vi PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



up by this Committee, and, if it is found practicable to carry out its 

 recommendations, there is every prospect of great developments 

 taking place in the Society's work in the immediate future. This 

 Report, which was only laid before the Council on December 9, will 

 require much careful thought, for the scheme is of such magnitude 

 and complexity, and touches so many different interests, that its 

 mere consideration must of necessity take a considerable time before 

 even an outline of it can be announced, so that for the present no more 

 can be said beyond recording the fact. A new Committee has been 

 formed to advise on the details of the Report. 



4. Orchid Register. — It has been decided to estabhsh a Register 

 of Orchids ; not only, but specially, for the sake of recording the 

 parentage of hybrids and of securing their correct and permanent 

 nomenclature. Mr. R. A. Rolfe has been appointed Official Recorder. 

 The Register will be carried back as far as possible by careful examina- 

 tion of old documents, and the Council hope that Orchid Growers 

 having private records of genera, species, and hybrids, will assist the 

 compilation by lending them to the Society 'to be copied for this 

 purpose. The immediately pressing work of the Recorder, however, 

 will be the entering up on the Register of every new Orchid shown, 

 with particulars of its parentage, raiser, owner, &c., as far as is known. 



5. Parliamentary Committee. — The ParHamentary Committee 

 appointed in 1912 have had the following subjects under their con- 

 sideration — namely, (a) the proposed Government Seed Testing 

 Station, {b) the Subsidies given by Government to Co-operative 

 Organizations, which are alleged to undersell Retail Traders, (c) 

 Railway Rates and Conditions, and {d) the Sale of Wet Coke by weight. 

 On the two former points the Council have addressed memoranda 

 to the Board of Agriculture ; and on the question of Coke, Sir Albert 

 RoUit has kindly undertaken to bring the matter before the Board 

 of Trade on the Council's behalf. 



6. Wisley Gardens.— The planting of the Rock Garden is still 

 proceeding, but it is necessarily a matter of time before so large an 

 area can be well clothed with plants, especially considering the slow- 

 growing nature and rarity of some. 



The Alpine House is proving a valuable addition to the Rock 

 Garden, and many Fellows visit it during the earher months of the 

 year. 



The erection of an Orchard House is at this moment proceeding. 

 The House is being constructed with very great care in order that 

 exact and delicate Experimental and Research work concerning 

 Fruit Trees may be properly undertaken within it. 



A Water Lily tank, fitted with hot-water pipes, is also under 

 construction for the accommodation of Blue Water LiUes kindly 

 presented by Mr. Leopold de Rothschild. 



