FLORAL AND HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 
55 
to the original plan, be twenty societies, com- 
prising a couple of hundred members, paying 
into the main or central society ; and thus 
securing the right to show for seven shillings 
and sixpence, where the prizes are very much 
larger and more numerous than they could 
possibly be if confined to the local societies 
themselves. It was, however, wisely provided 
that the central society should elect one out 
of every twenty as a committee ; and that all 
local societies should send a member for every 
twenty to represent them in the central com- 
mittee of management. Other details, which 
do not affect the general question, were men- 
tioned ; but we may leave them while we deal 
with the society upon its principal features 
only. We set out, then, with one of those 
sweeping matters of fact which nobody will or 
can dispute — " It is impossible to have the 
rules of a society too simple." It is impossible 
to compensate for the evils of complication by 
any advantage to be derived. We see not the 
least advantage in the admission of local so- 
cieties, while the cross machinery, as it were, 
which it seems to demand or to cause in the 
management, is highly objectionable. For 
instance, what object is gained by the esta- 
blishment of local societies, the members of 
which are to show at the central society ? 
Avhat single point is gained by it ? It is said 
that this is to enable the members to associate 
at a house in their locality, to talk of flowers 
and shows, and to show specimens if they like, 
which they cannot do at the central society, 
on account of the distance ; and it is further 
said, that the members of any local society 
can dine at their own place once a year ; all of 
which, if the landlord of a public-house at 
which a society was to be formed were the 
only person to consult, would be highly de- 
sirable; but while we would, above all things, 
promote the periodical meetings of gardeners, 
as the very best means of improving one an- 
other, we should object to the notion of a man 
belonging to a society at his own home, for 
the purpose of showing flowers at a society 
afar off. The attention is necessarily divided. 
If the members desire to show at the central 
society, why not become at once members of 
the central society ? because where a man 
shows he will want to dine, and if his dinner 
money has to be spent in his locality, he is 
taxed with a double expense. We object, 
however, to these local excrescences on an- 
other ground : where people meet and dine, 
they will want to show ; and when they felt 
themselves strong enough, show they would, at 
home ; therefore the central society would be 
nursing the branches only till they were strong 
enough; and would, after a certain time, always 
be losing some branch or other, so that there 
Would be great fluctuations in the income. 
Then, again, the committee of the central so- 
ciety is to be formed by delegates from the 
branches, as well as persons elected from 
among the central members ; by which a 
pretty good share of inconvenience must be 
suffered by the district branches, or the dele- 
gates attached to them, or they must go un- 
represented at the board. We see, in fact, 
many evils arising out of so complicated a 
thing, and very little, indeed we confess we see 
no good. We see no point gained, no evil got 
rid of; because, if the members were entered 
direct as members of the society, they enjoy all 
the advantages which the principal or central 
board holds out ; and whether they meet their 
brother gardeners at home or not, is a matter 
fully as open to them as if they were members 
of a local branch, and their money were paid 
at a meeting on the spot. The advantage 
would be in their subscription going where it 
would be the most use, and providing prizes 
and a dinner where the dinner was most 
likely to be wanted — that is, at the great 
London show. We opine, therefore, that so 
far as the local branches are concerned, the 
proposal is altogether bad ; but that a central 
society, upon sound principles, adopting uni- 
form judgment, awarding long series of prizes, 
and governed by unexceptionable persons, 
chosen by the general body from among them 
selves, would be of vast importance to horti 
culture. Now, it appears to us that it would 
be wiser to entertain the notion of holding 
shows in different localities, than it would be 
to drag all the local societies to London. We 
do not mean that it should be one year at 
Oxford, another at Liverpool, a third at 
Southampton, and so forth; but that one year 
it might be ten or twenty miles one side of 
London, and another year the same or less 
distance on the other side. Yet even this, 
while it gave particular localities the ad- 
vantage of an influx of visitors, would greatly 
inconvenience those who came two hundred 
miles into London, and found they had to get 
other conveyances for themselves and flowers 
to get twenty miles further. Upon the whole, 
therefore, while we condemn so much of the 
proposed society as relates to the local bodies 
or branches, we approve of the simple plan 
which characterises the management of the 
central board, and which we think should be 
the only one. We think it quite desirable, 
for instance, that a society should be formed 
in London, to hold shows there, or there- 
about, upon an effective scale ; to which, 
however, all the horticultural world should be 
invited to become members. That the sub- 
scriptions direct to the funds should be twelve 
shillings per annum; that seven shillings and 
sixpence should go towards a fund for prizes, 
and four shillings and sixpence towards an 
