober 8, 1874. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



THE DAVIS BEQUEST. 



HE new schedule for 1875 of the Koyal 

 Horticultural Society has been issued, and 

 there is no mention of the Davis bequest. 

 Many people ask, What is to be done with 

 it ? It is already well known that an at- 

 tempt was made to apply it for the encou- 

 ragement of what we have heard called " A 

 Horticultural Derby," but the experiment 

 was attended with difficulties, and the com- 

 petitors who entered for the prizes were so 

 few as to reduce the interest in the competition, and to 

 render the attempt a complete failure. We are not aware 

 that anything has yet been done in the way of devising a 

 scheme which would meet the object Mr. Davis bad in 

 ■view, or what the intentions of the Council may be in 

 regard to it ; but we think that something which would 

 be worthy of the reputation of so old and honourable a 

 Society as the Koyal Horticultural ought to be forthcoming. 

 In the absence of any better proposal we offer one 

 ■which appears to us to be worthy of the attention of the 

 Society, and one also which would do honour to it while 

 it was honouring others. It is to institute Medals for 

 Merit. All the leading societies possess this power of 

 rewarding, or at least of recognising, merit. The Boyal 

 has its gold medal, the Society of Arts its Albert medal, 

 the Institute of British Architects and that of the Civil 

 Engineers their medals, and there are the medals of the 

 Eoyal Academy — all rewards for merit, which are eagerly 

 sought after — why should not the Royal Horticultural 

 Society have its medals for merit ? Horticulture has its 

 distinguished men and its eager votaries; but with the 

 exception of the prizes which are won at horticultural 

 shows, there is no other recognition of horticultural merit; 

 and these prizes are confined exclusively to rewards for 

 culture. The scientific horticulturist, the traveller who 

 goes out with his life in his hand to pursue untrodden 

 paths, and to grope his way through tropical forests and 

 malarious swamps among barbarous peoples, what is his 

 reward ? What order of merit have we for him ? Or the 

 painful hybridist, who in his quiet undemonstrative way 

 plods along, and astonishes us now and again with some 

 wonderful feat of creation which puts much money into 

 the pockets of culturists and exhibitors, but too often 

 very little in his own — what order of merit is conferred 

 on him ? And the skilful cultivators, who whether they 

 are exhibitors and win prizes, or whether they are not, 

 they, too, ought to be thought of. There are many of our 

 very best gardeners who are not exhibitors, and who are, 

 therefore, never recognised. Then there are the writers 

 on horticulture who are fairly entitled to have their merits 

 rewarded. Horticulture is much indebted to its writers, 

 and we feel sure that horticulturists will not be slow to 

 reward merit in literature where it is deserved. 



Now, from what source could such honours flow more 

 appropriately than from the Royal Horticultural Society? 

 It has no medals of the kind to confer as medals for 

 merit, and never has had. The Davis fund affords an 



No, 706.— Vol. XXVE., New Sebibs. 



opportunity now for its doing so, and we can see no better 

 or more creditable way of applying it than by creating 

 such medals as we have indicated. 



Let us, by way of illustration, indicate what we mean. 

 Who would say David Douglas or Hartweg, or the Cun- 

 ninghams, or Mr. Skinner, were not entitled to this medal 

 for merit had they been ahve ? and yet we have among 

 lis Mr. Fortune who has contributed to our gardens as 

 many trees and shrubs and lovely flowers as any of these 

 have done — popular flowers, flowers to be met with in 

 every cottage garden and cottage window, on market 

 stalls and hucksters' barrows — surely he might have a 

 medal of merit ? Then there are the great hybridists, 

 men like Mr. Dominy, Colonel Trevor Clarke, Mr. Rivers, 

 Mr. Laxton, Dr. Denny, Mr. Scdden, and others — men 

 who by mental ingenuity if not by physical exertion, like 

 the travellers, have enriched our collections and added to 

 our pleasures, with too often the travellers' scant reward. 

 And the cultivators, are there not names which flash across 

 the memory suggesting men worthy of such honour? 

 The Thomsons, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Fowler, Mr. Speed, 

 and others are but types of the class. And lastly, there 

 are the literary workers, of whom there are now and then 

 some who might be thus distinguished. Such a man 

 was Mr. Loudon ; and who would have denied to Donald 

 Beaton and Robert Fish such an honour had they beeE 

 ahve ? There are men among us stUl plying their brains 

 in the interests of horticulture who have no other oppor- 

 tunity of a reward for merit except such a one as we 

 have indicated ; and among these there are the scientific 

 horticulturists, they who apply science to practice, and 

 combining the two render valuable services to horticulture. 

 Such men are the Rev. M. J. Berkeley, Mr. J. G. Baker, 

 and others. 



We throw out this as a hint to the Council of the Royal 

 Horticultural Society whom we know have the beat in- 

 terests of horticulture at heart, and we hope it may find 

 such favour as to stimulate them to take some step to- 

 wards promoting so laudable an object. 



A PEEP INTO FROGMORE. 

 It is common to associate with royalty grandeur and 

 magnificence. One is apt to fancy the royal scullery, 

 royal kitchen, royal farm, and royal garden as super- 

 seding all and everything of the same nature to be found 

 in the island over which our gracious Queen reigns so 

 benignly and so well. We think that every latest im- 

 provement, every modern appliance, everything which 

 money can buy and the heart wish for, is provided ad. lib. 

 for the convenience of the royal servants in all the re- 

 spective departments. Mayhap it is so. But in glancing 

 over the place — the garden at any rate — an idea takes 

 hold of the mind and clings there, that the same principles 

 which govern most places govern this — viz., that the 

 means are not more than sufficient for the requirements. 

 Utility might be written on every house, and plant, and 

 man at Frogmore, for every house was full, every plant 

 had a purpose, and every man was at work. 



No. 1868.— 'Vou LIl., Old Series, 



