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THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[November 8, 



NOTICE to SUBSCRIBERS and OTHERS. 

 Post-office Orders and Postal Orders should 

 be made payable at the Post Office, 



No. 42, DRURY LANE. 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OFFICE TELEGRAMS. 

 NOTICE to Correspondents, Advertisers, Sub- 

 scribers and others. The Registered Address 

 for Foreign and Inland Telegrams is 



"GARDCHRON, LONDON." 



Now ready, In cloth, lis. 6d. 



J 'HE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE, 

 Vol. III., Third Series. JAN. to JUNE. 1888. 

 W. RICHARDS. 41, Wellington Street, Strand, W.C. 



APPOINTMENTS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. 





MEETING. 



SATURDAY, 



Wni7 in J Royal Botanic Society: General 

 jxo\.iu.j Mee ting. 





SHOWS. 



MONDAY, 



Nov. 5— Surrey (two days). 



TUESDAY, 



Nov. 6 — Kingston (two days). 





/'National Chrysanthemum (two 



WEDNESDAY, 



Nov 7<? da ^- 



auv ' '} Bath (two days). 



C Portsmouth (three days). 



THURSDAY, 



Nov. 8— Teddington (two days). 



FRIDAY, 



i Crystal Palace (two days). 

 Nov. 9 < Leicester and Midland (two days). 



WEDNESDAY, Nov. 7 



( Hitchin. 



SALES. 



/Dutch Bulbs, at Stevens' Rooms. 



1 Duteh Bulbs, at Protheroe & Morris' 

 5 \ Rooms. 



/ Dutch Bulbs, and Plants, at Smail's 



\ Rooms. 



fNursery Stock, at the Goldsmith's 

 Park Nursery, Groonibridge, 

 Sussex, by Protheroe & Morris 

 (two days). 

 Nursery Stock, from Sample, at 

 Protheroe & Morris' Rooms. 

 . 6 ( Roses, Greenhouse, Plants, Fruit 

 Trees, Bulbs, &c, at the City 

 Auction Rooms, by Protheroe & 

 Morris. 

 Nursery Stock, at the Hale Farm 

 Nurseries, Tottenham, by Pro- 

 theroe & Morris. 



/Dutch Bulbs, at Stevens' Rooms. 

 Lilium auratum. Azaleas, Camel- 

 lias, Greenhouse Plants, English- 

 grown Lilies, &c, at Protheroe & 

 Morris' Rooms. 



I Plants and Dutch Bulbs, at Smail's 



\ Rooms. 



I Dutch Bulbs, and 5000 Lilium aura- 

 tum from Japan, at Stevens' 

 Rooms. 

 Dutch Bulbs, at Protheroe & Morris' 

 Rooms. 

 " Nursery Stock at Woollett's Nur- 

 series, Caterham, by Protheroe & 

 Morris. 

 Plants and Dutch Bulbs, at Smail's 

 Rooms. 



Nov. 10— Dutch Bulbs, at Stevens' Rooms. 



The passing, with ultimate unani- 

 mity, of two important resolutions 

 respecting the future of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society, at the last of the interesting and practi- 

 cal meetings held in association with the Chiswick 

 Apple and Pear Conference, lead to the conviction 

 that the proper position of the Society in the 

 world of horticulture is at length being realised, 

 and that a course is being indicated which may 

 ultimately lead to excellent results. The Royal 

 Horticultural Society has done much good work 

 in its time, but it is doubtful whether in any one 

 single effort it has ever accomplished so much 

 that is eminently practical as were the recent 

 exhibition and Conference. Here we saw a 

 wonderful display of Apples and Pears brought 

 together from nearly all parts of the kingdom, 

 without hope of any reward, and at consider- 

 able cost and trouble to the growers. Still 

 further, we saw Conferences attended, day after 

 day, by a large number of interested persons ; we 

 heard papers full of matter of practical value, 

 contributed also by gentlemen from various 

 localities ; and discussions of an enlivening nature 



kept up throughout the three meetings, and all 

 for love of the old Society, and for that horti- 

 culture which it is its duty to represent and to 

 lead. AVith such a remarkable tribute thus paid 

 to the Society how very important it is that 

 recommendations to the Council, as embodied in 

 the resolutions passed so heartily at the recent 

 conference, should have the fullest and kindliest 

 consideration. 



The promoters of these resolutions are persons 

 who, not only in connection with the recent 

 Conference, but in other directions, in times 

 past, have done much to promote the welfare of 

 the Royal Horticultural Society, and when sug- 

 gestions of the nature embodied in these resolu- 

 tions emanate from them it is obvious that not 

 only do the few speak for themselves, but they 

 speak practically for the body of horticulturists 

 at large. Whether the Council of the Society 

 feel much sympathy or not with the spirit of Mr. 

 Shirley Hibberd's proposal it would be very 

 unwise to ignore it altogether, or to treat it as 

 outside their powers. The selection of a body 

 of some ten or twelve persons, including members 

 of the Council and of the respective committees, 

 or even of persons outside of these bodies, would 

 be peculiarly fitted to render help to commercial 

 horticulture in the directions named, would show 

 that the Council has no disposition to stand in 

 the way of the wishes of the Fellows and horti- 

 culturists generally, in respect of a matter which 

 might prove to be ultimately of the highest 

 importance. It is true the reference contained 

 in Mr. Hibberd's resolution covers wide ground, 

 and, if carried out according to the strict terms 

 of the resolution, would entail expense beyond 

 what the Society can bear, even if the charter 

 bogey do not prohibit it, which is doubtful ! 

