TO THE 

 FELLOWS OF THE SOCIETY 



THE PRESIDENT and Council of the Royal Horticultural Society 

 feel very keenly that in troublous times such as we are at present passing 

 through (and which, although we by no means expect it, may possibly 

 become even more acute) counsels of perfection cannot always be carried 

 into effect. At the same time it is none the less the duty of those who 

 are placed in a responsible position and who can exercise any influence in 

 the country to give the best advice in their power, leaving it to the 

 conscience and judgment of individuals to act upon it so far as they are 

 able and see fit. 



It is already evident that not only actual Gardeners but all who in 

 any way depend for a living on Horticulture and Horticultural Produce 

 will be certain to suffer seriously from the indirect effects of the War. 



We desire therefore to point out to all the Fellows of the Society : 



1st. That Garden Produce may in the Winter and 

 early Spring become of inestimable value to themselves 

 and to their poorer neighbours who have little, if any, 

 garden of their own. 



2ndly. That dismissing Gardeners, cancelling orders, 

 and refraining from planting and such like, must in- 

 evitably result in creating a vast amount of additional 

 unemployment and distress. 



Whilst rightly denying oneself all unnecessary luxuries, it is in our 

 opinion an act of the highest patriotism to live our normal lives as far as 

 possible, cultivating the same area of land, employing the same staff, trans- 

 acting, in fact, all our usual business and household arrangements. To act 

 otherwise will of necessity throw numbers of men and women out of useful 

 and remunerative work who having speedily exhausted their own very 

 slender resources must eventually become dependent upon the poor rate or 

 on the almost equally undesirable provision of indiscriminate almsgiving. 



With all earnestness and with all the influence we possess we would 

 therefore urge every Fellow of the Society to give careful thought to this 

 advice, which we feel it our duty to tender, and to adopt it and act on it 

 as far as it is in any way possible for each one in his own individual case. 



Signed on behalf of the Council, 



GRENFELL, P.m. President 



J. GURNEY Fowler Treasurer. 



W. WiLKS Secretary. 



August 25, 1914. 



