THE GARDENERS' CHBJONICLE 



erowth upright or pendent, it i> constrained to take 

 Precisely the sameVorm on the wall The construc- 

 tion of forcing houses appears also to be generally 

 very defective, and two are rarely constructed alike, 

 thouuh intended for the same purposes ; probably 

 not a single building of this kind has yet been 

 erected, in which the greatest possible quantity of 

 space has been obtained, and of light and heat 

 admitted, proportionate to the capital expended It 

 may even be questioned whether a single hotbed Has 

 ever been made in the most advantageous form; 

 and the proper application of glass, where artificial 

 heat is not employed, is certainly very ill understood. 

 It was in March, 1804, in a room in the house of 



«l «he eminent bookseller in Piccadilly, 

 «m «r«t nnraniaed. On that occa- 



-7T hp CorDoration, of the Society memorable. The experiment - ^ 



seriously the pecuniary resources ot tne J i(J We made in 1833 an d proved successful ; ihe exhibit*!! 



X W0# • Corktree of S ,- 



Mr 



that the Society .t — \p~~, . n «. e;,. 



sion there were present Mr. Charles Greyille, Sir 

 Joseph Banks, Mr. Rich, Anthony Salisbury a 

 distinguished botanist of the day, Messrs. W. 1. 

 Alton and W. For, tli, two of them royal gardeners 

 and Mr. James Dickson, an experienced practical 

 gardener. When organised, which occurred in a 

 week's time, the list of members included the names 

 of all who in those days were most distinguished 

 for their knowledge of horticulture. The mere 

 institution of the Society, therefore, conveyed a 

 distinct declaration, by those best qualified to form 

 an opinion, that the state of gardening stood in very 

 great need of improvement. 



In 1810, the first number of the " Horticultural 

 Transaction*" made its appearance, a publication 

 ^hich ultimately extended to 10 quarto volumes, 

 replete with horticultural information both theoretical 

 and practical of the highest value, and from which 

 writers on gardening subjects have not failed to 

 extract a large part of their knowledge. The cost 

 of publishing these deservedly celebrated volumes 

 had: in 183 amounted to 25.250Z.; and they were 

 not finally discontinued till the year 1848. 



In the year 1816 (March 5) the first bye-laws 

 were passed, and by May, 1818, the prosperity of the 

 Society had so much increased as to lead to the hire 

 of an Experimental Garden at Kensington. The 

 elections rapidly increased, having risen from 73 in 

 1818 to 328 in 1821, the largest number ever added 



to the Society in one year. 



About this time the effects of that system of 

 obtaining valuable foreign plants from extra- Euro- 

 pean countries, by which the Society has conferred 

 such inestimable benefits upon these kingdoms, began 

 to be felt. In the accounts of 1819-20 appears for 

 the first time a charge of 108c?. 18s. 9c?. under the 

 head of foreign importations. Plants had begunto 

 arrive from China ; not the least important of which 

 was the magnificent Glycine (or Wistaria) sinensis, 

 of which the first living plant, now an aged tree in 

 the Society's Garden, arrived in 1818. 



and the floating debt bad acquired very 

 dimensions. In addition to this "o««*^.^ d 

 rassment, differences arose between theSociety^nd 



the 



the Society. This Committee reported that the 

 debts of tXe Society amounted to 19,750?., of which 

 14 200/. were on bond (they eventually proved to 

 amount to about 500?. more, or 20,243?. an they 

 did not estimate the property of the Society higher 

 than 16,500?., exclusive of the annual ^subscriptions 

 about to fall due. They found that the cost of he 

 formationand annual expense of the Garden for he 

 ei K ht years from 1822 to 1830 had exceeded the 

 amount of all separate subscriptions and sources of 

 garden revenue, of whatever kind, by the large sum 

 of nearly 29,000?. They however added that many 

 objects of the Society had been substantially fulfilled ; 

 that the foreign missions for collecting plants had 

 been eminently beneficial, &c, &c. The Committee 

 declared that these results could not have been 

 attained without continued exertion and superintend- 

 ence, and that whatever errors had been committed, 

 had arisen from mistaken judgment, rather than 

 from want of zeal in promoting the objects ot 



the Society. . 



Nor, add the Council, could the Committee have 

 said less when it appeared in evidence that a large 



were popular; the number ot elections began » 

 increase ; a profit of 340J. was carried to the credit of 

 the Society, and a reduction of the dead weight to 

 the amount of 951/. was immediately effect**. 

 Since that time the Garden Exhibitions have vie 

 about 43,000?. of clear profit. 



