Report oF Society’s MEETINGS. 387 
lines, away up above and clear of each other, with the 
evening sun shining through the open spaces between 
them, revealing their heterogeneous charaéter and naked 
outlines. As to the quality of the material exhibited at 
the past Show—there was much difference and variety 
in worth, a small minority of the exhibits being good, 
evidencing care and interest on the part of the exhi- 
bitors in their cultivation and form of presentation, 
Where these instances can be singled out, higher prizes 
might be given them, as a recognition of their merits, 
and the interest taken by the cultivators in their growth 
_&c, The great bulk of the stuff, however was poor, 
much of it not fit for room on the benches and tables, 
and clearly indicating that it had not been cultivated 
at all, but just left to nature to grow, to be used for 
show purposes when required. From this point of 
view, and to encourage the good exhibits and discourage 
the poor and worthless, I would, using reasonable con- 
sideration of course, recommend a stringent curtailment 
of the liberality with which prizes are now given. My 
opinion is that this generosity does not encourage the 
'exhibitor to grow or prepare better stuff, but the very 
reverse of it—it induces him to take little or no trouble 
at all, believing that whatever he may put on the table 
the chances are it will secure him a prize. 
In the observance of rules for the guidance of exhi- 
bitors an initial step in advance was made this year, in 
the passing over without comment certain exhibits which 
failed to conform to the conditions laid down in the prize 
list of the charaéter and limits of size of the vessels used 
for the plants shown in particular groups or single plants, 
] am confident this firmness had a salutary effect on the 
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