viii PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



candidates of 19 years of age and over, and (b) for those under 19 years 

 of age. In 1909 the age limit in both sections will be 18 instead of 19. 



3. The School Teachers' Examination in Cottage and Allotment 

 Gardening. 



4. The Public Parks Examination— designed for men engaged in the 

 Parks and Gardens of Municipal and other Public Authorities. 



The number of candidates at each of these examinations was large, 

 and the results were very satisfactory. 



Examinations Abroad.— On the invitation of the Government of 

 the United Provinces of India, the "General Examination" of the 

 Society in the Principles of Horticulture is to be slightly modified so as 

 to fulfil the local Indian requirements, and a first examination will be 

 held in April 1909 at Saharanpur. This suggests that possibly other 

 countries and districts may feel it desirable to enter candidates for 

 similarly modified examinations, in which case the Council would be 

 prepared to organize them. 



The examiners are leading horticulturists in England, and for 

 examinations abrcad they will be assisted by experts acquainted with the 

 special horticultural conditions of the various countries desiring to adopt 

 the Society's tests. 



Lectures. — Twenty-five Lectures have been delivered before the 

 Fellows during the year, and the Council extend their hearty thanks to 

 those who have so kindly assisted in this very useful section of the 

 Society's work. 



The Masters' Lectures. — Fellows will remember the intimate 

 connection with the Society of the late Dr. Masters, F.R.S., who did 

 much for horticulture by drawing constant attention to the various ways 

 in which scientific discovery and research might be made serviceable 

 to gardening ; and it will also be remembered that a fund was established 

 by subscription to perpetuate his memory in connection with the Society, 

 and to carry on in some degree his work of science in relation to 

 gardening. 



" The Masters' Lectures " have accordingly been founded, and the 

 first two are to be given during 1909 by the well-known Professor Hugo 

 de Vries, of Amsterdam, on (a) " Masters' ' Vegetable Teratology ' " 

 (June 22), and (b) " The Production of Horticultural Varieties " 

 (September 28). 



The Nicholson Memorial. — The Council have been requested to 

 raise a fund for the establishment cf a permanent memorial of the late 

 Mr. George Nicholson, V.M.H., F.L.S. With this they most cordially 

 agree. There are few, if any men, to whom the present generation of 

 gardeners owes a deeper obligation than to the author of " The Dictionary 

 of Gardening," a work which " has done more towards the standardization 

 of plant names and developing an interest in horticulture than anything 

 published since Loudon," in 1829. 



Mr. Nicholson was for many years a most valued member of the 

 Scientific Committee of our Society. He also took a very active part 



