150 



JOTJBNAL OF HOBTICCLTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. [ February 24, 1863. 



A little care in selecting suitable pieces of Ivy and in tying 

 them on will insure a uniform and nice-looking wreath suffi- 

 ciently thick to hide the thick ends of their stems, and not so 

 thick as to appear bundled. 



Other evergreens — as Bos, Laurustinus, Phillyrea and the like 

 will do as well as Ivy, hut not better ; while common Laurel, 

 having its leaves all arranged flatways, does not answer so well. 

 Portugal Laurel does better, and any evergreen having leaves of 

 sufficient firmness to remain without flagging for the length of 

 time required will do, if they are not too obstinate in Bhowing 

 too obviously a reversed position when accidentally placed that 

 way. I have never been able to do much with Hollies on this 

 account. Their weight, rigidity, and prickliness render them 

 intractable objects to deal with, and unless they have their own 

 way they look badly. Generally speaking small-leaved shrubby 

 plants look best, and after trying a great many things we have 

 found Ivy the most useful. The tufts of berries are an improve- 

 ment rather than the reverse, and we have sometimes taken the 

 trouble to dip them in a sort of batter of plaster of Paris, thus 

 giving them the character of a bunch of white berries ; but as the 

 process is troublesome it has rarely been done on an extensive 

 scale. 



I may observe that, besides the upper part of the walls of 

 these rooms being hung in the way described with this festoon- 

 work, the ceiling may also be crossed in various directions in 

 like manner, taking advantage of anything by which the festoons 

 can be suspended from the ceiling. A lamp-hook is very useful 

 for this purpose, care being taken that the evergreens are out 

 of the reach of the lights. The downward curves of these fes- 

 toons should be sufficiently graceful without appearing to crowd 

 the roof or lower it. Sometimes festoons from the central lamp- 

 hook may be made to radiate to the ceiling in all directions ; but 

 it is better not to crowd too much, and the appearance of fes- 

 toons is not so good when viewed in any other direction but 

 that of facing the observer or diagonaDy to him ; endways they 

 are bad, and so also when they are crowded. These festoons, 

 whether against the side walls or suspended from the ceiling, 

 may all be more or less ornamented with rosettes — pink and white 

 alternately being the best, and not the two colours blended in 

 one. If the room seems to require more evergreen decorations, 

 small star-looking objects may be made by sewing about a dozen 

 common Laurel leaves to a card, arranging them in a whorl- 

 like form about a foot or more in diameter. These may be 

 fastened against any part of a blank wall (a rosette ornamenting 

 the centre of each), and they will produce a good effect ; for, 

 although evergreens add life to a scene of this kind, too much 

 of them becomes heavy and cumbersome. 



Besides the above method of using evergreens, they may also 

 be tied in like manner to any object that may be turned to 

 account. I have sometimes used strong wire or small iron 

 rods bent into scrollwork and other fanciful forms, which may 

 be stretched in various ways across a room, and fastened-up 

 against the walls in the character of brackets or cantalevers, taking 

 care that all the parts of the framework are distinctly seen 

 through. Sometimes from the brackets or scrollwork pendants 

 may be hung ; and there are many other ways of increasing the 

 general effect, only do not by any means crowd any parts. Any 

 lettering or fancy device rendered necessary by the character of 

 the festivity may be worked in evergreen as above, and many other 

 devices suitable to particular places may be adopted. Shrubs 

 with berries on may now and then be worked-in with good 

 effect. Privet would have been very useful this way, only its 

 berries being black do not show so well ; and, as before stated, 

 Holly is obstinate, and not adapted for small work. 



These observations are intended for rooms having light- 

 coloured walls and ceilings; but for oak-panelled or dark-coloured 

 ones drapery must be used. If the wall be good, and to a 

 certain extent ornamented by breaks or panels, I would not cover 

 the whole with stripes of white and pink calieo, as is often done, 

 but drape the upper portion of the room with festoonwork of a 

 liberal quantity of such calico, and if need be a slight string of 

 evergreen festoonwork might be placed upon the drapery with 

 pendant strings of both at suitable places. The lower part of 

 the walls might be entirely covered with cloth if necessary — say 

 for 6 feet up, which gives a warm and comfortable appearance ; 

 while the ceiling might be festooned over, or fanciful devices in 

 ironwork covered with evergreen might be introduced there, as 

 I auppoBe the ceiling to be white. 



