106 



JOUENAL OF HOBTICULTUKE AND COXTAGE GAKDENEE. 



[ Febroaiy 10, 1876. 



bunches being inserted in bottles with a little water and a 

 piece of charcoal in each bottle to keep the water sweet, and 

 Enspended in a dry room till the Grapes were required for table. 



The varieties were Lady Downe's, West's St. Peter's, Musciit 

 of Alexandria, White Nice, and Black Alicante ; the last two 

 being the best, carrying the heaviest bunches. Black Alicante 

 weighing on an average nearly 3 lbs. when cut from the Vines. 



I £ee reference has been made to Gros Culman Grape, ily 

 experience of it will not speak much in its favour. We had it 

 in a cool vinery where there was but little or no fire heat, by 

 the side of Black Alicante, Muscat of Alexandria, and Mrs. 

 Pinee, all of which set and ripened without the aid of any tirs 

 heat whatever. The lunches were everything that could bo 

 desired, but not so with Gros Colman ; this Grape was badly 

 coloured and very deficient in flavour. It was discarded alto- 

 gether from our collection. Mr. Batters, gardener, Chilworth 

 Manor, informed me some weeks ago that he paid a visit to 

 Heckfield last season and saw it there in splendid condition, 

 Mr. Wildsmith thinking very highly of it. — F. H. FEorc. 



AURICULAS. 



If " Alfbed " be an enthusiastic man, the letter in page 87 

 will have chilled him. In order, therefore, to give him a few 

 grains of solace, and to show that he can live very comfort- 

 ably without having either Page's Champion or Taylor's 

 Glory, let me extract from Glenny's " Annals of Horticulture " 

 for 1847 what is said in disparagement of these two varieties, 

 though in other respects they are duly praised. Page's 

 Champion " is of uncertain texture, apt to crack in the paste, 

 and occasionally very much crumpled. The paste rather thin. 

 The divisions of the petals often go quite through the colour. 

 The pips generally want flatness. By growing a number of 

 them we may pick one fit to exhibit." Of Taylor's Glory 

 another writer, in page 415, f.ays, " Paste not circular, ground 

 colour breaks through the edge. In my opinion it is mueh 

 overrated." 



When these opinions were given the plants were to be had. 

 I bought a Champion at Dickson's in Acre Lane for a few 

 shillings, I think 5s. Now they are nearly lost and cannot 

 be bought the desire of possessing them has increased, and 

 fancy throws ovir tbem a halo which conceals defects that 

 were visible enough when they were cheap and common. — G. S. 



EOYAL HOETICULTUKAL SOCIETY. 



The Annual General Meeticg of this Society was held on 

 Tuesday at the Council-rooms, South Kensington ; but owing 

 to the fact that Parliament was opened on the same day the 

 Council very properly had it announced in all the papers tbat 

 the annual meeting for the dispatch of business would not be 

 held until Thursday the 10th inst. However, at a thinly attended 

 meeting yesterday the Hon. and Rev. J. T. Boscaweu took tbe 

 chair in the absence of tbe President, Lord Aberdare. At tbe 

 Council board there were prcfeut Mr. Webb, tbe Treasurer; 

 Dr. Hogg, the Secretary ; Mr. Little, Dr. Denny, Mr. Warner, 

 Mr. Kellock, Mr. Haughton, ito. 



The Chairman.— Ladies and Gentlemen, I suppose you will 

 take the report as read. 



Several Members, — Certainly. 



The Chairman. — Well, then, ladies and gentlemen, I would atk 

 you, under the circumstances, to have this meeting adjourned 

 until Thursday next, because it would be very unfair to arrive 

 at any conclusion with respect to the affairs of the Snciety with- 

 out having a full meeting of its Fellows. It would beutteily 

 impossible for us to come to a conclusion upon the very serious 

 question before us on this occasion [hear, bear]. I think the 

 proper thing to do is to adjourn the meeting [hear, bear]. 



Sir Peter Pole said he, for one, in the interest of the Society, 

 wished to see the meeting adjourned to a day when all the 

 Fellows of the Society could, without hesitation, express their 

 opinions. 



Tbe question of adjournment was then put to the meeting, 

 and on a vote being taken it was resolved to proceed to busines?. 

 The ballot was then taken, and the following was the result : — 

 President, Rt. Hon. Lord Aberdare; Treasurer, Henry Webb; 

 Secretary, Dr. Hogg; Expeises Committeemen, F. Campion, 

 Henry Webb, and Vice-Admiral W. W. Hornby; Auditors, 

 Conrad H. Pinches, James F. West, and John Lee. Mr. H. J. 

 Veitch then moved tbat this meeting be adjourned till Thurs- 

 day the 10th inst., and this was carried uranimously. 



Eepobt of the Council to the Annu.^l Gexerai. Meeting. 

