572 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



interest was taken in gardening by the poorer people as by the 

 rich and wealthy. Perhaps it would be an exaggeration to say 

 that gardening was the mother of all the virtues ; but at the 

 same time he thought they might say, with perfect truth, that 

 there were very few pursuits and occupations with so small an 

 admixture of evil. When the question arose as to what the 

 Royal Horticultural Society was to do to celebrate the Diamond 

 Jubilee, he need scarcely say that the fertile brain of their 

 Secretary had a suggestion to make. He did not mean to say 

 that the Secretary's brain was the only brain that was fertile, 

 but the fertility of his brain produced a more sturdy plant than 

 the fertitity of other brains. He might say that it was due to 

 the inspiration of the Secretary that they took into consideration 

 the proposal of the establishment of the Victoria Medal of 

 Horticulture. Many projects were considered and looked at 

 all round, but it became perfectly clear that the Secretary's 

 suggestion was by far the best of them all that came before them, 

 and he, as President of the Society, was instructed to ask Her 

 Majesty's gracious permission to establish the Medal. They 

 were all aware that Her Majesty scrupulously abstained from 

 taking any prominent share in choosing the method of cele- 

 brating her Jubilee ; but the Queen graciously intimated to the 

 Society her assent to their proposal, and expressed her opinion 

 that there could be no possible objection to it. That being so., 

 they decided on carrying out the suggestion of the Secretary, and 

 he, personally, was very glad they did. He was glad to see one 

 of their lady members present that day, and they would all feel 

 that nothing could be more becoming when they were celebrating 

 the Jubilee of Her Gracious Majesty than that some members of 

 her own sex should be medallists. He did not think anything 

 could show more conclusively than that gathering that the 

 Council did wisely in adopting the suggestion of their Secretary. 

 He saw around him men of the greatest eminence, and he 

 thanked them for their presence that day. When the question 

 arose as to who were to be the recipients of the medals, it was 

 thought right that every department connected with the art and 

 science of gardening should be represented. Every possible care 

 was taken in the selection, and if certain names appeared on the 

 list and others did not it would be understood that there were 

 good reasons both for the inclusion and the exclusion. In the 



