REPOET TO THE COUNCIL. 



H 



cess, the Directors trust that the Council will urge upon any Fel- 

 lows of the Society who may possess uncommon and attractive 

 species, the advisability of adding to the Chiswick collection by 

 contributing plants or seeds of any such which they can spare. 

 The Directors anticipate that much interest will be excited by 

 this collection, and that it may induce many Fellows to intro- 

 duce into these Gardens that much-maligned institution, "the 

 mixed border," from which, however, they feel satisfied that a 

 large amount of interest may be derived by the lovers of flowers. 



10. A collection of subtropical plants has been brought to- 

 gether, and during summer forms a very interesting feature along 

 one of the principal walks in the garden. 



11. In the Pomological Department, the Board have to re- 

 port that, by the removal of the house from South Kensington 

 to Chiswick last spring, the valuable collection of Figs has been 

 properly accommodated, and almost the whole of the varieties are 

 in full bearing. During the past season several new and excel- 

 lent varieties have been discovered, and numerous synonyms 

 have been detected. A Report on the varieties which have fruited 

 is in preparation. 



The collection of Strawberries, to which reference was made 

 in last year's Eeport as having recently been acquired and planted, 

 is now in a most satisfactory condition. Last summer the greater 

 number of the varieties produced fruit ; but as it is anticipated, 

 from the vigorous condition of the plants and the encouraging 

 prospects for next summer, that the whole will then be in bearing, 

 it will be better to make a Eeport on the whole after comparing 

 them with each other and ascertaining their relative qualities 

 and merits. 



12. During the past year the Board instituted a trial of all the 

 varieties of grapes that are included under the group of Chas- 

 selas. These were grown in pots in a heated pit ; but the experi- 

 ment was not sufficiently successful to warrant a Eeport being 

 made on the various varieties forming the collection. It is, how- 

 ever, intended to repeat the experiment next summer. 



13. A trial of all the varieties of garden peas was highly suc- 

 cessful, and tended to the acquisition of much valuable informa- 

 tion relating to the different varieties, and especially to those of 

 recent introduction. The same success attended the trials of 

 tomatoes and lettuce. On all these subjects complete Reports 

 have been prepared. 



