44 
THE GARDENERS’ 
— —ä—ä—ä—ũ—ẽ ——— 
—'ä 
EDITORIAL NOTICES. 
Advertisements should be sent to the PUBLISHER. 
Newspapers.— Correspondents. sending newspapers should be 
careful to mark the paragraphs they wish the Editor to see. 
Local News.—Corr dents will greatly oblige by sending 
to the Editor oly get tte of local events Sain 24 oe 
oj apuro o our reader’, edie any Ta bork 
IIlustrations.— The Editor will a receive and select 
photographs or drawings, suitable for reproduction in these 
pages, aft gardens, or of remarkable plants, flowers, trees, 
yey 27 ag ii 
Letters for Publication. — it communications intended 
jor publica naming, 
should be pode to the Editor, 41, Wellington 
Communications 
sent as early in the week as possible, and duly signed by 
the writer. If desired, the signature * 8 be printed, but 
kept as d aga of good — The Editor does not wnder- 
take to to serie unused com- 
e or pithatan, 8 by special arrangement. 
APPOINTMENTS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. 
MEETINGS. 
Ro nto ates a N Hali James 
mittees, at the Drill Hall, James 
; TUESDAY, JAN. 15 Street, Westminster 
Horticultura 
nual Meeting of the Gardeners’ 
THURSDAY, Jan. 17 8 8 Benevolent Institution. 
[ »Linnean Society. 
SALES. 
Hardy ee Piec- 
MONDAY, JaN. 14 tees, Iris, &c., at Protherce & 
| Mori tis Roc ms. 
‘TUESDAY, JAN. 8 Gladioli, dioli, Lilies, &e., at 
gS ES nt of Japanese 
“WEDNESDAY, Jay. 16) a Lilies. T Tu beroses, se gpa c., 
: Rooms. 
at Protheroe & Morr 
FRIDAY, ' JAN. 18 f apnena at Protheroe & Morris’ 
CORRECTE 
ING WEEK, DEDUCED odes THE OBSERVATIONS 
OF FORTY-THREE YEARS, A’ 1CK,—36°.9, 
HAD we known of the occurr 
a ys ee we should certainly have ii 
1 it among the most remarkable 
events of the year 1894. From 
the last number i the Kew Bulletin (p. 402), 
recently issued, we learn that Mr. W. MACKIE, 
gardener to Mrs. Rupprx, The Mythe Castle, 
Tewkesbury, has the honour of being the first 
to flower this magnificent tropical climber in 
Europe. So glowing was the account given by 
our lam ented friend, the late Dr. WELWITSCH, 
its discoverer, so suggestive the figure by Firon, 
in the Transactions of the Linnean Society (xx 
tab. 36), that plant-lovers have been on the alert 
ever since, eagerness being kept alive by 
the annua iaa. of an illustration in Mr, 
Burr's nsia has flowered 
the more. In oy meanwhile. i 
5 our congratulations 
‘number 
Tux discussion that has arisen in 
our columns with reference to this 
Institution will have one good 
effect at once, and may be pro- 
ductive of even more advantage in the future. 
Gardeners reading the whole correspondence will 
see once more how deserving the Institution is 
of their support, how well the committee do 
their duty, and how well the society is adminis- 
tered. They will know, too, how pr rodigal of 
their time, how liberal with their means, have 
been the officers of the society, and in this con- 
nection, we do not know why we may not single 
out the Treasurer in particular, as it is to his 
influence, industry, and generosity, to a large 
extent, that the society is in as good a position 
as it is. What then are the grounds of com- 
plaint? As far as we make out, they amount to 
a suspicion of want of due care on the part of 
the committee in ascertaining the qualifications 
of candidates, or rather of one candidate in par- 
ticular, and to a scarcely-veiled charge of undue 
influence or favouritism. As to the first point, 
we think the committee has abundantly cleared 
itself, Some candidates may be more worthy, 
others less so, but there can be no question that 
every one of them is deserving assistance. In 
making up the list of candidates, the committee 
has adhered strictly to the rules laid down for 
their guidance, and if justice is not done, the 
fault is that of the voters, not of the committee. 
