292 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April IS, IMS. 
afforded during a period of two or three months. As a rule the 
means of affording a little heat should be provided in orchard 
houses, but when this is not done the safe course is to retard the 
expansion of blossom as long as possible. The opposite course has 
been adopted in some gardens and brought failure, and the houses 
condemned when the management was often at fault ; but owners of 
houses for fruit culture should recognise the fact that they will 
always pay for piping, not for heating regularly for preserving 
plants that are out of place in orchard houses, but, in conjunction 
with good management, for insuring good crops of fruit. Mr. 
Rivers’ essay is a simple record of practice, and his teachings 
inte’ligently followed, must bring success. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
SECTIONAL COMMITTEES. 
Mk. a. H. S.mke, who contributes a generally excellent letter 
on page 352, suggests the desirability of dividing the Floral 
Committee into sections, in order that the merits of the different 
kinds of plants submitted may he the better determined. That 
either the present Committee will have to be divided into sections, 
or sub-committees formed, bringing in outside talent, appears 
certain. It is a question if the present Floral Committee numbers 
sufficient specialists for forming separate contingents for adjudi¬ 
cating, say on Orchids, Auriculas, and kindred plants. Chrysanthe¬ 
mums, and other sections. Yet specialists are undoubtedly needed, 
and the few on a large general Committee may easily be outvoted 
by the many, who may be, and are, men of ability in some branch, 
but who fail to see the points of merit of certain plants before 
them. INIistakes have been made both with Orchids and Chrysanthe¬ 
mums that have not strengthened the Society, and which would 
not have been made by half a dozen men having special knowledge 
of those plants. At the end of the present year there will probably 
be more gardeners who are Fellows or Associates of the Society to 
choose from. Then ■will be the time for a general remodelling. 
Shifting about and altering in the middle of the season rarely 
proves satisfactory, but, on the contrary, indicates instability that 
does not beget public confidence. Since attention has been called 
to slight errors, particular care will doubtless be exercised not to 
increase the number; and as Mr. Smee says, “ for this year all 
measures must be of a tentative character,” it will, perhaps, be 
best to proceed to the end without any fundamental alteration. In 
the meantime, suggestions can be made and discussed, and methods 
devised, for effecting improvements of a permanent character. A 
not altogether unimportant matter to determine is this—If sectional 
committees are to be formed, by whom and in what manner are the 
members to be selected and elected ? 
SHOWS. 
Mr. Smee still appears to be of opinion that shows will strengthen 
the Society, and seems to regret that one cannot be held in Finsbury 
Circus. An exhibition there might have proved a success or it 
might not. Every show that has been held has been hoped to bring 
strength to the Society, but the fact remains that most of them, 
taking small and large together, have had quite an opposite effect. 
There is a great risk connected with exhibitions, and the Society is 
scarcely in a position to incur such risk. Though I am strongly 
convinced that a year of rest, not from scientific, useful, and ad¬ 
ministrative work, but of cessation from showing, would have found 
the Society much stronger at the end of the season than it will be 
after a term of floral gaiety, I sincerely hope I may be wrong. 
If shovs do not attract visitors in sufficient numbers to prevent 
loss to a society they fail in their immediate object, though it is con¬ 
ceivable they may to some extent have a stimulating effect in bringing 
new supporters—new Fellows. It is easy, however, to over-estimate 
that possibility, and the experience of the past is not encouraging. 
But the plan of the future is to bring the shows to the people. 
The idea sounds well, but will the people “ come in their thousands ” 
to see them ? That is the question. It is easy to take a horse to 
the water, but proverbially difficult to make him drink if he is not 
thirsty. I shall believe the public will crowd into the hall at West¬ 
minster when I see them, and not till then. An exhibition under 
canvas in Finsbury Circus or in the Temple Gardens might attract 
a throng of visitors, and probably would, subject to two contin¬ 
gencies, one of which is essentially uncertain, and the other pro¬ 
blematical—namely, favourable weather, and some exalted personage 
to lead the way. One or two hundred pounds might be realised by 
the venture (and Mr. Smee in a former letter made a special point 
of “ gate money ”) ; but the same amount might be lost, and loss 
would certainly be incurred if the show days were remarkable, as 
has often been the case, for torrents of rain. 
