January 2 , iflSXi. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
1 
T O our “ most grave and reverend seigneurs,” to our fair dames and 
gentle maidens, to our young and ardent athletes ; in a word, to 
:all our masters and mistresses, we, the old fogies and the young 
bands connected with “ our Journal,” send all brotherly greeting on 
the opening of another year. In the words of the old song, “ we 
bave lived and loved together,” and the experience of so much 
kindly feeling in the past leads us to look hopefully on for the 
future, and as it is usual at this season to go through the process of 
stock-taking, so I would desire to take stock of horticulture and our 
■connection with it during the past year. 
I have already given my notes of what was noteworthy in the 
Rose world during the past season, and have only to add now that 
the Journal has worthily maintained its reputation par excellence 
the organ of the queen of flowers ; its full reports of Rose shows 
and meetings have shown the lively interest it has ever manifested 
in their culture, and I shall therefore leave the ever tempting field 
and go off to other pastures. 
And surely first of all the state of the Royal Hoeticultukal 
Society is that which occurs to most horticulturists. Time was 
when one could not but think of it with dismay, when one saw tens 
-of thousands of pounds squandered on South Kensington for the 
especial delectation of the nurserymaids and babies of the 
neighbourhood, or for the croquet and lawn tenuis players of 
our jeunesse doree, when horticulture was the last thing thought 
of, and when the Commissioners of 1851 sat like a huge night¬ 
mare on it, when men were appointed as members of Council who 
bardly knew the difference between a Hollyhock and a Dahlia, and 
their Secretaries were in equally blissful ignorance, and the few 
'horticulturists who were connected with it felt despondingly about its 
prospects. All that has been happily changed. It was turned out in a 
particularly shabby manner from South Kensington, it has been 
carried on on a thoroughly popular basis, the old system of cliques 
has been got rid of, and with it those pitfalls and quagm ires into which 
there was ever a danger of falling by anyone who ventured to 
interfere for its welfare. I was in those days obliged to say some 
hard things about it, and got considerably “ sat upon ” for my 
pains ; however, my words have proved correct, and it is no small 
gratification to myself, and I may add to all members of the 
Horticultural Club, that the first real step in the new direction was 
taken by it. When notice to quit South Kensington had been 
given I ventured to suggest that the Royal Horticultural Society 
should form the subject for discussion at one of our monthly meet¬ 
ings, and that the President should be invited. On that evening 
the “ outside Committee ” was proposed, and to its appointment 
may be traced, I think, many beneficial results which have since 
ensued. The Society has been especially fortunate in having secured 
the services of the Rev. W. Wilks as its Hon. Secretary, and Mr. 
Morris as its Honorary Treasurer. Through their means the 
■“ Transactions ” have been made a valuable production, and have 
been brought out in good time, and everything has worn a smiling 
aspect—no, not everything ; the Drill Hall can never bear 
that character, but I hope the time has now come when the horti¬ 
culturists of this kingdom may provide a place for their chief 
Society to meet in. It is now an open secret that this is busily 
engaging the attention of the Council, and let us hope that the 
year 1890 may witness the commencement of an effort to wipe out 
the disgrace of the horticulturists of this kingdom, numbering 
No. 407.—VOL. XX., Third Series, 
amongst their ranks men of all ranks and degrees, having no place 
of their own in which to hold its meetings. We do not want a place 
for big shows (I believe that is unnecessary), but a place where the 
fortnightly meetings may take place without injury either to plants 
or visitors. 
In all directions I think we see the love ot horticulture pro¬ 
gressing. The fashions which influence it may change, but the love 
of flowers is so innate in our people that they must ever be 
popular. It is just possible that the length to which flowers at 
funerals have gone may cause a reaction, but flowers in one form 
or other we must have, and we cannot but rejoice to see so many 
influences at work to this end. As last year, so the three flowers 
which have most occupied the thoughts of gardeners have been the 
Orchid, Rose, and Chrysanthemum. The progress made by the latter 
flower has been remarkable ; it lacks the refinement of Queen Rosa, 
or the varied charms of the aristocratic Orchid, but these are not 
everybody’s flower as the Chrysanthemum is, cheering us in the 
dreary months of November and December, and bringing us with 
the later sorts well up to the end of the year. But while attention 
has been devoted to these flowers, the cultivation of all kinds of 
flowers, vegetables, and fruits has progressed. A great movement in 
the latter has taken place, and, as is usual with us, we have been 
rather inclined to ride the hobby to death. While there is no doubt 
much to be done by the better cultivation of better sorts, as has 
been well shown in the Fruiterers’ Company’s prize essay on fruit 
growing, yet that fruit is ever in this country to take the place of 
any of our other products or drive the foreigner out of our markets 
is a wild chimera. It must ever be an object of interest to those 
who desire the welfare of those around them to encourage this 
taste for gardening, and especially for flowers. We see how it 
survives in the very dreariest portions of our great city, and how 
tenderly the pot of “ Geranium ” or Mignonette is regarded, and it 
is quite well that it should be so. “I have been young and now 
am old.” I have had many fancies in my day, but the love of 
flowers has had the main place, and I am thankful to say still 
survives ; indeed, I think that I love them more than ever I did, 
although I do not think that they are the solace to me now 
that they used to be when I had charge of a town parish, 
with its manifold cares and trials and its severe work ; when 
many a time after a day’s work and worry I came home, 
and, turning into my garden, small and insignifleant though 
it was, forgot the worries of the day. Did I not find, too, that if 
I had had to do with some crusty parishioner there was a plant 
that had equally bothered me ? and that if I was rejoiced, on the 
other hand, at someone turning from evil ways under kind and 
loving treatment, was there not that plant which I had so carefully 
tended returning me tenfold for all my care ? Yes, my good 
friends, young and old, let me earnestly press on you to love and 
cherish your flowers for their own sake, and for the enjoyment 
they can and do afford to all who treat them lovingly. 
I do not think that the year has been very remarkable for the 
introduction of any great and startling novelties. There have been 
some excellent examples of the result of hybridising amongst 
Orchids, but there have been no such remarkable introductions as 
have characterised previous years. In florists’ flowers, too, there 
have been many introductions, but I do not think that there has 
been any great advance ; indeed in most classes of florists’ flowers 
advance seems well nigh barred. Border Carnations are evidently 
largely increasing in favour, while I fancy single Dahlias have some¬ 
what receded from the position they held. Chrysanthemums have 
increased in number and in size, but whether in quality may be 
perhaps questioned ; the rage for undue size seems to me to be de¬ 
structive of this quality. A great sensation has been created by the 
introduction from America of the curious variety Mrs. Alpheus 
Hardy, but it is an instance of how largely the idea of size 
dominates the minds of Chrysanthemum growers that already it 
has been condemned as not large enough. It has been described 
No. 2153.—VoL. LXXXII., Old Series. 
