July 21, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
45 
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COMING EVENTS 
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25 
26 
27 
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S 
BUN 
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Tc 
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Highgata Show. 
Quekett Club at 8 P.M. 
Royal Botanic Society at 3.45 r.M. 
7th Sunday after Trinity. 
Show nt the People’s Palace. 
Royal Horticultural Society—Fruit and Floral Committee r at 11 am. 
[National Carnation and Pic.tee Society’s Show. 
TRIALS OF PLANTS AND CROPS AT 
CHISWICK. 
NOTE in the Journal of last week referring 
to the Strawberries grown in the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society’s Gardens induces me to bring 
the subject of the “trials” there conducted 
to the notice of the public generally, and the 
Council of the Society particularly. 
A sentence in the note referred to on 
page 31 expresses exactly my own hope, 
desire, and views, and no doubt those of many others. 
It is the breathing of expectancy and the foreshadowing 
of utility in these words : “ We may expect that a report 
of the Strawberries will be prepared for publication at 
some time, and it would be useful.” 
Unquestionably a carefully prepared official report 
would be useful, and it seems to me that authoritative 
“reports ” of all trials that are conducted in the Gardens 
should be published as soon as possible after the results 
of the different varieties have been determined. We may 
expect the Strawberry report will be published at “ some 
time;” but when? This policy of expectancy has, I 
respectfully submit, been pursued long enough, and we 
want' more promptitude in action. As one of the several 
supporters of the Royal Horticultural Society who can 
seldom visit the Gardens, I cannot remain satisfied with 
the existing state of things. Trials of plants and crops 
have been held year by year, but of what benefit are they 
to those who cannot inspect them ? It is presumed that 
systematic reports of all experiments are prepared and 
stored in the Society’s archives pending the issue of some 
“Journal”, or official medium for their publication and 
distribution, but we see none of these reports, the “ ex¬ 
pected ” information does not appear. If I am in error 
in assuming that a careful digest of the trials is prepared 
by the committees, superintendent, secretary, or whoever 
may be the authorised compilers, and if nothing of the 
kind is done, then I am of opinion the Council of the 
Society cannot be entirely exonerated of laxity in what 
we may fairly consider the performance of their duties, 
for it is naturally expected the instructions issued by that 
distinguished body are carried out as far as is practicable. 
It is useless suggesting that an official should do this or 
that; no official is responsible for the conduct of the 
Society’s affairs, but the Council, and to them belongs 
whatever of glory or the reverse that attaches to the 
position as measured by results. 
The gardens at Chiswick are established for ex¬ 
perimental purposes in the interests of horticulture 
and for the benefit of the Fellows wffio support them, 
and the general public; but what return do absentee 
supporters of the Society get if no information is placed 
No. 369.—Vol XV., Third Series. 
within their reach ? At present, and for some time past, 
we have heard little or nothing about the proceedings in 
the Gardens in question beyond a scratch note from some 
casual visitor. Nothing official or authoritative is pub¬ 
lished, and so far as regards the great general public of 
horticulturists and persons interested in the pursuit 
which it is the first duty of the lfoyal Horticultural 
Society to promote, the Gardens might almost as well be 
closed if the proceedings in them are sealed from the 
great body of their supporters. 
Is it too much to expect that the character of every¬ 
thing sent to Chiswick for trial should be estimated 
and recorded, and these records published on the 
responsibility of the respective committees in their 
capacity of juries ? We want not the particulars alone 
of the few varieties to which honours are awarded, but of 
those that escape, it may be by a solitary vote, admission 
into the charmed circle. It may possibly be urged that 
preparing systematic descriptions of every variety included 
in the trials would be a work of such magnitude that it 
could not well be accomplished by the staff, but it has 
been done in the past, and most valuable the reports 
have been. Admitting, however, the force of the objec¬ 
tion under present circumstances, is not the remedy in the 
hands of the Council ? Cannot they limit the number of 
varieties sent by individuals so as to reduce the whole 
trials within reasonable, and, to coin a term, “ workable ” 
limits ? It is surely better to do well that which may be 
undertaken than to incur liabilities that can only be 
discharged in a slipshod manner. 
But apart from that, it can scarcely be considered 
satisfactory to allow any person to send as many varieties 
as he likes for trial in the Gardens, especially if only 
descriptions of those that may be certificated are pub¬ 
lished, for it is conceivable that nothing more would be 
heard of the others, and in that case the person contribut¬ 
ing would alone benefit; indeed, the Society would be 
devoting space and incurring cost in the labour of cultiva¬ 
tion which it has no right to bear. If there is no limit in 
respect to the number of Peas, Potatoes, or whatever may 
be on trial, the Society is liable to be placed in the not 
very dignified position of doing the work that raisers and 
introducers of novelties ought to do themselves, as they 
are the sole beneficiaries when the demerits as well as the 
merits of what they send are not published to the world. 
And the objection to the present state of things becomes 
intensified when varieties are tried and adjudicated upon 
under numbers. I am not able to refer to the rules of 
the Society, but have an impression that everything sub¬ 
mitted to the Society’s censors for examination must be 
named. That certainly would seem to be a reasonable 
provision ; but is it not a fact that certificates have been 
granted to Potatoes and other things under numbers, and 
these numbers published in the gardening press ? Of 
what possible use is that to the public? It is worse than 
useless, for it is tantalising. But whether the numbers 
are published or not, awards ought not to be made to any 
unnamed variety whatever, and nothing ought to be 
grown on trial in the Gardens without its name being 
attached from beginning to end. 
When Fellows of the Society or their friends visit the 
Gardens they do so for purposes of instruction, and the 
first thing they look for is the names of the different 
varieties of flowers or vegetables that are included in the 
trials. I was in the Gardens a few weeks ago and looked 
in vain for the names of several new Peas that were 
advancing to maturity, and I have heard others complain 
No. 2025 .—'You LXXVIT., Old Series. 
