Febniary 23, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
159 
had that sum been paid the National Chrysanthemum Society would that 
night have been in a good position. It was not creditable for members to 
be in arrear, still less, he thought, was it creditable for affiliated societies 
not to pay their dues. Considering what a bad year 1892 had been for all 
in trade, he thought the balance-sheet showed the Society was in a 
flourishing condition. 
The Secretary explained that arrears amounting to £11 19s. 6d. had 
come in during the past week, but that there were still sixty-eight 
defaulting members. He then read the following list of special prizes 
for the forthcoming shows—Messrs. Pitcher & Manda, £35 ; Messrs. 
Sutton & Sons, £20 ; Mr. Owen, £12 ; Mr. H. J. Jones, £9 ; Mr. Godfrey, 
£7 7s.: Messrs. B. D. Shuttleworth & Co., £5 ; Mr. E. C. Jukes, £5. 
The election of officers next occupied the attention of the meeting, 
with the following result ; President, Sir Edwin Saunders ; Treasurer, 
J. R. Starling, Esq. ; Chairman of Committee, R. Ballantine, Esq.; 
Vice-Chairman, E. C. Jukes, Esq. ; Secretary, Mr. Rd. Dean ; Foreign 
Secretary, Mr. C. Harman Payne. The Dowager Duchess of Sutherland 
and Lady S.aunders were added to the list of Patronesses, and to the list 
of Vice-Presidents and Patrons the names of Lord de L’Isle and Dudley, 
Sir Trevor Lawrence, and others. 
At this stage of the proceedings, and after the officials had thanked 
the meeting for their re-election, the Secretary read a telegram from Mr. 
Goodacre nominating Mr. Blair, Mr. Mease, Mr. Woodgate, and Mr. 
Lambert as members of the General Committee. Mr. C. E. Pearson, 
who had become a member of the Society, wished also to be nominated, 
but inquiry was immediately raised as to whether these gentlemen 
would be able and willing to attend to the work if elected. Mr. Mease 
not being a member his name was withdrawn ; and after the nomina¬ 
tions were all given in it was found that there were twenty-two candi¬ 
dates for the twelve vacant places on the General Committee. The 
successful ones were Messrs. H. J. Jones, J. H. Laing, Boyce, C. Gibson, 
G. Stevens, Geo. Gordon, E. Beckett, D. B. Crane, Wright, B. Wynne, 
Mardlin, and Davey, the whole of the retiring members who, being 
eligible for re-election, being again elected. Mr. Arthur Veitch and Mr. 
G. J. Ingram were tellers, 
Mr. W. H. Fowler proposed a vote of thanks to Sir Edwin and Lady 
Saunders for the interest they had shown in the Society during the past 
year, and the Secretary moved one to the Catalogue Committee. 
The rules of the Society next came on for discussion, and it was 
evident that Mr. Addison’s motion for a rule to enable members to be 
expelled for improper conduct excited some curiosity. In opening the 
discussion, Mr. Addison said it would require very little argument on 
his part to persuade the meeting that it was necessary some such rule 
as he proposed should be incorporated in the constitution of the Society, 
it was nothing unusual, and was one that might be found in all societies 
and clubs in and near London, and he had f ransed it from several of such 
societies’ rules. He would read it :—“ That any member who shall refuse 
to conform to the rules and regulations of the Society, or shall be guilty of 
irregularity or of dishonourable or disorderly conduct, or of conduct likely 
to bring discredit upon the Society, shall be subject to expulsion by a vote 
of two-thirds of the members present at any general meeting.” In support 
of the proposal he would take only a few points. There were nearly 
700 members, and as the Society stood, if a man were elected a member 
and also elected on one of the committees he could remain in that position 
for three years, no matter whatihe chose to do. Mr. Addison, in support 
of his contention, quoted a case of a member who had sold tickets and 
not accounted for them, against whom they were powerless, and the 
same rule would he thought legalise what the Society had hitherto 
done in removing the names of members whose subscriptions remained 
unpaid at the end of the year. Mr. W. Wells seconded the motion, 
remarking upon his own case, which the Chairman prudently ruled out 
of order. 
Mr. E. C. Jukes strongly opposed the motion, although he gave the 
mover every credit for bringing it forward in the interest of the Society. 
The case of this Society was not analogous to that of cricket clubs and 
other similar organisations. Where such a rule was in force the persons 
joining knew of it, and they accepted the condition. Irregular conduct 
was difficult to define, and no two men agreed in their definition of it. 
In the City he saw every day men doing what he personally would not 
like to do, yet these men were perfectly satisfied. He was quite as 
much opposed to improper conduct as anyone present, but it would be 
dangerous to leave such a definition in the hands of a public meeting. 
Mr. Fowler could not see his way to support the motion as it stood. 
If members could be struck off the roll for non-payment of their 
subscriptions, he thought something might be done. Mr. Beavan 
supported Mr. Fowler, and thought the proposition would lead to 
trouble. Other speakers against the proposal were Mr. Hicks, Mr. 
Rd. Dean, Mr. W. Pierey, Mr. Newell, Mr. Geo. Gordon, and Mr. Moor¬ 
man, the last of whom hoped the mover would see his way clear to 
withdraw it altogether. 
Mr. Addison, after the opposition, said that in withdrawing his 
motion he hoped the members would give him credit for honestly 
believing he was acting in the interests of the Society by adopting the 
course he had. He thought that Mr. Fowler’s observations if embodied 
in a proposition to follow would satisfy him equally well as his own 
motion. 
