THE KOYAL INTEENATIONAL HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITION, 1912. 515 



THE EOYAL INTEENATIONAL HORTICULTUEAL EXHIBI- 

 TION, 1912. 



By Mb. Edward White, Hon. Managing Director. 

 [Read November 21, 1911 ; Mr. R. C. Notcutt in the Chair.] 



The Council of this Society has courteously placed the lecture hall 

 this afternoon at the disposal of the Directors of the Eoyal Inter- 

 national Horticultural Exhibition and so enabled them to call attention 

 to the great event of next year. Perhaps one may go so far as to call 

 it the great horticultural event of this generation. 



No preliminary flourish in praise of gardening is necessary. The 

 members- of the Eoyal Horticultural Society take for granted all the 

 virtues and attractions, and the popularity of their favourite pursuit, 

 and they see no reason for wonder in the great numbers of its votaries 

 and dependents. There is no need to speak here in apologetic terms 

 of the project of the Eoyal International Horticultural Exhibition 

 unless, indeed, to ask indulgence for the long title and possibly to deal 

 gently with the word ' ' Exhibition ' ' which excites a sense of weariness 

 in some minds. 



There seems to be a grovv^ing appreciation of the advantages attend- 

 ing the holding of one-trade exhibitions, or exhibitions devoted to 

 exploiting the products of a single branch of industry. This is a com- 

 pliment to the shrewdness of the pioneers of the horticultural industry 

 who initiated and have for many years indulged in the practice with 

 increasing success. No one doubts that much of the popularity of 

 gardening and of such commercial prosperity as the fates allow to 

 horticulture, are due to the number of flower shows of varying degrees 

 of importance held annually throughout the country. 



Many of these flower shows have developed into important affairs, 

 but not one has approached, in the British Isles, the great International 

 Horticultural Exhibition of 1866. Although at first sight it seems 

 surprising that no attempt has been made to repeat the great success 

 of that show, those who have taken a part, however modest, in the 

 organization of such an event can appreciate tolerably well the reason 

 for such a long interval. 



There have, moreover, been some special international displays 

 during recent years at Paris, Ghent, Berlin, Haarlem, Florence, Lyons, 

 Turin, and elsewhere, and one will take place in Eussia in 1913. 



Naturally each of these important affairs has presented some special 

 and valuable lessons in horticulture, and English visitors have quitted 

 them with a persistent feeling that the time has arrived for British 

 gardeners once more to assert their supremacy and show the world the 

 utmost of which they are capable. 



The Flemish town of Ghent claims an important place in the history 



L L 2 



