March 19, ItSl. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
227 
the method of his so doing'. These matters apply only and solely 
to his seat on the Council, which is distinct from his office, and the one 
can be resigned without affecting the other. As a matter of fact, Mr. 
Morris never “resigned” his seat on the Council, but became 
“ incapable ” of holding it on account of his three-months absence 
from England (by-law 09), and the Council as plainly directed by 
Charter and by-laws (by-law 68) appointed Mr. Crowley to the vacant 
seat, and subsequently made him Treasurer, his office being in strict 
regularity confirmed at the annual meeting, his seat on the Council 
requiring no such confirmation, as he was “ for all purposes deemed 
to occupy the position of the person to whose seat he was appointed’ 
(by-law 08). ’ 
As I said once before, you will doubtless claim both the first rvord 
and the last—it is the editorial idea of fairness—but 1 must request 
your readers not to consider that my future silence to your ungenerous 
attacks upon one who is devoting a’l his spare time ungrudgingly to the 
service of the Society, and not altogether unsuccessfully—that my 
future silence is very far from admitting the truth or the justice of your 
future remarks.— \V. Wilks. 
P.S.—I have just been told by a friend who has seen your paper 
that you assert that at the annual meeting I said that Mr. Morris had 
“ resigned.” This is the exact opposite of the truth. I used no such 
word, as I had already been put on my guard, and, as one gentleman 
puts it, “ Dr. Hogg made the whole room ring wdth the word ‘ in¬ 
capable.’ ” This was the word I used, but had I made the mistake of 
using a wrong word it would not have altered the fact that Mr. Morris 
did not resign his seat on the Council. The by-laws require a certain 
form—Form E — to be filled up by any resigner, and this was not even 
thought of, much less complied with. You are at perfect liberty to say 
“ Mr. Morris resigned his treasurerihip.” I know not rvhether he did or 
did not, and it makes no matter of difference : but I do know that he 
did not resign his seat on the Council, which makes all the difference 
in the world, and is the point in discussion.—W. W. 
[The above letter simplifies matters ; but, as is generally accepted, 
the stronger the case the less the necessity for irrelevant allusions. 
We should be sorry to suggest that Mr. Wilks has any other desire than 
to do the best he can for the Royal Horticultural Society, and we are 
glad to believe that there are many of its supporters similarly 
animated. In reference to the official letter, the authorship of which 
Mr. Wilks disclaims, it was in our opinion a very proper letter under 
the circumstances, and no one has the least reason to be ashamed of it. 
But to the gist of the matter at issue. We are now told distinctly 
that “ Mr. Morris did not resign his seat on the Council.” Very well ; 
then has he not been on it all along, just as we have contended ? If 
Mr. Morris “ never resigned” his seat, why was his name placed on the 
balloting list as one of the new members for election on the Council ? 
If Mr. Morris became incapable for holding the office of Treasurer 
and vacated it to Mr. Crowley, then by the Charter Mr. Crowley filled 
it “ until the annual meeting next following such nomination or 
appointment.” But there could be no legal confirmation of the appoint¬ 
ment by the annual meeting before Mr. Crowley was first made a 
member of Council ; yet Mr. Crowley’s name has never appeared on any 
list of members of Council submitted to the Fellows for adoption. 
As Mr, Morris did not resign his office of member of Council, the 
appointment of Mr. Crowley, according to Mr. Wilks’ (erroneous) view 
of the case, made the number of members of Council sixteen, instead 
of fifteen, the legal number. 
This brings us to the priut from which wastartel, confirming our 
statement that the balloting papers were informal,, and consequently the 
action founded thereon was invalid. 
The Charter says distinctly, and the point is a fundameuta’ one, that 
three members shall retire annually, and three “other” Fellows be 
elected. If Mr. Morris is other than himself the conditions m’ght be 
said to have been complied with, but if he is only one individuality they 
cannot, because only two new members were appointed in the place of 
the three removed. 
Mr. Crowley’s name ought to have been in the Council list instead 
of that of Mr. Morris, which had no business there because he had not 
resigned ; and it is imperative that the Trea'U''er be chosen from the 
Council for the purpose of his being established in the position he is 
proposed to fill, by the Fellows at the annual meeting. 
The Council have certain powers, including the filling of vacancies 
that may,occur in their body until the next annual meeting and no 
longer—a fact which Mr. Wilks ignores—but they have no power to 
override the rights of the Fellows as set forth in the Charter. Mr. 
Wilks is a laborious Secretai’y, but has not bad time to thoroughly 
digest the rules under which the affairs of the Society must be conducted. 
We are sorry Mr. Wilks should be so ready to prefer a charge 
of discourtesy against us because we did not send copies of the 
.hnirnal of Horticulture to Shirley as well as to the Society’s offices, 
svhich he attends so unremittingly, and hasten to forward the whole of 
the copies to him in which his communications appear. 
Our remarks in reference to what transpired at the meeting, we may 
say (though the matter is of small moment), were citations from the 
published report. 
We have one other observation to make. It would almost seem as if 
Mr. Wilks must feel as if he were “attacking” someone “ungenerously” 
when conducting a controversy, or it is difficult to perceive how he 
could attribute such a motive to others. His allegation is absolutely 
without the slightest vestige of foundation, and not a few of our mutual 
friends regret the tone of some of his remarks. 
