VOL. LV.— Xo. 3,087. 



THE 



GARDENERS 



5 



MAGAZINE 



]^^Q'J'£ OF THE ^X^'EEK* ^^^^ events of an eventful year, we find much vigour that on tlie opening <lay the 



The Past Year. 



much that cannot have failed to affoi-d exliil)ition was so complete in its A'arioiis 



immense satisfaction to those who are details as to obtain for the members of 



jeaU)us of the traditions of British horti- tlie exe^cutive the warmest expression of 



The year which is now within a feM' culture. For a long series of years a praise from those who were in a position 



days of its close may^ in its relation to the strong desire had been felt by all classes to fully appreciate the task that had been 



garden, be regarded as remarkable for its of horticulturists that an exhibition of an accomplished. As we so fully informed 



variability, and be de&cribed as one of the international character should be held in our readers at the time, the exliibition far 

 most eventful of recent times. 



The great 



London for the purpose of demonstrating surpassed in extent any horticultural 



divergence in the climatic conditions that to the world the position of horticulture hibition previously lield at home or abroad^ 

 obtained afforded considerable pleasure at in this country, and of affording an oppor- and was remarkable for its interest 



and varied attractions. Science 



one time, and gave rise to much 

 disappointment at others, to 

 those who are keenly in- 

 terested in the outdoor aspects 

 of the garden, and resulted in 

 same loss to those who are en- 

 o:a2;ed in horticulture as a 



source of profit. 



of 



mg 



In the open- 

 days of spring the 

 weather was warm and genial, 

 and vegetation generally made 



and 



good progress, 

 s h r u b s rem a r k abl e 



Trees 

 for 



the 



garden than they 



l)eauty of their flow^ers bloomed 

 so profusely as to produce 

 wondrous display's of colour, 

 and to contribute more liber- 

 ally to the attractions of the 



had done 



previously. 



yielded 



of their flowers, and 

 in the fruit-growing counties 

 the orchards of apples, cher- 



and plums pro- 

 season of 



for some 



Hardy 

 freely 



years 

 fruits :ilso 



The 



lies, pears, 

 duced in their 

 blossoming a series of effects 

 of surpassing beauty, 

 early promise of the orchards 

 'v^as not, however, fnlly 

 realised, for a spell of cold 

 weather towards the end of 

 Ihe period of flowering did 



and practice were happily 

 con-bined in the ]>rogrammej 

 and of special importance wa^ 

 the remarkably successfiil 

 Conference on the education 



w 



of gardeners, and the regula- 

 tions relating to the diseases 

 and insect enemies of plant 

 life. The social functions 

 were numerous, and the large 



number of 



foreign 



horticul- 



turists who were invited to 

 take part in the exhibition 

 and conference returned home 

 much impressed by what they 

 had seen, and 

 gratified 



immensely 

 the hospitality 

 they had enjo^-ed. An episode 

 which erave an 



by 



immense 



to 



^ 



consiilerable 



damage. 



and 



tnaterially reduced the crops 



of 



certain kinds. 



Briefly 

 fair 



stated, there was a 

 <^rop of apples, a good crop 

 of pears, a moderate crop of plums, and 

 '111 abundance of nuts. The low temj)era- 

 ture and the he .vy rains that were ex- 



ME. H. T. MAETIN 



tunity for returning the generous hospi- 

 tality that British liorticidturists bad re- 



amount of gratification 

 horticidturists of all classes., 

 and, indeed, of all countries, 

 was the knighthood conferred 

 by the King on Sir Harry 

 Veitch, V.M.H. Not only w^as. 

 this cl i stin g u i sh e d ho r t i cul- 

 tiirist the only member of the 

 Board of Directors who had 

 serve<l on the committee^ of 

 the International Exliibition 

 held in 18(i(). but he had 

 throughout the long period 

 that had intervened taken a 

 prom.inent part in all move- 

 ments that had for their 

 object the advancement of 

 hort icul t lire, and the wel- 

 fare of gardeners. The exhibition, as now 



so well known, was remarkable for the evi- 



ed 



ed 



to 



many 

 different 



summer were fairly favourable 

 kinds of vegetables, and very 

 ^vere the supplies in the markets and pri- 

 vate gardens to those available in the 



ganisation of 



friends abroad. The or- 

 International Horticul- 



dence it afforded of the great popularity 

 of orchids, on the one hand, and of hardy 

 tural Exhibition worthy of the name is flowers on the other. One effect of the 

 no light matter, involving, as it does, an International Exhibition at Chelsea was the 

 immense amoimt of work and the expen- suspension of the Tem})le Show, which was 

 diture of a large sum of money. Hence much missed, but there was a consensus 

 summer of 1911. Potatoes were the most it was not until some three years since that of opinion that the Council of the Royal 

 mjurioiisly affected by the unfavourable it was felt so gigantic an undertaking Horticultural So<'iety, who gave the most 



^'eather, and the crop was disappointing 

 both in yield and quality. Indeed, to find 

 ^ less satisfactory crop of tubers it would 



be 



upon with the full as- generous supix)rt, financially and other- 



surance of a complete success. No sooner wise, to the movement, had acted with their 

 was it decided to hold the exhibition this characteristic- wisdom, and thereby contri- 



necessary 



Turn- year than the preparatory work was com- buted still further to the success achieved 



* V V -/ i i V 



^ng from this brief reference to the crops menced, and it was carried on with so The Royal Horticultural Society has, ia 



