XX 



orders. The object should be, he thought, (at least in this community) 

 to popularise the love of flowers, and the knowledge of their charac- 

 ters and habits. It was, therefore, to be regretted that the Gardens did 

 not possess an ordinarilj^ good greenhouse, much less a large stovehouse, 

 both of which were really necessary to exemplify the growth and beauty of 

 plants either having their habitat in warmer cUmates, or produced under 

 such artificial encouragement. It was not creditable to the Gardens, or to 

 the colony, that such an urgent want remained unsatisfied. ^Yhat he had 

 seen of botanic, or class gardens, showed them to be most uninteresting. 

 The plants could not be grouped for pleasing effect, and many, if not most, 

 were difficult to gi'ow in proper vigour side by side, when in nature they 

 affected very different localities. Therefore the effect of the work was 

 disheartening, and to those engaged in it would seem a waste of time as 

 compared with what could be done with the same attention in a more 

 popular direction. On the whole, therefore, he concluded that the time 

 was inopportune for forming the class garden under consideration, but the 

 subject might be advantageously reconsidered when there were greater 

 facilities for giving it effect. 



Dr. Perkins said, speaking from experience in the Edinburgh Botanical 

 Gardens, the division of plants into their classes did not render the 

 gardens unsightly or unattractive, for they were visited by hundreds 

 of people who had no desii'e for the acquirement of scientific information. 

 In the interests of those who wished to know something of the nature 

 and habits of plantSj'it was desirable that a portion of the Royal Society's 

 Gardens should be reserved for botanical studies. It had often been 

 difficult to ascertain the correct name and species of shrubs and trees in 

 the gardens, but owing to the recent efforts made by Mr. Abbott the 

 writing could in many instances be deciphered, and a visit to the gardens 

 rendered additionally interesting. 



Captain Stanley remarked that he agreed with Mr. Grant as to the 

 probability of the public not taking much interest in class gardens after 

 they had been formed, but agreed with Dr. Perkins in the advisability 

 of endeavouring to educate the people. He had only visited the clats 

 gardens at' Kew once, and then had been unfortunate enough to find him- 

 self the only person there, but for all that he considered that such 

 gardens were great educators. However, the subject seemed to him to 

 hinge entirely on the question of money, and he did not think Mr. 

 Abbott could be expected to do more than he did with the funds at his 

 disposal. 



Further discussion ensued, eliciting a diversity of opinion on the adoption 

 of the proposal, in which His Excellency, Mr. Swan, and others, took 

 part. 



In reply, Mr. Stephens said that the chief objections which had been 

 stated appeared to be that the proposal would involve increased expense, 

 and that the cultivation of the plants would entail much additional care and 

 trouble ; but these difficulties he thought were imaginary ones. So far as he 

 was aware, it had never been contemplated to occupy more than two or 

 three roods of ground, where it could best be spared, and that it was 

 chiefly a question of transplanting a limited number of plants, which 

 are already doing well in the gardens with ordinary care, and arranging 

 them according to their natural affinities. If a few square yards of such 

 a class ground could be completed year by year it probably would be ^ as 

 much as was expected. It was not advisable to attempt to hurry anything 

 of this kind, and as the matter was now placed on record, it would no doubt 

 receive consideration. 



The proceedings closed with the usual vote of thanks to the authors 

 of the papers read, and to the donors of presentations. 