The Council remark that with such means it 

 command the incumbrances of the Society conld 

 have been readily liquidated, had there been a* 

 other purpose to gain than that of paying of 

 liabilities. But it was obvious that however 

 desirable extrication from debt might be, tkt 

 managers of the Society were appointed for ofer 

 purposes. A part of the debt dated as far back u 

 1824 ; the whole cf it was incurred before 1890: 

 and it seemed unjust to the Fellows elected _ 

 that time to apply the funds supplied by them to r» 

 other purpose than the discharge of debts, to cot 

 tracting which they had been no parties. Nor coald 

 the various Councils avoid feeling that to disconl 

 the improvement and encouragement of horticultut 

 would be virtually to abandon the purpose* far 

 which the Society was incorporated. They then- 

 fore endeavour to combine the liquidation of lii- 

 bilities with a vigorous prosecution of the object! 

 declared in their charter. Since 1830 newly 



11 000/. has been expended in works of permane* 



utility ; and more than 7000/. in the introduction of 

 rare plants and seeds ; notwithstanding which the 

 debts have been gradually reduced to 8800/, In the 



part of the debt had been incurred upon the faith of 



" F7^jr^\t by »SrS4l M K Tv«i 8 to the I ^ ofthU time the high character of tie 



been sunk in permanent works in the Garden ; that 

 5737/. had been expended upon procuring plants, 

 &c, from abroad for distribution among the Fellows; 

 that more than 880/. worth of medals had been 

 given as encouragement to horticultural skill, and 

 that the costly " Transactions" had been distributed 

 gratuitously to the Fellows, during a period of 20 

 years, without the funds of the Corporation having 

 furnished more than about 4000/, for the purpose. 



Between 1 :3 and 1830, the Council observe, the 

 progress of the Society in works of permanent utility 

 had been continual and rapid. The confusion that 

 formerly existed among fruits and esculents had 

 been reduced to order. That system of heating 

 glass structures by hot water, instead of by flues or 

 expensive applications of steam, to which modern 

 gardeners owe so much of their success, although it 

 did not originate in the Garden, was first systemati- 

 cally applied there in the face of great opposition 

 from those who objected to the introduction of a 

 method to which they were unaccustomed ; and the 

 rapidity with which it gained public favour must 

 certainly be ascribed in a great degree to the proofs 



niary rewards for meritorious productions, un<k 

 which head alone 19,224/. has been expended «^ 



1830 ; by an enormous distribution of seeds, plant*. 

 &c, amounting to almost a million and a half; ai 

 by an impulse given to horticulture to which that 



is no parallel. 



After alluding to some other points the ComoI 

 refer to the enormous debt bequeathed to the Sooty 

 in 1830. Up to 1852 a pretty steady reduction* 

 this incumbrance continued to take place ; but a 

 1853 and 1854 it was slightly increased and imj 

 in 1855 to the amount of U50L This hascluj 

 arisen from the thin attendance at the Garden Alert- 

 ing in May, when there was an important launca « 

 Woolwich in presence of her Majesty, and fromU* 

 in June having fallen into unfortunate V™™% *• 

 the day on which the Queen opened the trjJtn 



Pa l?. Ce - 1 ., ^ ^i : . MM m* of thk 



un 



curtail expenditure ; ins vriroe «** **—- 

 shire reduced the Garden rent from 300/, 



2001* 



Corp* 



B^?^ despatched which the Garden furnished of its perfect suitability year, and a valuation of the propeny „ ^ 



I! ILZ ; AfL» lb. West indies South to cultivation. The importance of regulating the ration was ordered to be ma el r 



_ West 



America, and China, and extensive collections of 

 valuable exotics had been procured from distant 

 colonies. In 1823, 1200 varieties of Roses existed 

 in the Garden; and this assemblage, as well as 

 the importations from China, may be assumed to 

 have led to that elimination of bad sorts, and general 

 improvement of the Rose, which has rendered the 

 modern Rose garden a scene of perpetual enjoyment, 

 instead of a summer display which only lasted for 



a month or six weeks. 



In 1822 the Society obtained a lease of the 

 present I tardea at Chiswick ; the admission fee was 

 then raised to 6/. &r., and the annual subscription 

 from 3/. 3s. to 4/. 4s. At the same time, with a 

 view to defray the cost of the new Garden, a volun- 

 tary subscription was opened, which ultimately 

 reached the sura of 7276/. 2s. 



In 1827 it was resolved to discontinue the anni- 

 versary dinners previously held in London, and to 

 substitute for them fetes or public breakfasts. 

 These assemblages were unprofitable, produced 

 dissatisfaction, and were discontinued after 1831. 

 The first was held June 23, 1827. It was attended 

 by 2843 persons ; gave ri*e to a lawsuit between 

 the Council and the purveyor ; and produced a 

 profit of 504/., of which however 213/. were after- 

 wards consumed in legal proceedings. The second 

 occurred on June 21, 1828; it was attended by 

 4103 persons, produced a gross sum of 4760/., and 

 a loss estimated at 139/. 

 June 27, 1829 



of 5185/. ; the expenses were 5162/., and the 

 balance in favour of the Society 22/. 16*. &/. The 

 fourth and last was on the 23d June, 1831 ; on 

 which occasion the balance in favour of the Society 

 was ascertained to be 115/. 12*. 