 The most important work which the Society has bt en able to 

 accompH^b for li e advancemeiit of tie science and practice of 



horticulture during the past year will bo found in tbe Report of 

 the Chiswick Board of Directors. The Council congratulate the 

 Fellows on the useful work A\;hich has been done in the garden 

 at Chiswick in the way of determining many new varieties of 

 fruits and vegetables, and in testing tbe merits of a large variety 

 of the new flowers which are employed for the adornment of 

 gardens. They especially call their attention to tbe important 

 discovery tbat has been made by Mr. Wortbington G. Smith, a 

 member of the Scientific Committee, who has detected the 

 resting spores of Peranospora infestans, or Potato blight, the 

 particulars of which were first given to the world at the meet- 

 ings of this Society. By this valuable discovery light has been 

 thrown upon the life and economy of this national scourge 

 which, it IS hoped, will enable physiologists to suggest a means 

 to check and ultimately destroy this disease which has for so 

 many years interfered with the production of this important 

 article of food. 



The three Committees entrusted with the scientific and prac- 

 tical operations ol the Society have regularly met during ihe 

 year, and tbe reports of their proceedings have been published 

 m the current horticultural periodicals. The low state of the 

 Society's finances led some time ago to the discontinuance of 

 the Journal, and, as a medium of communication between the 

 Fellows as to the result of tbe Society's operations, recourse 

 has been had to existing publications. The Coirncil regret that 

 they have not been able to recommence the publication of tbe 

 Journal; and, should there be such an improvement in the 

 revenue as to warrant them in doing so, they will lose no time 

 in re-issuing it. 



In the early part of the year it was found impossible to ad- 

 here to the schedule of prizes offered at the flower shows at 

 South Kensington, and the Council then in office announced the 

 necessity of reducing the prizes by 50 per cent. This proceed- 

 ing dissatisfied many of the exhibitors, who thereupon refused 

 to send plants, and the exhibitious suffered greatly in extent 

 and beauty. Thisfalling-off was apparent at all the early shows, 

 which in consequence did not attract as many visitors or yield 

 as much money at the gates as was expected. 



On the reconstruction of the Council in June last the exhi- 

 bitors who had held aloof from previous shows determined to 

 make a gratuitous display in order to prove they were not in- 

 fluenced alone by the offer of prizes, and there was held on the 

 21st July, under the large tent, one of the most magnificent 

 shows of the kind ever seen in tbe gardens at South Kensing- 

 ton. To those gentlemen who came forward so liberally to sup- 

 port the Society at a time when it was surrounded with many 

 difficulties the best thonks of the Fellows are due. 



The Council would remind the Fellows that to keep up the 

 horticultural attractions of the gardens, as well as to promote 

 and encourage the science and practice of horticulture, it is 

 necessary to maintain these horticultural exhibitions ; and to do 

 this, as well as to provide for tbe general working expenses of 

 the Society and the interest on the debt, it is necessary tbat the 

 revenue be increased much beyond what it has ever yet reached. 

 The income of the Society has never, without extraneous assist- 

 ance, been sufficient to meet the expenditure. For two years, 

 when the International Industrial Exhibitions were held in the 

 adjoining buildings, and certain concessions were made to the 

 Society by Her Majesty's Commissioners, the revenue was suffi- 

 cient for all requirements, but in no other year has it ever been 

 so. It was, therefore, with the object of raising the revenue 

 that the Council most unwillingly felt it their duty to revise the 

 existing privileges of Fellows, and to reconstruct them on such 

 terms as they considered would attain tbe desired result. 



It will be seen on reference to the balance sheet that the debts 

 bequeathed by former Councils still remain at upwards of 14,000, 

 and although the revenue of the year has been lessened by fbOO, 

 it has been at the cost of the prize list. 



The agreement with Her Majesty's Commissioners has not 

 been completed, but the terms, as previously announced, have 

 been arraugod, and the Council rely upon the co-operation of 

 the Fellows for an increase of income to enable tbem to carry 

 out the objects of the Society, and to maintain in efficiency and 

 attractiveness the gardens both of Chiswick and South Ken- 

 sington. 



Report of the Chiswick Bo.iBD of Dibection. 

 The Board of Direction at Chiswick report that a great deal 

 of good and important work has been carried on during the 

 past season. 



Tbat the crops of fruit have been plentiful, but owing to the 

 great want of sunlight and extreme moisture, not only has the 

 flavour been very inferior, but many varieties have decayed pre- 

 maturely, an observation which seems to apply very generally 

 throughout the country. 



Tbe matter of the greatest interest which came before the 

 Board, as rfgaids tbe fruit aijd vegetable department, after 

 the adjudication with respect to the trials of Onions, Celeries, 

 a' d Ihe more perfect definition of the several varieties of 

 Currants, of which tbe Society possesses a very complete col- 

 leciiou, is tie discovery, which has so long been a desideratum. 