As to the charge of undue influence, it is only 
to be wished that many more subscribers would 
put themselves into a position to exert this kind 
of undue influence! It is only natural that, 
The Gardeners’ 
0- 
lent Institution. 
under 5 ee ire of voting, those who 
-con oul 
most largely should have the largest 
chee votes, and exert, if they choose to do 
80, a predominating influent, 
This brings us to the erux of the whole matter 
-—the system of voting. The present system 
entails an enormous amount of trouble, expense, 
and anxiety on the candidates and their friends, 
This is objectionable because it is unnecessary. 
It is even more so because the candidates who 
succeed are not necessarily, as they ought to be, 
the most dese but very often those whose 
friends are most influential, and who can secure 
for their protégés the largest number of votes, 
Selfish rather than philanthropic considera- 
tions actuate most voters, Mr. not weigh 
the merits of the several candidates, but ifhe sees 
the name ag an old servant on the list, or of any 
one in m he is specially interested, he 
j — his vote for him or her, and 
endeavours to induce all his friends to do the 
same, Mr. A. does all this to get a return for 
his money, and without the least notion that he 
is possibly committing an injustice against some 
other more worthy candidate. e have even 
heard of some who have nikiona for a few 
5 758 with the ob’ect of getting their candidates 
elected, and having done so they have forthwith 
retired from the Society. 
any of thosé who have to administer the 
Society recognise these evils, but the ey fear 
that any attempt to alter them would be ex- 
tremely prejudicial, and, therefore, as prac- 
tical ob ey afer: to main tain the 
present s 
principle, are to some extent counterbalanced by 
e committee of selection, by whose scrutiny it 
CHRONICLE. 
[January 12, 1805 7 | 
DDr 
happens that each one of the candidates jy 
known to be deserving; and by the excellent 
system introduced recently, by which the ar 
mittee has the power of allotting to each 
date a number of votes in proportion tothe 
number of years the candidate has been a 
subscriber 
No ien! in the system is now positi 
the annual meeting, but a special meeting might 
be convened for the purpose at any time, Bein 
this is done, we would suggest that a l 
committee should be appointed to consider other 
methods of voting than the one now in use, it 
order to ascertain whether some method 
not be adopted which is not liable to the poten 
tial abuses of the present system. When the tim 
comes, we could mention a plan which woul 
seoure the individual rights of the su 
whilst avoiding the objectionable features of thy 
the present system. But whether this be adoptel 
or not, we earnestly press upon gardeners thi 
duty of supporting the Institution, and frm 
the lower motive of self-interest we urge the 
desirability of so doing, for we are con 
that, in spite of the system of voting, vai 
must not be forgotten, is the same as thi 
of the majority of similar societies, the S 
ciety. is financially sound, and thorong 
administered. 
RUELLIA MACRANTHA,—A 
honour of Johu Ruelle, botanist * ph 
ca 
a few onl found in other parts 
of a large size, t ments of a rosy 
glean, prettily veined with dark po 
meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 27 last, when an 
of Merit was made. 
THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL 9 
The next meeting of the Royal He 
Society will be held in the Drill Hall, 
Street, Victoria Street, Westminster, on 
January 15; and the new committees will 
at 12 o'clock noon precisely. 
NATIONAL Rose Soci was ; 
meeting will be held a 1 ies of the 
cultural Club, Hotel Wisdeot: on Tuesday, 
at 3 P. u., for general purposes, Any resolu! 
it is desired to bring forward should be 
E. Mawrey, Berkhamsted, eight clear days 
the next enauing meeting: 
HORTICULTURAL CLUB,—The usual 
dinner and conversazione will take place on 
inst, at 6 Pm, at the Hotel | 
Victoria Street, S.W. The subject for Me 
will be “ Rules for Judging,” to be opene 
Secretary 
LINNEAN SocieTy.—An evening M 
be held on Thursday, January ts 85 8PM, 
d Variation 1 
.: The Modes of Va 
5 TLE a "O ; 
e Namber of Stamens and Carpet 
Brine F. L. S. 
MILLE BERNARDIN.—We regret 
the ith of this ene rosarian, 
of the Journal des Rose 
HORTICULTURAL LECTURES IN © 
hear these are to be resumed by Mr. D. 
different centres around Cambridge. The 
being “ Fruit and Vegetable Culture.” 
