166 MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



suing meeting of the Committee, the name, if approved, will be entered ac- 

 cordingly: communications ou any subject connected with the meeting may 

 be addressed in the same way. 



I have been much gratified in looking over the four numbers of your Flo- 

 rist's Magazine, a very cheap and commendable work, because it places the 

 study of Floricalture within every one's reach. I beg to iuform you, that the 

 first ])nblic exhibition of flowers in the London Horticultural Society's Gar- 

 dens was held ou the 20th of May last. The day was line and inviting, and 

 the comixiny most fashionable and numerous. 'I'he great display ol flowering 

 shrubs, such as Rhododendrons, Azaleas, &c., of greenhouse plants, as Gera- 

 niums, &.C., and of flowers grown in the open borders, as Pocouies, &c., was 

 most splendid and attractive. The show of fruits, as Grapes, Peaches, Melons, 

 Cucumbers, &c., was equally good, and seemed to give general satisfaction. 

 Above four thousand plants of Dahlias alone have been distributed this Spring 

 among the Members; which, I hope, was only a genteel way of getting rid of 

 them, to make room for better; for I saw very few there last year which I 

 considered fine, or that were to my taste, being chiefly old kinds. 1 do not 

 wish to alarm you, who have been one of the Society's old correspondents; 

 but you must know, that a pretended literateur, an anonymous writer, iu the 

 day of Sams, the King's bookseller, in St. James's-street, has had the inipu- 

 hence to obtrude upon the public sundry silly remarks and strictures, repre- 

 uendiug the conduct of the Council, iu which he threatens, that if they do 

 pot alter it, and adopt his views and profit by his hints; which means, that 

 they should confine themselves in future to the culture of trees, shrubs, fruits, 

 and vegetables, and leave floriculture to him and his associates of a new soci- 

 ety, — he will make their grounds atChiswick a "splendid desert" aud deserted 

 garden. This said person is also supposed to have written the long nonsensi- 

 cal review of "Hogg's Supplement on Florists' Flowers;" and to have pre- 

 sided as chairman at a Tulip Show, which was held last month at Hampton, 

 in compliment to the Queen, whose patronage has been accorded to it, on 

 conditiou of its taking place there, but whose meetings have been hitherto 

 always held in some tavern, either in Gray's Inn lane, Coruhill, or Billings- 

 gate. I was not a little surprised the other day in looking over our list of 

 new-made members, to find his name eurolled as a Fellow of the Horticul- 

 tural Society. An Old F. H. S. 



London, June 8th, 1833. 



If gardeners were literary men, which without disparagement it must be 

 confessed in general they are not, I should raise my voice against " Snow- 

 drop's" proposal of applying the pruning knife; but as they are in general 

 more conversant with the spade than the pen, they ought to be thankful to 

 him for his suggestion to lop oft' the straggling shoots o( their literary plants. 

 It would save a deal of rigmarole, and their communications would be of 

 equal value if expressed in a few words. A little trimming and correction 

 would have been very beneficial to the communications of " T. K. Short," 

 "An Amateur," and ".I. C. H."; in which are to be found bad grammar, 

 misquotation, and an abundant supply of unnecessary acid matter. These 

 letters prove the necessity of a corrective pen, far more than any argument 

 their authors have used against it. Iris. 



July \st, 1833. 



[NOTK. — However properly the remarks of our correspondent may apply as 

 to the incorrectness of style or expression, iu the communications under con- 

 sideration, we inserted them verbatim as sent us; and we think it right to 

 add, that not one was from a practical gardener; — so that, as far as the three 

 communications in question are concerned, they contain no " defects" of a 

 practical gardener, in fact, as far as any thing ever sent us by siicli persons 

 enables us to judge, nothing has come to hand that in the least dcyree merits 

 reproach. If there has been a defi.cieucy of style or expression, we have 

 uniformh/ found good common sense, aud every thing directed the nearest 

 way to illustrate the suhject under considerdlion. It is certain that a great 

 majority ol clever practical gardcuers have not had the ojiportuuity of ac- 



