liv 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



pearance of the new series, are attributable, and not to any luke- 

 warmness or narrowness of views on the part of the Society. If the 

 history of learned Societies were to be accurately traced, we should 

 find that the appearance of their Transactions has for the most part 

 been irregular, and in consequence the publication of important 

 papers has frequently been seriously delayed ; and for this, amongst 

 other reasons, the ' ComptesRendus ' of the meetings of the French 

 Institute was projected, to enable authors of valuable memoirs to 

 register their discoveries, or in other words "pour prendre date." 

 It must not therefore be assumed that our Journal can be pub- 

 lished oftener than once or twice a year, or, under the most 

 favourable circumstances, more frequently than once a quarter ; 

 but as reports will undoubtedly appear in our leading horticultural 

 papers, no unwillingness on the part of authors to present me- 

 moirs at our meetings need on this score be anticipated. 



The object of our meetings, as stated in the number of the 

 Proceedings just published, is to promote and encourage the ap- 

 plication of Physiology and Botany to purposes of practical cul- 

 ture, whether of plants, or trees, or shrubs, and to originate ex- 

 periments which may assist in the elucidation of such questions. 

 The terms, it is clear, are sufficiently large to include everything 

 which can come within the scope of a Botanical Committee, and 

 are by no means to be confined to what may strictly be termed 

 physiology or biology. Morphology as well as vital action will 

 occasionally come before us ; questions of nomenclature, informa- 

 tion of general horticultural or more purely botanical interest, 

 botanical geography, in short everything which does not fairly 

 come within the compass of the Moral or Fruit Committees. The 

 several Botanical Directors will naturally bring before us any 

 matter of interest which may occur in the fruit or floral depart- 

 ments, or which may suggest itself at Chiswick, such as have 

 usually been laid before the Society at its Tuesday meetings ; 

 doubtful plants will be presented to us for determination, sub- 

 jects which require elucidation will be mooted, and occasional 

 papers read in accordance with the especial objects of the Com- 

 mittee. Not only is it hoped that individual members of the 

 Committee will help us, but the co-operation of the Fellows of 

 the Society in general, and indeed of men of science, whether 

 members or not, is earnestly invited. 



As regards purely physiological matters it is highly necessary 

 that we should set out with a distinct understanding. It is easy 



