EXTRACTS IT BOM PROCEEDINGS. XCI 



been supplied during the past year to the Garden at South Ken- 

 sington amounts to 53,000. In addition to these, there have also 

 been reared at Chiswick a fine stock of stove and greenhouse 

 foliage and flowering plants, which prove exceedingly useful both 

 for the purpose of conservatory decoration and for supplement- 

 ing the display at the Tuesday and other meetings, when re- 

 quired. 



10. The distributions of plants, seeds, <fec. which have been 

 made to Fellows, and to Societies in union, absorb a considerable 

 portion of the grant for Chiswick. In the present instance 

 5572 plants, which have been allotted by ballot, have been sent 

 out during the season, in addition to 1000 packets of cuttings 

 and 75,000 packets of flower-seeds. 



11. The trial plants have consisted mainly of Pelargoniums, 

 Fuchsias and Petunias, with some annuals. Of these the col- 

 lections which have been subjected to pot culture were very suc- 

 cessfully tested, taking the extraordinary character of the past 

 summer into account. The hot, dry weather, however, on the 

 other hand, was very unfavourable to the much larger outdoor 

 stock ; notwithstanding which, in this department, some very 

 satisfactory results have been obtained, a separate Report of 

 which has been prepared. 



12. In carrying out the trials of new varieties of popular 

 flowers, the collections of which, grown for contrast, continue to 

 prove of much interest and value to persons residing in distant 

 parts of the country and who have but few opportunities of 

 seeing the novelties annnally produced, the Directors hope to 

 receive, as hitherto, the hearty support of the raisers and distri- 

 butors of novel varieties. They would take this occasion to 

 point out how desirable it is that well-established plants should 

 be furnished early in the season, so that the experiments may 

 not fail, as they too often do, from the weakly condition of the 

 materials with which the Garden-Superintendent is supplied. 



13. Last year occasion was taken to ask the assistance of 

 Fellows residing in the country in making up a collection of the 

 most interesting, but greatly neglected, class of hardy herbaceous 

 plants. Contributions were, in consequence, received from W. "W. 

 Saunders, Esq., Messrs. Backhouse & Son, Mr. W. Masters, Mr. 

 Ware, the Royal Gardens, Kew, and from some other sources, so 

 that a collection of upwards of 400 species and varieties has been 

 made. Fewer of the old-fashioned ornamental species, which it 



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