122 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
I February 18, 1888 
met, and as it is considered derogatory to sell, the gardens must go. 
Those who argue in that way forget the very nature of the 
Society and its essential objects. It is not a botanic society, but 
was established as the patron and exponent of practical horticul¬ 
ture ; and this is now conducted on a commercial basis. If the 
selling of garden produce were humiliating it would not prevail 
amongst persons of the most delicate feelings and highest sense of 
honour. 
The Chiswick Garden was established for a distinctly practical 
purpose—namely, for conducting experiments for acquiring sound 
information and disseminating it for the use of others. This 
cannot be done to meet present and future requirements without 
the subjects in hand are thoroughly tested, anl they cannot be 
so tested except on commercial principles. Nothing can be more 
honourable than work of the nature indicated with the high object 
in view, and the more that can be realised in its conduct the more 
creditable to its conductors. More than ever now is it requisite to 
determine the profit and the loss of crops under differing circum¬ 
stances ; and the need will grow with the inevitable changes of the 
future. Let such work be prosecuted, and not only varieties tested, 
but the effects of chemical manures, and Chiswick may become a 
real school, which because of its usefulness will win the respect of 
the community. 
Has not the Royal Agiacultural Society its experimental farm, 
and is not the produce sold ? In what other way could proof be 
afforded of the usefulness of its work ? And what more honour¬ 
able engagement than the acquirement of knowledge for the pur¬ 
pose of distributing it for the benefit of the commonweal ? Her 
Majesty the Queen and the Prince of Wales avorvedly act on these 
principles in respect to farm stock ; how, then, can it be derogatory 
to any Society to proceed on the same lines ? Common sense rises 
in rebellion against such sentimental notions, and it is earnestly 
hoped that common sense will prevail in the conduct of the Royal 
Horticultural Society and a great and useful future may be in store 
for it; but if its resources are devoted to semi-scientific objects, 
and for the gratification of specialists, and no tangible results can be 
presented to the world, the Society must degenerate into a nonen¬ 
tity, and it will fall a victim to that pride that goeth before destruc¬ 
tion. As it has lived so long, and struggled through so many 
difficulties, it deserves a better fate ; and it should be, ought to be, 
and might be, a pioneer in the work of profitable garden culture 
that it is so desirable to promote in the British Isles. 
ANNUAL MEETING. 
The annual meeting of this Society was held on Tuesday afternoon 
in the East Crush Room of the Royal Albert Hall, Sir Trevor Lawrence, 
Bart., M.P., presiding, and the following members of the Council were 
present; Dr. Rol)ert Hogg, William Lee (Secretary), E. G. Loder, G. F. 
Wilson, together with the retiring members. Major F. Mason, William 
Haughton, and Colonel Trevor Clarke. About sixty Fellows were also 
present. 
After the reading of the minutes 'a number of new Fellows were 
elected. 
The Rev. W. Wilks said it was well known to everybody that a 
certain amount of blame had been cast on the Council for the action 
they took in resigning in a body and then proposing the re-election of 
the greater body of themselves. It appeared to him that instead of any 
blame they ought to receive the most cordial thanks, for by their resig¬ 
nation they enabled the Society to elect a new Council en Moo if they 
thought fit, or to infuse as much new blood into it as they chose ; and 
by many of them offering themselves for re-election, they showed plainly 
that there was ample life in the Society to enable it to continue for many 
years to come. They had, in fact, utterly declined to act like the pro¬ 
verbial rats deserting a sinking ship. He thought therefore that itwvuld 
only be a graceful act if they re-elected those members of the Council 
who were willing to continue their services. He therefore moved that 
“ This meeting begs to thank the Council for the opportunity which by 
their proffered resignations they have given to the Fellows of electing 
an entirely new Council, but respectfully declines to accept the resigna- 
Hon of the following members—Sir Trevor Lawrence, Dr. Robert Hogg, 
Professor M. Foster, Mr. W. T. Dyer, Mr. William Lee, Colonel Beddome, 
Mr. Sydney Courtauld, Mr. E. G. Loder, Baron Henry Schroder, and Mr. 
George F. Wilson.” 
pa ^^d' seconded} the motion, which was unanimously 
The Chairman then announced that the election of the officers and 
Council would next be proceeded with, and ballot papers were, in accord¬ 
ance with the usual custom, handed round to those present. Sir Trevor Law¬ 
rence remarked that, with regard to the nomination of Baron Schrinler for- 
the postof Treasurer, the Council were very anxious that the Baron shoulil 
act in that capacity, and did their very best to induce him to accept the 
post. Baron Schriider, however, was unfortunately obliged, out of 
paramount considerations of health and work, to decline, and he might- 
inform them that he had received a letter from the Baron in which he- 
expressed his extreme regret at being unable to attend the meeting that- 
day, inasmuch as he was confined to his bed with an attack of bron¬ 
chitis. He also regretted to say that Professor Foster was likewise pre^ 
vented from being present in consequence of a bad cold. Col. Beddom v 
who was one of the nominees for the post of Treasurer, and who would' 
have made an excellent officer, had also declined to serve, and the 
Council had unanimously nominated Mr. Morris for that position. A 
good many of the Fellows in the Royal Horticultural Society did not’, 
perhaps, know who Jlr. Morris was. He might, however, for the infor¬ 
mation of those who were not acquainted with his career, state that Mr. 
