THE ROVAL\ HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



459 



was granted to the society whose object is 

 therein briefly described to be " the improve- 

 ment of horticulture in all its branches, or- 

 namental as well as useful." * * * 

 In 1811, on the death of the Earl of Dart- 

 mouth, the first president, Thomas Andrew 

 Knight, Esq., the founder of the society, 

 was elected president, a post he occupied 

 for twenty-seven years, to the signal ad- 

 vantage of the society and of horticulture 

 generally. 



In 18 18 and the following years an ex- 

 perimental garden was established at Ken- 

 sington, with a nursery at Ealing; and per- 

 manent offices were acquired by the pur- 

 chase of No. I Regent street, at a cost of 

 £4,200. About this time, the annual sub- 

 scription, which had originally been £2 2s., 

 was raised to £3 3s., a rise which seemed 

 rather to encourage than to cheque elections, 

 845 new fellows having joined the society 

 in 1 89 1 -2 1. In 1822 the gardens of the so- 

 ciety were moved from Kensington and 

 Ealing to Chiswick, where a thirty years' 

 lease of 33 acres had been obtained from 

 the Duke of Devonshire, the lease being re- 

 newed in 1852 for a like period. The gar- 

 dens of the societv have continued at Chis- 



wick ever since, but their area has been re- 

 duced from 33 acres to 12. 



A valuable feature of the society's work 

 — one which has had a great and enduring 

 influence on British horticulture — may well 

 be referred to here. As early as 1818 it 

 was recognized that, funds permitting, a 

 horticultural society could not do be.ter 

 than take steps to obtain from countries be- 

 yond the borders of Europe valuable and 

 interesting trees, shrubs, plants and seeds. 

 The earliest arrivals came from China and 

 from India. In this way many valuable 

 ornamental plants were introduced into 

 Great Britain, such as azaleas, peonies, 

 roses, camellias, chrysanthemums, etc. One 

 of Mr. John Reeve's introductions from 

 China was the lovely Wisteria sinensis, 

 which reached England in 1818. The large 

 tree of this climber at Chiswick is probably 

 a relic of the original introduction. The 

 success of these early efforts encouraged the 

 society to send out collectors at its own cost. 

 This they did with such success that, to 

 quote Mr. Andrew Murray, "the results 

 have affected the appearance of all Eng- 

 land. Nowhere can a day's ride now be 

 taken where the landscape is not beautified 

 by some of the introductions of the Horti- 

 cultural Societv." 



Fig. 2675. Horticultural Building, St. Louis. 