Mr. W. n. Fowler then moved a resolution to the effect that members 
who had not paid their dues by a given date should be struck off the 
register, and this was carried. 
New members were elected, and the business of the evening brought 
to a close at an unusually late hour. 
CELERY AND ITS CULTIVATION. 
[Read by Mr. R. Filkixs, at the Chislehurst Gardeners’ Society.] 
Most gardeners desire to have a good supply of that excellent winter 
vegetable Celery, and yet few obtain a really good crop. The question 
naturally arises. Why is it ? Now, from my own observations there are 
three primary evils that militate against a good sound crop—bolting or 
running to seed, soft and pithy growth, and the attaeks of the Celery fly 
or maggot. I have no hesitation in saying that the gardener is in most 
cases to blame, because he does not always study the requirements of the 
plant. 
In Nicholson’s “ Dictionary of Gardening,” the Celery is described 
“as a native British plant of biennial growth found in a wild state 
inhabiting marshy places.” It has a number of fibrous roots and very 
succulent stems, and requires a large amount of moisture to keep up the 
supply of necessary sap. It is also essential that the plant should have as 
many perfect leaves as can be exposed to the sunlight. The necessity 
of this will be apparent if we consider what the leaves of a plant 
have to do ; it is only through the foliage that plants obtain the 
carbon that forms the greater part of their dry material. This carbon 
is taken up by plants as carbon dioxide from the air ; in the chlorophyll 
cells it is decomposed and separated, the oxygen is given off into the air, 
and the carbon retained. Combined with hydrogen and oxygen it 
forms starch for building up the tissues of the plants, but this can only 
be done under the action of sunlight and heat. 
I have said that the gardener was to blame for the three primary 
evils attendant on Celery growing, and I will endeavour to prove it. In 
the first place, he sows his seed too soon and too thickly. In some 
gardens space is limited, and Celery has to be planted out after early 
Peas and Beans come off the ground, which does not generally take 
place till the middle of July, and if the seed is sown at the end of 
February or beginning of March the plants are either kept too long in 
the seed pan, or if they have proper attention in the way of pricking 
out the plants will be too large to bear moving into their permanent 
position without giving them a check. Another disadvantage of too 
early sowing is that the crop is at its best before it is really wanted. 
Celery is not usually required in very great quantity before the end of 
Octoter, and to have this properly blanched it should be ready for earth¬ 
ing up at the beginning of September. This, however, would not be in 
such good condition to stand the frosts of winter as later plants, coming 
to maturity at the middle of October. 
In the manner of planting also the grower is sometimes greatly to 
blame, the usual practice being to dig out a trench a foot deep, putting 
the good top soil between the trenches. He then digs in manure, and in 
doing so brings up soil which is unsuitable. Then the plants are 
put out, and they grow very freely for a time, owing to the manure ; but 
as soon as this is exhausted the roots push out in search of food, but 
instead they are walled in as it were by ungenial soil, owing to the 
depth at which they are planted. It is often, too, at this stage of their 
growth that the plants are most neglected in the matter of watering. 
The gardener forgets that it is a ditch plant, and although he has pro¬ 
vided the ditch he neglects to give the water. 
In the foregoing remarks I have endeavoured to show how the 
gardener is to blame for pithy and bolted Celery by early and thiek 
sowing, and by giving it too many checks during its growth. One of 
the greatest checks is not supplying sufficient water after the plants are 
put out, w’uich to a very great degree predisposes them to the attacks of 
the Celery fly or maggot, as owing to an insufficiency of moisture the 
tissues of the plants are not properly built up, the cuticle of the leaves 
is much softer, rendering them less able to withstand the attacks of 
enemies. Anyone can prove this by leaving a few plants in the bed they 
are pricked-out in, and withholding water. As soon as they have 
exhausted the goodness of the soil the maggot will make its appearance, 
simply because the plants are starved, and in a debilitated condition. 
But Celery that is kept continually and steadily growing from the time 
the seed is sown till cold puts a stop to growth is very rarely attacked 
by maggot, and then only on leaves that by being shaded are not so 
robust. “ Yes,” someone may say, “ but that requires much attention.” 
That Celery growing does require attention I admit, but sound culti¬ 
vation is all that it requires. If you are able to devote a part of the 
garden to Celery then give it careful preparation ; trench the ground as 
deep as the soil will admit, incorporate with it some manure, the ashes 
from a rubbish fire, the refuse from the potting bench, leaf mould, are 
all good ; but the soil from an earth closet I consider the best, as it 
contains a large amount of nitrogen and phosphates. Whatever is used 
well mix it with the soil, frequently forking it over so that it is well 
pulverised and exposed to the action of the weather. 
If an early supply is wanted sow the seed thinly early in March, ami 
place it in a temperature of from 60° to 65°. When the seedlings are 
up place the pan or box as near to the glass as you can, so that they 
can get p’enty of light. 
In from five to six weeks the seedlings will be ready to prick off, 
which should be done into deep boxes filled only so full of soil that a 
square of glass placed on the box will not touch the plants. They should 
be well watered so as to moisten all the soil, the glass put on, and if 
necessary a piece of paper to shade them. The reason for putting the 
glass on is to prevent evaporation, and it does away with the necessity of 
frequent waterings. After three or four days the glass may be tilted 
up so as to give a little air, and a slight dewing with the syringe should 
be given. Gradually harden them, and by the middle of May they may 
be transferred to the trenches. These should not be more than 4 or 
5 inches deep, and water the plants well. I do not believe in driblets. 