Blags may be worked-in with advantage, but they ought irot 

 to occupy too prominent a position ; and if only ornamental 



flag9 be used, do not let them be too large so as to conceal 

 everything else. A number of flags arranged as a fan look well 

 over a doorway, or at the end of a room ; and a series, of uniform- 

 sized ones arranged on flagstaff's pointing from the sides inwards 

 at an elevation of not less than 35° also look very well ; but do 

 not by any means cover the whole of the roof with them, as the 

 eye likes to rest on some empty space, and musicians complain 

 of the presence of flags marring their performances. 



It is needless here entering into the subject of lighting pubhc 

 rooms of the description given above ; but if temporary lights 

 have to be adopted the objects that hold them will require 

 covering in some way or other ; and often an admixture of 

 drapery and evergreens comes in good stead here. Any slender 

 work done in evergreens may be performed with twigs of Irish 

 Tew or some other small-leaved plant, Box being the next best. 

 The dressing of the tin cups and sockets to a candlestand may 

 be very well done with these two evergreens ; but if only a 

 board be used slung from the wall, it must be entirely concealed 

 by drapery in the first instance, and that more or less orna- 

 mented with foliage or flowers. Makeshifts of many kinds are 

 often enough used, and they answer the purpose very well. 



The above refers entirely to such ornamental work as is done 

 in-doors, as triumphal arches, &c. Similar decorations outside 

 are more especially mechanical features, requiring a framework 

 more or leBs substantial. These need not be gone into here. 

 The nicety of workmanship necessary in the fastening of the 

 evergreens in the interior is not wanted for them, large and bold 

 lines being more required, accompanied with the stability neces- 

 sary to withstand high winds and other casualties. 



I hope that any one who discovers any new mode of using 

 evergreens or other cheap material for giving a cheerful and 

 pleasing effect to a room or suite of rooms will give the readers 

 of The Jouenai oe Hoeticuettoe the benefit of his discovery. 

 Suggestions on this subject are often welcomed by those who, for 

 the first time perhaps in their lifetime, are called on to ornament 

 an assembly-room. Perhaps, too, some happy effect may be pro- 

 duced at a cheap rate by some mode of using the materials 

 different from what is described above. The subject is certainly 

 not of less importance than dinner-table decoration, which has 

 received its meed of attention. — J. Eobson. 



EOYAL HOBTTCTTLTUEAl SOCIETY. 



BEEOET OF THE COUNCIL TO THE AXNTVEBSABI' MEETING, 

 EEEBUABT 10, 1863. 



The first duty of the Council on meeting the Fellows on the 

 present occasion is to congratulate them on the success which 

 has attended the Society during the past season. 



A reference to the balance sheet appended to this report will 

 show that the receipts have largely exceeded those of the previous 

 year. 



While thankfully acknowledging this measure of success, the 

 Council cannot but feel that had H.R.H. the deeply lamented 

 Prince Consort, who laid the foundation of it, and to whom it 

 is mainly due, been 6pared to the Society, results even much 

 beyond this would have been achieved. A very large portion of 

 the prosperity which the Society has enjoyed beyond its ordinary 

 receipts is referable to the Great Exhibition. The interests of 

 the two undertakings during the past year were closely linked 

 together, the same causes which injured or benefited the one 

 equally affecting the other. Had, therefore, the influence of 

 His Royal Highness been spared to it, it cannot be doubted that 

 the Council would now have had to present a report even more 

 favourable than the present. 



Out of the receipts during the year, amounting to £29,800, a 

 sum of £8676 was received as the Society's share of the joint 

 season tickets, a sum of £1125 from the various refreshment 

 contractors for portions of the Society's premises let to them,, 

 and £5029 from the promenades, chiefly drawn on those days 

 when the charge for admission from the Exhibition to the 

 garden was sixpence. 



The flower showB produced upwards of £5000, which is the 

 largest amount that has ever been drawn by the Sooiety from. 

 that source in any one year. Had it not been for the large 

 number of joint-tieket-holders, this amount would of course 

 have been still greater. The shows themselves were al»o of 

 unparalleled excellence, the Council having determined that 

 nothing should be spared to make them worthy of the Society, 



