REPORT OF THE COUNCIL FOR THE S^EAR 1913- 



V 



REPORT OF THE COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR 1913. 



1. Sir Trevor Lawrence. — The year 1913 began with the shadow, 

 as it were, of gloom cast over it by the resignation of our President , 

 and it has ended in the great sorrow of his death, which took place 

 on December 22, within a few days of his 82nd birthday. 



Seldom, if indeed ever, has a Society been served by its President 

 so long and so ably as the Royal Horticultural Society has been served 

 by Sir Trevor Lawrence. Elected to the President's seat in the 

 very difficult days of the Society's history in 1885, Sir Trevor has 

 held the reins ever since, up to the spring of 1913, and has guided 

 the Society, with steadily increasing progress, out of the quagmire of 

 difficulties in which he found it into its present state of prosperity. 

 Whilst thus deeply appreciating his services, most of the Members 

 of the Council have been in too close a touch with the President as 

 contemporaries to be able to realize how great and comprehensive 

 those services have been, and it is only the rising generation of horti- 

 culturists, who in the future investigate the history of the Society, who 

 will behold in clear light the vast influence and benefit to Horticulture 

 of the long and uninterrupted Presidency of Sir Trevor Lawrence. 



2. New President. — ^To fill the void left by Sir Trevor's resignation 

 was the difficult task which the Council had to perform in the spring 

 of 1 913, and fortunate indeed do they consider themselves in having 

 prevailed on Field-Marshal Lord Grenfell to accept the office. 



3. New Committees. — ^The work of the Society has increased to 

 such an extent that, in addition to the Parliamentary Committee 

 formed towards the end of 1912, the Council have felt it necessary to 

 appoint two new Committees — namely, (i) The Diploma Committee, 

 and (2) The Research Committee. 



The Diploma Committee is entrusted with the organization of 

 the Examinations for the National Diploma in Horticulture, which 

 has been established by the Society with the approval and co-operation 

 of the Board of Agriculture. The first examination will take place 

 in June 1914. 



The Research Committee was appointed to examine the large 

 number of suggestions for the extension of the Society's work which 

 are constantly being made, and to advise the Council on any reasonable 

 ways in which the Society might assist and advance the more scientific 

 aspects of horticulture. A very important report has been drawn 



