58 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



VEGETABLE CONFERENCE. 

 September 24, 25, and 26, 1889. 



INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL DIGEST. 



The Vegetable Conference held in the Society's gardens at 

 Chiswick on the dates above named proved one of the most 

 complete and gratifying successes of the past season. The novelty 

 of the subjects in this case submitted to scientific treatment ; the 

 liberality of the contributors, who may be said to have made the 

 Conference European rather than British ; and the fine quality 

 and typical character of the main bulk of the contributions, 

 combined to ensure an amount of interest surpassing all ordinary 

 expectation. The Vinery and two large tents were filled with 

 the collections of vegetables, bulbs, tubers, and miscellaneous 

 subjects ; and the attendance on the several days of the business 

 included not only an unusual number of the foremost practical 

 cultivators of this country, but many also of the most eminent 

 scientific horticulturists in the world. It is a happy circumstance 

 that the valuable literary work resulting from this meeting is 

 associated with a body of information on the species and varieties 

 of esculent vegetables of the greatest importance. This has been 

 secured to the Society by committees of experts, who gave their 

 time and talent to the technical investigation of the entire Exhi- 

 bition in its several departments, as represented in the classi- 

 fication. 



It should be observed, as a preliminary to the particulars 

 presently to be given, that the date of the show necessarily 

 excluded many important subjects, including all, or nearly all, of 

 the products of cultivation usually classed as " early." If a general 

 characterisation of the several exhibits were needed, probably 

 they might be most conveniently spoken of as " main-crop and 

 late varieties," although in so extensive and various a display 

 the subjects were far-reaching both as to season and use, many 

 of them being as appropriate to the season of spring as to the 

 autumn and winter, which, of course, might claim a considerable 

 proportion. A practical conclusion to be drawn from this fact 



