KEPOET OF THE APPLE AND PEAR CONFERENCE. 15 



Gladstone justly pointed out in justification of the preferential 

 rates that they have been chargmg, it was owing to the fact that 

 in dealing with the foreign producer they dealt with a trainful 

 of baskets or hampers, whereas when they came to deal with 

 the local producer, they had to collect the fruit, which puts them 

 to considerable expense. At the same time I think the Legisla- 

 ture has acted perfectly right in deciding that these preferential 

 rates shall be considered and revised by the Board of Trade, for, 

 as we all of us are sometimes painfully aware, the railway com- 

 panies have had given to them a monopoly of the means of 

 transport of this country. I have observed in the newspapers 

 that as a result of one of the Conferences that have lately taken 

 place, some attacks have been made on those who devote themselves 

 to the calling of nurserymen. We are told that nurserymen keep 

 large quantities of worthless varieties of Apples and Pears. I 

 have no doubt that this is the case, but what I should think 

 would be ground for blammg them would be if they represented 

 those worthless varieties as good varieties. I have not the least 

 doubt that there is no gentleman connected with the trade who, 

 if I were to get him to recommend me the very best variety for 

 my soil, would not honestly and judiciously recommend the 

 best varieties. There are persons who desire to make experi- 

 ments for themselves, and they will not be satisfied that such 

 and such varieties are worthless unless they have tried them 

 themselves. I cultivate a good many Orchids, some of which 

 are considered by my friends to be worthless varieties. At the 

 same time I always cultivate them, and when I go to other 

 gentlemen to purchase them, I should not like to be told that 

 they were worthless. It is really a matter of trade, and I think 

 the attacks which have been made are ungenerous and uncalled 

 for. I am quite certam that with regard to the cultivation of 

 hardy fruit exactly the same conditions are necessary for success 

 as with every other description of gardening, that is to say, you 

 must display skill, care, and intelligence, and I think you will 

 find that has a good deal more to do with the result than climate. 

 I remember at the Conferences which took place m 1883 and 

 1885 a good many of the best exhibits came from the North 

 of Scotland, where the climate is represented to us who live in 

 the South as somewhat severe. However that may be, we have 

 got to make the best we can of our climate, and taking one year 

 with another I think on the whole it is a very good climate, and 

 if we do not succeed, we shall be wiser if we place the fault on 

 our own shoulders than on the shoulders of the climate. I do 

 not think I can add anything else, except to say that the Eoyal 

 Horticultural Society is extremely indebted to the very large 

 number of persons who have contributed to this show. It is a 

 most satisfactory and numerous one, and one which is most 

 creditable to the exhibitors. The Society has been most 