Morris, after a distinguished course at the University, had been engaged 
in horticultural matters in the Colonies for many years, and had occupied 
many important positions in connection with them. He (Sir Trevor) 
was informed that the gardens under Mr. Morris’s control had always 
been well managed, not only from a horticultural but also from a busi¬ 
ness point of view, and the Council would be fortunate if they succeeded 
in obtaining the services of that gentleman. (Hear, hear). 
Major Lendy and Mr. Wynne then formally withdrew their opposh 
tion respectively, to the nominations of Mr. Morris and Mr. Dyer as 
members of the Council. 
The Chairman, who rose amidst cheers, said it was now his duty to 
make a few remarks with regard to the present position of the Society, 
and he must say that, in his opinion, the Society occupied a morehopefui 
position now than it did a year ago. That arose mainly, in his opinion, 
from the fact that they were now no longer trammelled by a connection 
w'ith South Kenshgton. (Cheers.) He had no desire to recall disagree¬ 
able memories, and he might here say, with reference co the gentlemen 
who thought it their duty to send in their resignations as members of 
the Council—Colonel R. Trevor Clarke, Major F. Mason, and Mr. W. 
Haughton—that he thought the thanks of the Council and of the Society 
were due to them for the services they had rendered during many yearn 
They did not altogether agree as to what was the wisest to do for the 
future of the Society, but these gentlemen loyally accepted the position 
when they found they were in a minority, and with a view to rendering 
the future consultations of the Council more satisfactory they withdrew. 
They took that step, of course, after they ascertained that their views ni> 
longer commanded the general acceptation of the Council. Colonel 
Trevor Clarke was well known in the horticultural world, and, apart 
from other considerations, his resignation in that respect was a lo.ss to 
the Society. (Hear, hear.) The absence of the other two gentlemen 
would also be felt; and he might especially say with regard to Mr. 
Haughton, that the Society would have liked to continue his services iJ 
possible. (Hear, hear.) He (Sir Trevor Lawrence) had not the least doubt 
that the vast majority of the members of the Council were now at all 
events of one opinion ; and that majority were agreed that the connec¬ 
tion of this Society with South Kensington had been prejudicial to the 
interests of the Society. There had, amidst the gloom, been transient 
gleams of sunshine, but they had not taken advantage of those transient 
gleams of sunshine in a financial sense to put money by for a rainy daj’. 
On the contrary, these glimpses of sunshine had done rather more harm 
than good, as they had had the effect of leading the Society into a rather 
extravagant course. If it had not been for the lamented death of the 
Prince Consort, the circumstances of the Society probably would hav« 
been far different. They would have had the enormous advantage to 
be derived from his prudent and wise advice and great infiuence, and 
if he had lived the story of their connection with South Ken¬ 
sington would doubtless have been a totally different one. As they 
knew, about this time last year negotiations were going on with 
the Albert Hall Corporation. Those negotiations never came to 
anything, and he was never sanguine that they would. He must 
confess tliat he never believed it was likely that their negotiations 
with the Royal Commissioners of the 1851 Exhibition would ever 
lead to a result satisfactory to the Society. Reference was made in the 
report read at the previous annual general meeting to the desirability of 
getting a site for the Society on the property of the Royal Commissioners. 
A site was offered to them by the Royal Commissioners, not in a good 
position, it was true, though if it had been adequate in size it might, 
perhaps, have been adopted by the Society. But the offer was encum¬ 
bered with this perfectly impossible condition, that it was not to confer 
on the Society any right, either moral or legal, to the use of the gardens 
and conservatory. They would thus have found themselves hampered 
with the incubus of a buikliiig of considerable costliness, and the use of 
which would have been annihilated if they had not had at the same 
time the use of the gardens and conservatory. Then there was an offer 
to let the gardens to them at a rental of £ 1000 a year. That in the 
present financial condition of the Society was impossible. To have paid 
the rates and taxes as well as to have incurred the cost of the mainte¬ 
nance of the gardens would have been an enormous additional burden, 
and whatever the financial position of the Society might be now, it 
would have been infinitely worse if they had entered into any such 
agreement as that suggested by the Royal Commissioners. Thus it 
was that the negotiations that had been going on year after year, 