These experiments, hiving proved unsuccessful 

 were finally abandoned, ant placed by the Garden 

 Exhibitions, which have formed so great a feature 

 in the recent history of the Society. 



By the year 1826 th« heavy charges incurred in 

 the formation of the Garden had begun to affect 



The importance of regulating the 

 moisture of the atmosphere of glass-houses— never 

 attended to systematically by the older gardeners, 

 but which has become one of the corner-stones of 

 successful horticulture — was first demonstrated in the 

 Garden, after having been pointed out by Daniellui 

 the Society's " Transactions." With instruments of 

 the best construction, procured and placed under the 

 advice of the late Professor Daniell and the present 

 Colonel Sabine, a series of daily observations of the 

 barometer, thermometer, hygrometer, rain gauge, &c, 

 was commenced on the first of May, 1825, and has 

 been continued to the present time ; and the Council 

 believe that there does not exist in this country so 

 long, exact, unbroken, and trustworthy a record of 

 the climate of London as the " Meteorological 



Journal" of the Society has now become. Nor must to tne uaruen, ana iu ww» *«* j. < ,; n £0 



it be forgotten that in 1830 the country was in fall ; there is no limit to their power ot 1& jy en ft* 

 possession of those numerous and now universally ! free admission to the latter, that tor 



faro* 



the Society, of more than 15,000^. 



The Council observe in conclusion that tbe 

 of the Society has been, upon the whole, one w » 

 prosperity, and they cannot but look m» 

 pleasure to the important public services *mc 

 prosperity has enabled the Corporation to p 

 They therefore invite the Fellows each t « 

 his influence in recruiting the ranks 01 we r^ 

 tion. " When it is considered that the a^ ^ 

 fee is now only two guineas, that tne .^ 



scriptions are retrospective and "^f-JJW 

 vance, that ladies are admissible as J? 11 * "U p 

 publications of the Society are aisin ^ adm i,* 

 tuitouslv, that Fellows have free P erson T at pre ** 

 to the Garden, and to the Meetings ^^ , 



m-* ^» -»*^* *rf ■+* — . w -^ mb -*^> — w— v ^ -™ -w — — —w — — — ^ — — - — — -— — — — — - — - - r ■ a w -^r «■« "M — » M — ■*•■»* — - — 



cultivated hardy plants, which resulted from the | ings each Fellow has^ the P°^ er f . 



expedition of Douglas to the then almost unexplored - - - - • * — 



regions governed by the Hudson's Bay Company. 



The Brodiaeas, Collomias, Eutocas, Gilias, Gaillar- 



dias, Coreopsides, Clarkias, Godetias, Collinsias, 



Lupines, Escholtzias, the musky Mimulus, numerous 



Pentstemons, and many another universal favourite in 



the flower garden owe their origin to the Horticultural 



Society of that period, as also do the Holly-leaved 



Berberry, Spiraea ariaefolia, Vaccinium ovatum, 



Garrya elliptica, Rubus 



Jo** 

 > in t£ 



The third took place on 

 tickets were sold to the amount 



y - — r , spectabilis, Gaultheria 



Shallon, the Ribes sancuineum, aureum, and spe- 

 ciosum, the Douglas Fir, and many more of our 

 noblest and hardiest Coniferous trees. To this may 

 be added the names of the Fuchsias, Salpiglotts, 

 Schizanths, (Enotheras, Petunias, Calceolarias, 

 Verbenas, brought from Chili and elsewhere, 

 which laid the foundation of races unrivalled for 

 the brilliant effects produced by their descendants 

 in modern flower gardens. 



The Council next allude to the measures taken 

 after the report of the Committee of Inquiry had 

 been received, and give the history of their Garden 

 Exhibitions, which have rendered "the modern history 



of seeds and plants will certainly incrj^ ^ 

 portion to the means at our disposal, ^ l ^ fi 

 far more extensive than is general! W ^ ^ 

 finally, that no personal liability ^ ietyfl ftj» 

 curred, the advantages which the - 

 those who join its ranks are so g ^ 



' dUCeim ff orts for half ^ 

 the present flourishing state of garaeu 

 unquestionably derived. , literally* Jt 



We quote the last P ara ^5 t ^n » <J 

 sincerely hope it mav be «JP^ d £p rUH* "" * 

 worthy of the members of so uop° 



stitution. 



seems to be every in 



tion from whose continued e 



ti 



We have received from the author ■ ^ 

 ^ »* A i__ r> tItcs-ase. in * niL . from 



,.ni 



I 



-if 



9 



»** 



presence ofjiitrog^^ 



•^Factsand Observations relative j* jh*^ ^ 

 probable Cause and Cnre. By Jonn 

 A 12mo. namohlet of 28 pages. 