If it were proved that Shows brought an influx of Fellows, amJl 
that there would be no material additions ■without the said Shows,, 
that would be a strong reason for holding them, even if the gate 
money did not quite equal the expenses ; but the most recent ex¬ 
perience does not support that proposition. Before the first Show 
was held at Westminster the glad tidings were freely circulated' 
that more new Fellows had been proposed in a month than during 
the Avhole of the preceding year. The very fact that this was made 
known previous to the Show is conclusive evidence that the 
additions were not the result of it ; and it sho'ws, moreover, there 
are other ways of gaining subscribers than through the agency,, 
often costly, of shows. Existing Fellows and members of the 
Committees have exerted themselves, and the guinea fellowship 
has opened a way by which many new supporters will enter. I 
have done a trifle in inviting some to come in, and hope to do more.. 
But the truth must be told that some good men are hesitating lest 
if they subscribe, their money, to adopt their own phrase, Mhichi 
appears ready for use, will be “ squandered.” Now that the guinea 
ticket is made transferable, which is exactly what was wanted, i 
believe many gardeners would join if they felt an assurance the 
money would be devoted to strictly useful horticultural purpose.*,, 
such as conducting experiments and trials at Chiswick, and publish¬ 
ing the results as speedily as practicable, and not a year or two 
after their interest has departed. I do not know whether th® 
guinea transferable ticket admits to Chiswick or not, but that 
privilege would be as much appreciated by most persons as the- 
entree to shows, and more by some, while it would cost the Society 
nothing. Moreover, most persons appear to like being invested 
with a right if they do not often exercise it. 
I fully believe the Council of the Society and the advising com¬ 
mittee will consider fully and well every step that is taken, and that 
they will proceed on the most prudent lines they can devise. I am. 
one of those who think they did not make the best start under the- 
circumstances, but no one can hope more earnestly than myself 
that they will make a good finish at the end of the season, and com¬ 
mence under happy auspices another year. The maintenance of 
Chiswick is the ultimate desire of most, if not all, who are identi¬ 
fied with the Society, and I trust support will not be withheld by 
any who can afford to give it in the cause of national horticulture. 
Mr. Smee is afraid that opening the garden at Chiswick during 
the fruit-blossoming period to the public on payment of a small 
fee would not attract many visitors. Possibly not, but the point 
is this—there would be nothing to lose by the venture, while 
attention would be drawn to the Society in that form of “ popular 
advertising ; ” and not only so, but if I had any choice in the 
matter I would prefer taking the Chiswick proceeds of three weeks 
to all the clear profit that wi 1 accrue during the year from the 
exhibitions held in Westminster. 
The Apple congress that extended over some time attracted the 
public to Chiswick, and was more profitable than any show that 
has been since held, and it ought not to be impossible to draw pa¬ 
tronage again that would be u.seful.—A Felloav oe the Society, 
HALF-GUINEA SUBSCRIBERS. 
Provinci.^e gardeners have watched with interest, if in silence, 
the ways and means that have been adopted to strengthen the 
Society, though many have felt it beyond their reach. As gardeners 
represent horticulture the Society ought to represent them. Let it 
be Royal, but also a general Horticultural Society, then it will 
embrace all and not the few. 
What are these half-guinea associates ? They appear to be 
dreaded rather than encouraged. It has been recently said in a 
contemporary that “ if you confer on the half-guinea man the 
same powers and privileges as on the guinea man, the latter per¬ 
sonage will be extinguished, and on a critical vote a whole army of 
the least experience may cany the day against knowledge, judg¬ 
ment, and all that is called wisdom in human affairs.” As that 
cannot be intended as an insult to gardeners, are we to understand 
it to mean that by paying another half-guinea knowledge, judg¬ 
ment, and wisdom are atttained ? Evidently there are more brains 
in one’s pockets than some of us think. All honour to Mr. Smee, 
True to all that pertains to horticulture, I hope he will not forget- 
the workers. The true principle of giving is not what a man gives, 
but what he has left.—B. L. 
ENTERTAINMENT TO THE EMPLOYES OF THE ROYAL 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
The entertainment recently proposed by Mr. R. Dean was held on. 
Friday evening last at the Bolton Hotel, Chiswick. Harry J. Veitch, 
Esq., had kindly consented to take the chair, and was supported by 
Messrs. A. F. Barron, J. I). Dick, G. Deal, J. Roberts, H. Herbst, and 
Shirley Hibberd, Messrs. R. Dean and W. Richards taking the vice-chairs. 
The company was chiefly confined to the employes, and there were few 
visitors besides those named. An excellent supper was provided, and a 
