THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 221 



front of the stage, arranged by Mr. Thomson, the' superintendent of the 

 horticultural department of the Crystal Palace. It consisted of Palms, Tree-ferns, 

 and of ornamental-leaved plants of large growth, and the group was neatly finished 

 off with dwarf-growing plants. 



Royal Horticultural Society's Great Summer Show, on June 2, as 

 compared with similar exhibitions held at South Kensington in previous years, was 

 a very small affair, and the efi'orts of a few of the nurserymen resident in the 

 neighbourhood alone prevented its being a complete failure. Flowering plants, with 

 the exception of those in two or three collections of no importance, were entirely 

 absent, and the exhibition consisted almost exclusively of ornamental-leaved plants. 

 One of the most attractive features of the exhibition was a large bank of plants 

 arranged for effect by Mr. J, Wills, of Onslow Crescent, who was awarded a Gold 

 Medal. There were a few good dishes of grapes and other fruit, and several 

 collections of Peas were staged in competition for the prizes offered by Messrs. 

 Sutton and Sons, and Messrs. J. Carter and Co. In the several collections, Sutton's 

 Bijou, Carter's Extra Early Premium Gem, Laxton's William the First, Sutton's 

 Early Emerald, and Laxton's Unique, were well represented. Two magnificent 

 collections of hardy ferns were exhibited, and as the varieties represented comprise 

 the cream of those in cultivation, some of our readers will probably be interested in 

 a list of the names of the varieties in the first prize collection, which was staged by 

 Messrs. Ivery and Son, of Dorking, Surrey. They were as follows : — Athyrium 

 filix-fcemina Fields, A. f -f. corymbiferum, A. f.-f. pulcherrimum, A. f.-f. plumosum, 

 A. f.-f, formosa-crlstatum, Polystichum angulare decurrens, P. a. WoUastoni, 

 Lastrea filix-mas BoUandae, L. f.-m. grandiceps, L. f.-m. cristata, and Osmunda 

 regalis cristata. 



The Present Positiox or the Royal Horticultural Society. — A meetino- 

 of the fellows of the Royal Horticultural Society, convened by the Lindley Club (lat'e 

 the Horticultural Club), was held on the 16th ult., at the Charing Cross Hotel, " to 

 consider the present position and prospects of the Society." Mr. A. F. Godson, of 

 the Inner Temple, presided. The chairman said the object of the meeting was to 

 prepare a practical scheme which would extricate the Society from its difficulties, 

 and then called upon Mr. Shirley Hibberd to address the meeting, Mr. Hibberd 

 having detailed the history of the Society, said the fellows were tied up in a scheme 

 which had failed from the first. They could not sell their land to speculative 

 hnilders, and they had no available assets, and, in fact, they had nothing which 

 they could carry into the open market. In making proposals for improving the 

 position of the Society, he considered it of the very first importance to honour 

 existing covenants, to perform all duties prescribed by the charter, to make the 

 best of the lease, the best of the Society's relations with the Commissioners of the 

 Exhibition of 1862, and the very best of the local fellows. To reconstract the 

 Society on a sound basis iha London garden must be kept in the most perfect con- 

 dition possible ; improvements should be made in the garden by which the expen- 

 diture would amount to JB17,000 per year. It was simply impossible that the 

 Society could pay its way at the present rates of subscription. He proposed that the 

 subscriptions for the fellows residing within a mile of the gardens at Kensington 

 should be £10 10s. annually. The raising of the subscriptions would tend to 

 enhance the value of the attractions by restricting the enjoyment of tbem to a select 

 company. He believed his scheme, if carried out in a spirited manner, would 

 result in raising the Society's income from subscriptions of fellows alone to £20,000, 

 which would leave an ample margin for the redemption of the debenture debt. 

 Assuming that only 1000 fellows joined at £10 10s., it would realize 10,000 guineas. 

 The exhibitions, life compositions, admissions to^gardens, and miscellaneous receipts, 

 would bring the income up to £20,000, and, as the working expenses would be 

 £17,000, there would be a balance of £3000 to pay off the debt. The gardens, in 

 Jiis opinion, should be made the most beautiful town gardens in the world. He 

 moved, " That in any scheme which may be promoted with a view to the restoration 

 of the Ilcyal Horticultural Society to its original high position, the aimual sub- 

 scription of fellows within one mile of the gardens at South Kensington should be 

 fixed at a minimum rate of Ten Guineas, and that the fellows' tickets should be 

 used only by resident members of the families of fellows." Mr. S. H. Godson 

 suggested that the fellows sliould get up a subscription fur the benefit of the Society. 

 Mr. Hibberd, in answer to a question, said he would not disturb the existing 



July. 