If Mr. Wilks can prove us wrong we will suggest a way in which In 
may do so, and when he has done this we will admit the strength of his 
case. If he fail to do what ought to be so easy (as it is documentary) we 
shall then know, and our readers will know, that we had full justification 
for our public criticism of an essentially public subject; and if what 
we ask for is forthcoming we shall have the satisfaction of tecling if 
we lose our case that we have not spoiled it by indulging in personal 
reflections, for the simple reason that they have never occurred to us 
throughout the discussion. 
Here is the “ te-t,” which is in the form of a brief recapitulation :— 
Will Mr. Wilks be kind enough to point out where Mr. Crowley’s 
name has ever appeared in the form provided for that purpose and 
submitted to the Fellows for election as a member of Council I It 
appears in the balloting paper as being recommended for the office of 
Treasurer, but to qualify anyone for acting as Treasurer he must first 
be a member of Council, for the Charter enjoins that the Fellows shall 
elect “fro7n auwng the memhers of Council for the year next ensuing 
the President, Treasurer, and Secretary of the Society.” As we have 
already stated, Mr. Crowley’s temporary appointment on the Council 
has never been confirmed by the annual meeting because it has never 
been put in the proper form for the requisite confirmation.] 
THINNING FRUIT BUDS. 
“ B.’s ” remarks on “ Removing Flower Buds of Poaches ” (]ingG 
181) are indeed “ a caution.” In the first place “ the principle on which 
they are based is sound.” Secondly, “ There is some danger of mischief 
following a too rigid adherence to rule in carrying out this practice.” 
Thinning the flower buds results in “ the production of large blooms.” 
What does that imply ? Does it mean larger petals, stouter stamens 
bearing plumper anthers, with a bolder, longer .style ? 
Your correspondent appeals to “ growers with an intelligent grasp of 
the subject,” stating that thinning flower buds is a result of negligent 
culture. Thinning the wood ceitainly favours the “ production of 
normally healthy and perfect flowers,” and this mo'e than anything 
else occasions the need of removing flower buds, for the simple reason 
that the growths are more thickly studded with bloom buds than those 
that have been crowded. Yet “ B.” would have all left ; at least, no 
mention is made of thinning, and the result would be that perhaps 
more fruits would set in the wrong place than in the right, whereas by 
removing all the flower buds on the under side or back of the trellis the 
fruit would be had set on the upper, or where it was best situated for 
receiving light. 
Then it is stated that the “ p"oper time to relieve the tree after the 
buds have been formed would be at the earliest stage possible.” Some, 
in fact few, growers have e.scaped the mortification occasioned by seeing 
half of the best buds falling when they should be swelling. Yet “ B.” 
would have us thin the bloom buds of Peaches in the earliest possible 
stage—that is, as soon as the trees are leafless. This shows the import¬ 
ance of practice, for the thinned tree mentioned in the second paragraph 
in having plumper buds are more likely to cast them than the tree that 
has been" crowded with growth. This, however, is a ])base of the subject 
not taken into consideration by “ B.,” therefore we pass on to removing 
the flower buds “ when they are well forward.” Yes, that it the time, 
and no other, for none else is safe. In this respect Peaches and Necta¬ 
rines differ from other fruit trec.s—viz., the danger of flower buds of 
trees under glass being cast in the resting sea.son practically precludes 
removing a superfluity until they commence developing. All the same, 
“ B.” is short of the mark in saying “ the mere opening of the birds into 
flower and the production of pollen is not a matter of much impoitance.” 
In practice it is vital. Give the trees too much heat when swelling and 
developing the buds and they will rush into growth, the flowers being 
shed. Why ’ Fumigate whilst in blos.som, and tlie set is nil. Let 
them be too vigorous in growth and they neither set or .stone the fruit. 
Why ? The petals have to do something more than attract insects ; the 
production of pollen is an all-important agent in fertilisation, and no 
“fertilisation of the ovule” can be effected without it. True, great 
benefit may not result from thinning flower buds before they expand, 
but it often marks the difference between having all the “ eggs ” in the 
right basket and having them in the wrong, or in none. Only the fruit, 
we are told, places a strain on the powers of the tree, but how does it 
happen that so many fruit trees produce plentiful flowers but few fruits ? 
Where in that case has been the strain ? No greater service can be 
rendered to trees overburdened with flowers than the removal of three- 
fourths, and in many cases nine-tenths of all the fruit buds, then there 
may be a chance of thinning the embryo fruit.s. The cultivator must 
make his selection of the linc.st buds or blossoms, and reserve tlie most 
jierfect embryo fruits, removing all others. If that be done with care 
and judgment it insures an even crop of the highest quality fruit.s. 
In tiie fourth paragrajih the subject is made one of bud formation 
more than blossom removing. Crowded trees set thin crops of fruit, 
“not because there are no flowers,” but because they are “abortive, or 
deficient in energy.” That being so, what is so suicidal as thinning the 
growths during the ne.-st season ? Clearly parts are cut away that 
might have set fruits ; but that is not the point. Thinning the bloom 
buds “ B.” admits might be of some benefit here, but it is impossible 
to discriminate before the buds open. That is, no doubt, meant to 
settle the bud-removing principle altogether, for there is danger of 
removing “ perfectly equipped floral organs ” as well as defective 
flower buds. There is no occasion to trouble in the case of trees over¬ 
burdened with growth, for they often have not a fourth of the flower 
buds trees have grown under conditions essential to the production of 
