70 J. H. MAIDEN. 



The various Societies should have the right of charging 

 admission to the room in which their show is taking place 

 for the period of the show. 



The value of land in a central position in Sydney is so 

 enormous, that I see no prospect of a horticultural hall 

 being erected at the expense of our horticultural societies. 

 Only within recent years has the Royal Horticultural 

 Society of London had a home of its own, and it has had a 

 numerous and wealthy following to draw upon. 



8. A Council of Horticulture. — I would go further, and,, 

 without interfering with existing societies in any way, 

 suggest to them to use their influence in the election of a 

 Council of Horticulture, which would legislate, or make 

 suggestions, in regard to broad questions at present not 

 touched upon, or only imperfectly, by the societies. For 

 example, I have for many years invited New South Wales 

 exhibitors to let me have typical specimens of every form 

 newly named, with a written statement as to its pedigree. 

 The response has been disappointing. I am certain that 

 no one individual can take up work like this, and existing 

 societies have not the machinery. In many cases errone- 

 ous statements are made in regard to new plants. They 

 are said to be of such and such a parentage, whereas they 

 are often sports fortuitously selected, and their parentage 

 is unknown. I do not blame the original exhibitor for this; 

 what he may have said about his plant is sometimes mis- 

 understood, and, there being no writing on the subject, the 

 supposed history passes from mouth to mouth till at last it 

 may become positively untrue. 



Now one of the functions of a Council of Horticulture 

 (to be appointed by the horticultural societies throughout 

 New South Wales and by the horticultural sections of the 

 agricultural societies), would be to keep an official record 

 of Australian horticultural creations, like a herd-book or a 



