Xii PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



possesses a very fine collection, have been specially examined and 

 classified. Reports on these trials will appear in the Journal. 

 Of Chrysanthemums, 800 varieties were grown, and these not 

 only added very materially to the display at the Chrysanthemum 

 Centenary Conference, but, from not being so severely disbudded 

 as is usually the case in producing the show blooms, the plants 

 themselves, as well as the blossoms, were greatly admired. A 

 large sum of money has this year been spent on the Gardens. 

 Extensive repairs have been done to the glasshouses, and the 

 general keeping up of the Gardens greatly improved. The 

 breaking down of two of the largest boilers threatened a great 

 addition to outlay, but the liberal gift from Messrs. Foster and 

 Pearson of one of their patent Chilwell boilers greatly reduced 

 the expenditure under this head. A new hybrid Tomato, con- 

 sidered to be one of the best in cultivation, has been raised by 

 Mr. Barron, and the seed distributed amongst the Fellows. The 

 experiment of opening the Gardens on Sundays has not met 

 with such success as the Council had hoped, but they have 

 decided to continue it — at least for the present year ; and then, 

 if the privilege should not prove to be more highly valued, it 

 may have to be abandoned, as, besides the additional work thrown 

 on the officers on their one rest-day in the week, it also entails 

 considerable expense on the Society. The meetings held at 

 Chiswick during the year, though successful in all else, have not 

 been quite so successful in point of numbers as the Council had 

 hoped ; and they venture to think that in the year now com- 

 mencing those Fellows who were so strongly in favour of meetings 

 at Chiswick should make it their business by every means in 

 their power, privately or through the press, to increase the 

 numbers attending. 



But perhaps the chief event of the year has been the revival 

 of the Society's Journal, by means of which Fellows at a dis- 

 tance are enabled to enter more fully into and reap the benefits 

 of the study arid work of those more actively engaged at the 

 centre. Four volumes, containing about 750 pages, have been 

 issued during the twelvemonth, and the Council have the 

 gratification of knowing, from numerous letters received, that 

 these volumes have been highly appreciated, not only in this 

 country, but by correspondents all over the world.* 



* A few remaining copies of Vol. xi., Parts i., ii., and iii., may now be 

 purchased at half-price— i.e., Part i., Qd. ; Part ii., 2s. 0>d. ; Part iii., 2s. Qd. 



