36 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1891. 



recent exhibition in France 600 distinct varieties were exhibited 

 by a single house ; and there grew in 1889 in the Chiswick 

 gardens 800 distinct varieties. 



But to fully appreciate what this and kindred societies have 

 accomplished for the objects of their foundation we need to look 

 at the beginnings of Horticulture, or rather at the state of horti- 

 cultural science when these societies began their work. At the 

 beginning of the present century horticultural science was in its 

 infancy. The Royal Horticultural Society of London was the 

 first society of any note in Europe or America to collect and 

 classify plants under the Linnsean system. Its establishment dates 

 back to 1804 and its incorporation to 1809. 



Its first active president, Thomas Andrew Knight, F. R. S., in 

 his introductory remarks relative to the objects of the Associ- 

 ation, in speaking of the primeval state of those vegetables which 

 now occupy the attention of the gardener and agriculturist, says: 



" We possess no sources from which suflBcient information can 

 be derived to direct us in our enquiries as to how to trace out the 

 various changes which art or accident has in successive gener- 

 ations produced in each, and are still ignorant of the native 

 country and existence in a wild state of some of the most im- 

 portant of our plants. 



" We know that improved flowers and fruits are the necessary 

 produce of improved culture, yet few experiments have been 

 made the object of which has been new productions of this sort; 

 and almost every ameliorated variety of fruit appears to have 

 been the ofispring of accident or of culture applied to other 

 purposes. Societies for the improvement of domestic animals 

 and of agriculture in all its branches have been established with 

 success. Horticulture alone appears to have been neglected and 

 left to the common gardener, who generally pursues tlie dull 

 routine of his predecessor." 



He goes on to speak of the mission of the Society, to promote 

 experiments for the production of new and improved varieties of 

 each species of plant and fruit, as well as the improved culture of 

 the known varieties. The Society proceeded to act on these 

 suggestions, and in 1817 it had corresponding members in almost 

 every quarter of the globe. Through the assistance of the East 

 India Company the Society sent its agents to collect plants from 

 Bengal and China. 



