REPORT OF THE COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR 1914. iii 



Council to initiate and subscribe towards a fund to aid in the restoration 

 of Belgian and French horticulture upon the conclusion of hostilities." 



V.M.H. Medals and Certificates were presented to Captain W. 

 Stackhouse Pinwill, Mr. J. Cheal, Mr. W. Cuthbertson, and Mr. J. 

 Whytock. 



Sir John T. D. Llewelyn then proposed a vote of thanks to the 

 Chairman, which was seconded by Mr. James O'Brien, and carried 

 with acclamation. 



REPORT OF THE COUNCIL TO THE ONE HUNDRED AND 

 ELEVENTH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE 

 SOCIETY TO BE HELD AT THE ROYAL HORTI- 

 CULTURAL HALL AT 3 p.m. ON TUESDAY FEBRUARY 



9TH, I915. 



i. Effect of the War. — The year 1914 opened with very bright 

 prospects for our Society, and acting upon the Resolution passed by 

 the Fellows at the last Annual Meeting, the Council at once applied 

 themselves to the further improvement of the gardens at Wisley and 

 the development of the Horticultural Research Station and School of 

 Gardening. An additional staff of officials was appointed, and con- 

 tracts for buildings, &c, were entered into before the beginning of 

 August, when the storm clouds of war burst so suddenly upon us, 

 inflicting grievous loss and financial strain, not only upon our country, 

 but upon our Society also. The increase of Fellows, which' in recent 

 years has stood at about 452 for the last five months of the year, has 

 fallen to less than 200, entailing a loss of permanent income of some 

 £500 a year. The lettings of the Hall since August on days when the 

 Society was not actually using it, have fallen by^^Goo, and various 

 other smaller sources of revenue have fallen in like manner. Thus 

 expenses have unavoidably increased in all departments whilst income 

 has at the same time decreased, so that had it not been for the policy 

 pursued consistently since 1887, of investing the Society's annual 

 balance of revenue instead of spending it, the Council would not have 

 been able to face the present troubles with the confidence they now 

 feel, nor to meet the heavy expenditure to which the Society was 

 committed before there was any mention of war. They, therefore, 

 earnestly appeal to all their supporters to do their utmost to keep the 

 List of Fellows up to the number reached in 1914, when 14,400 names 

 were inscribed upon it. 



It should be clearly understood that the income from the invested 

 funds of the Society is insufficient to meet the annual expenditure 

 even when this is reduced to the lowest possible figure. The Council 

 rely with confidence on the support of the Fellows being accorded to 

 them in the future as it has been in the past, so that the good work of 

 the Society may be in no way abated. 



