REPORT OF THE COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR 1918. xi 



bringing the War to an end, it is good to feel that the Royal Horticultural 

 Society of Great Britain has helped them, if only in so small a degree as this. 



9. The Lindley Library. — The Library has been maintained in a state of 

 efficiency, and though the number of Horticultural books put on the market 

 during the War has not been so great as before, no opportunity has been lost 

 of acquiring any valuable books which have been offered, 



10. Seeds for Hospitals. — Seeds and bulbs were again sent to our fellow- 

 countrymen prisoners in Germany, and to camps and hospitals in France and 

 in the Mediterranean regions. 



11. Wisley Gardens. — The work at Wisley, as in all other gardens, has 

 been greatly handicapped by shortage of labour and the absence on special 

 Government war-work of almost the whole of the Laboratory Staff. The 

 difficulty has been met to some extent by the elimination of all trials of 

 flowers for the period of the War, and by postponing all new developments 

 in the Garden. 



The vegetable trials, which are such an important feature of the Society's 

 work, have been continued, and a number of trials of plants of possible garden 

 value have also been made, some of them at the request of the Food Produc- 

 tion Department of the Government. Special interest was taken in the trial 

 of climbing beans, which has revealed the existence of several of probable 

 value for English gardens both for use as green pods and of winter value for 

 their dry seeds. A full report of these has appeared in the Journal. 



Of cultural experiments made in the Garden during the past year special 

 mention may be made of planting to ascertain the most economical method of 

 spacing parsnips and potatos. Tests of the value of " sludge " manures, 

 and of orgaric manures as compared with chemical fertilizers, have also been 

 made. These will be reported upon in the Journal. The experiments on 

 the pruning of fruit trees are being continued, whilst many of the new crosses 

 of vines, strawberries, and Rubi raised in the Gardens should fruit next season 

 and show their value. 



Mr. Ramsbottom, who has now taken up a new position, was able to carry 

 out another season's work upon the eelworm disease of Narcissi, a report of 

 which will be published in the Society's Journal. ^ Mr. Ramsbottom has con- 

 sented to continue this investigation till its completion. 



Dr. F. V. Darbishire, M.A., has been appointed to carry out researches 

 into the comparative composition of different varieties of the same vegetable, 

 in order to ascertain whether one variety is of greater food value than another, 

 as appears probable. He took up his duties in August. Mr. Ramsbottom's 

 place has been filled by Mr. A. T. Rudge, an old student at Wisley. 



The School of Horticulture has been continued throughout the War 

 although the number of students has been small. The cessation of hostilities 

 will probably make considerable demands upon our accommodation in this 

 direction. 



A very large number of visitors have been to the Garden during the past 

 year, mostly seeking advice upon Food Production. The exceptional crop 

 of apples of excellent quality in the Garden this year, due chiefly to timely 

 spraying in the spring, has given the opportunity of arranging a comprehensive 

 collection of varieties in the Laboratory for the information of visitors. 



12. Birmingham and Manchester Trial Plots. — The Food Production 

 work of the Society has undoubtedly brought it into wider relationship with 

 the country at large. This has recently been made manifest in many ways. 

 One of these was a request by the Birmingham Corporation for the Society 

 to take up the direction and supervision of a series of demonstration plots for 

 which it was prepared to provide the ground and the labour if the Society would 

 provide the seeds of the plants to be grown, and generally direct their sowing 

 and cultivation on similar lines to those adopted by the Society in its own 

 Gardens. The object of the Corporation in providing these demonstration 

 plots is that their allotment holders may work more intelligently and be better 

 informed as to the varieties which are most likely to bring about the best 

 results in their neighbourhood. The Council viewed the proposal favourably, 

 and plots have now been set up and the work is in progress. The Manchester 

 Corporation are now taking similar steps, and have asked the Society to identify 

 itself with them on similar lines. 