 But the Council in appointing the proposed com- 

 mittee, may, while giving a wide interpretation 

 to the resolution, and accepting its spirit, rather 

 than its letter, define what should be the nature 

 of its duties, and thus clear up what, so far, is 

 somewhat indistinct. The particular reference 

 made in Mr. Tallerman's addendum to the reso- 

 lution is very clear and decisive. It is only need- 

 ful to make other references as clear, and the 

 work of the committee may be productive of 

 much good. The proposal is important, because 

 it assumes that the Royal Horticultural Society 

 has duties to horticulture economical as well as 

 technical, and the more fully these duties are 

 carried out the more popular must the Society 

 become as a truly national horticultural organi- 

 sation. 



The resolution proposed at the instigation of 

 Mr. Malcolm Dunn, acting on behalf not only 

 of the provincial but also of metropolitan horti- 

 culturists, possesses, perhaps, the greatest weight, 

 because it bears so conclusively on the technical 

 work of the Society. Mr. Dunn, in company with 

 many others from far and near, gathered together 

 at Chiswick for the discharge of good work, and for 

 taking part in the recent Conferences, and found 

 that, although the old and world-famed gardens 

 have been largely shorn of much of their ancient 

 area and beauty, yetthat they still remain the home 

 of practical horticulture, and really have no equal 

 in the entire kingdom. They see with so much that 

 is of present value, and so much which, if fostered, 

 might soon develope into great prospective im- 

 portance, also considerable dilapidation, and 

 poverty allied almost to starvation. What 

 wonder, then, if anxiety for the future of 

 Chiswick should give rise to a determination 

 to force the needs and necessities of the case 

 upon the attention of the Council, and invite 

 from that body speedy amelioration. Chiswick 

 has had an illustrious past, but with our now 



marvellously developed horticultural knowledge 

 and practice that past ought to be utterly eclipsed 

 by its much more practical as well as bril- 

 liant future. It is very hard to learn of 

 colleges of horticulture being established else- 

 where, when we have at Chiswick the elements 

 which no other place can furnish so well. What 

 if the old gardens were, under the auspices of the 

 Royal Horticultural Society, converted into at 

 once an experimental garden allied to a horti- 

 cultural school P How proud would gardeners of 

 all sections be to find that something was at last 

 being accomplished in the direction of training 

 our rising youth to become worthy gardeners of 

 the future. Chiswick needs paint and putty, it 

 needs the labour of the carpenter and the brick- 

 layer, and, not least, more labour in the culti- 

 vation of its soil and the utilisation of its houses 

 to the highest of purposes ; but, beyond that, it 

 needs actual countenance and encouragement by 

 the presence of the ruling body, and by frequent 

 gatherings there of all who have the interests of 

 horticulture at heart. What a fine situation does 

 it present as a school of horticulture, because so 

 near to all our great teaching institutions. It is 

 almost next door to Kew, the noblest botanical 

 gardens in the world ; it is not far from South 

 Kensington, and its schools of art and museums ; 

 it is near to the metropolis, with the thousand and 

 one advantages thus offered to students to acquire 

 knowledge in geology, chemistry, botany, or other 

 allied sciences. That may seem to be a large con- 

 ception to emanate from Mr. Dunn's resolution, 

 but it is, all the same, the ideal which we have 

 for years past, in season and out of season, 

 advocated. We wish to see the gardens devoted 

 to the encouragement and teaching of horticul- 

 ture of the highest and yet most practical order, 

 overlooking nothing, but promoting everything 

 that is relevant to it. Commercial horticulture 

 in all its varied phases is an important element in 

 gardening now — that in our proposed school of 

 horticulture must be well taught also. Wide as 

 may be the conception, yet all is possible if the 

 Royal Horticultural Society will wisely direct, 

 and the gardeners of the kingdom will both en- 

 courage and support it. 



The Gardeners' Orphan Fund. — A meeting 



of the committee took place at the " Caledonian " 

 Hotel, Adelphi, W.C, on the 26th ult., Mr. Georgk 

 Deal Presiding, the members being present in good 

 numbers. The minutes of the last meeting having 

 been read, the Hon. Secretary, Mr. A. F. Babeon, 

 announced that the sum of £303 19s. 8d. stood to the . 

 credit of the fund at their bankers. Subscriptions 

 and donations were announced to the amount of 

 £38 19s. 8d., including £7 12s. from Mr. William 

 Wildsmith, of Heckfield Gardens, as small sums re- 

 ceived from visitors to the gardens ; £10 as the 

 balance remaining from an entertainment given at 

 the Vestry Hall by the young men of the Chiswick 

 Gardens in aid of the Fund; and £11 8s. 8d. received 

 from local secretaries. Mr. E. Dean handed in the 

 sum of £1 0s. (id. from a collecting-box at the annual 

 exhibition of the Oxford Carnation and Picotee 

 Union at Oxford on August 7 last. Mr. O. Thomas, 

 of Chatsworth Gardens, wrote to the effect that he, 

 in conjunction with the gardeners of the locality, 

 were arranging a musical entertainment at Chester- 

 field on November 14, and inviting the attendance 

 of a representative of the committee. The Chair- 

 man was requested to represent the body if he 

 could conveniently do so. The Hon. Secretary 

 reported that 3000 copieB of the annual report 

 and list of subscribers printed for circulation 

 were nearly paid for by the advertisements which 

 appear in the report. Mr. W. Bishop, The Grove, 

 Teddington, was appointed a local secretary for that 

 district. A report prepared by the Chairman and 

 Hon. Secretary in reference to the guardians 



