August 22, 1889. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
149 
THE VEGETABLE CONFERENCE j 
AND THE 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, j 
-+- 
E EFERENCE was made in a short note last week to this pro¬ 
ject, hut its importance demands more prominence than has 
jet been accorded. Exhibitions of flowers are beautiful, and 
■conferences in connection therewith interesting and instructive. 
From time to time the special gatherings have not only given 
satisfaction to those who participated in them, but have been the 
means of eliciting information ; and this, being disseminated, has 
been of service to the flower-loving community, which w'e are glad 
do believe is increasing rapidly year by year. Congresses on fruits 
and representative samples of the different varieties have been 
similarly acceptable to a large section of the horticultural public, 
•■and there cannot be a doubt that knowledge thus concentrated, 
then reflected to the world through the Press, has been of sub¬ 
stantial value to numbers of persons, and these are also happily 
increasing, who are engaging in the cultivation of hardy fruit. It 
is fitting that the Royal Horticultural Society should not only 
countenance but give distinct encouragement to every section of 
the great industry of which it is the national exponent. This in 
fact is the keynote of its charter—the advancement of horticul¬ 
ture both useful and ornamental, scientific and practical. At no 
time was the disposition greater to fulfil all obligations incurred by 
the Society than at the present time, and as far as means allow to 
carry out its functions ; but whether the methods adopted are the 
best is a question that is fairly debatable. As is apparent by a 
perusal of the last issue of the Society’s Journal the scientific and 
the ornamental have had a fair share of attention, and now comes 
the turn of the “ useful and practical.” 
A vegetable conference, though the term is a misnomer, was 
•due to preserve the balance of the Society’s operations, and is now 
in a fair way of being realised. It has been alleged that the same 
•energy has not been exerted in the furtherance of this gathering 
of an essentially useful character that was displayed in the prepara¬ 
tion of the Orchid and some other special gatherings of an orna¬ 
mental nature. It would be difficult to show, perhaps, that great 
activity has prevailed in the Council in pressing the claims of the 
coming Conference of vegetable growers and patrons on the garden¬ 
ing world. We are not able to fully acquiesce in the allegations we 
are bound to hear, that the Council is an Orchid Council, a Daffodil 
Council, an Auricula and Carnation Council—in fact, anything but 
a useful Council, because it may possess all the floral proclivities 
indicated and still be useful and practical, as there cannot be a 
doubt it ought to be. It is to be remembered there are now 
gardeners on the Council Board, and it may be fairly expected that 
they will exert themselves in the furtherance of useful practical 
gardening. The overwhelming number of professional gardeners 
in this kingdom are not specialists ; if they were they would 
not occupy the positions they, as a body, fill so well; nor are the 
majority of them who are Fellows of the Society, and it is gratify¬ 
ing to observe these are more numerous tha i ever, specially inter¬ 
ested in a particular family of plants. Their duties, and the 
demands on their skill, compel them to take wider views of their 
calling than is thus implied, and the department of all others in 
which they are most deeply concerned is that which may be desig¬ 
nated by the term comestible. The great work of gardeners 
therefore should be encouraged with the same zest that the work 
of the florist is, no matter what his “ favourite flower ” may be. 
No. 478.— Vol. XIX., Thibd Sebies, 
It is reasonable, then, to expect that those members of the Council 
who are gardeners will fully and fairly represent the craft to which 
they belong, and not only follow, but lead, as necessity may 
arise, in those matters in which their confreres outside are most 
generally interested. 
It is not suggested that the gardeners’ representatives have not 
given the best support they could around the Council table to the 
useful project under notice, but we understand that neither they 
nor their distinguished associates have been by any means regular 
attendants at the Committee meetings at which the business per¬ 
taining to the Conference has been conducted, though we think 
members of the Council have an inherent right to attend all com¬ 
mittees, and their presence is naturally encouraging, whilst it indi¬ 
cates their earnestness in the work in hand. It is not given to all 
men to have the broad sympathies of the Secretary of the Society, 
■who gives his strong support to everything that is promulgated 
under its auspices, and who works assiduously in its interests, but 
something Feems to be expected that is not forthcoming from other 
members of the directing body in giving, not passive sanction, but 
active support to whatever may be under consideration by special 
committees. The Vegetable Conference Committee is undoubtedly 
fortunate in its Chairman, who admirably exemplifies the force of 
the dictum that the busiest men have the most time, and we hear 
he has been well supported by his coadjutors ; and during his 
absence from London over the next few weeks his excellent 
deputy, Mr. Shirley Hibberd, will, it is safe to say, be equally 
supported in doing all that can be done in making the Confer¬ 
ence worthy of the Society, of the historic garden in which it 
will be held, and of the cultural and critical skill of British 
gardeners. 
There can, we think, be no question, generally speaking, for 
there are necessarily a few exceptions, that the vegetable supply, 
as represented by the greatest variety of the best quality in season, 
is the most important part of the gardener’s duties ; and that being 
so, he should as far as possible become acquainted with the different 
varieties, “strains,” and selections. It maybe expected that the 
seedsmen will take care that their specialties will be represented at 
Chiswick on September 24th, but that is not enough to make the 
event satisfying, and private gardeners should contribute samples 
of what they consider good, not for the purpose of winning prizes, 
but for comparison, the determination of nomenclature, and for 
educational purposes generally. It will be creditable to share in 
such work with such a worthy object in view, and no one can 
associate himself with it and be the worse for the effort. Few 
can do so without gaining knowledge, and none without impart¬ 
ing it to others. That alone will induce gardeners to co-operate, 
for one of the brightest and most prominent traits in the 
character of “ brothers of the spade, the knife, and the pen,” 
is their readiness to help each other in the vocation in which 
they are engaged. 
The display of vegetables will not be competitive, but repre¬ 
sentative. The schedule is before us as we write, and with the 
object of inducing gardeners who may be desirous of co-operating 
to send to Mr. Barron for a copy we briefly indicate its scope. It 
is divided into six sections, and as it is right to give credit where 
credit is due, the plan was adopted on the proposition of Mr. 
Hibberd:— A, Green vegetables, including Cabbage, Savoys, Cauli¬ 
flowers or Broccoli, Borecoles or Kales, Brussels Sprouts, Globe 
Artichokes, and Spinach. B, Fruits or Pulse :—Vegetable Marrows 
or Gourds, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Beans, Peas, Capsicums or 
Chilies, and Egg Plants or Aubergines. C> Tubers and Bulbs : — 
Potatoes, Jerusalem Artichokes, Leeks, Onions, Shallots, Garlic, 
Turnips, and Kohl Rabi. D, Tap-roots :—Beet, Carrots, Parsnips, 
Horseradish, Stachys tuberifera, Salsafy, and Scorzonera. E, Salad- 
ings :—Endives, Lettuces (Cos and Cabbage), Celery, Celeriac, and 
saladings. F, Miscellaneous :—Natural vegetable garnishings for 
kitchen use, Cardoons, Leaf Beets, seed pods, small bulbs, &c., for 
No. 2134.— Vol. LXXXI., Old Sebies 
