THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN S COMPANION.— July 15, 1856. 260 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
1 Day of 
Month. 
<*-. . 
o A 
% 4> 
JULY 15—21, 1856. 
Weather near London in 
1855. 
Sun Sun 
Rises. Sets. 
Moon 
R. & S. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
af. Sun. 
Day of 1 
Year. ! 
Barometer. 
Thermo. 
Wind. 
Rain in 
1 nches. 
15 
Tu 
Gastropacha Pini. 
29 . 919 - 29.772 
75—55 
s.w. 
.41 
2 a 4 y a 8 
0 45 
13 
5 
39 
197 
16 
W 
Odenesis potatoria 
29 . 617 — 29.464 
* 3—46 
S;\V. 
.40 
4 8 
1 30 
14 
5 
45 
198 
17 
Th 
Lasiocampa quercua. 
29 . 648 — 29.543 
66—51 
s.w. 
— 
5 \ 7 
rises 
© 
5 
50 
199 
18 
F 
Notodonta tritopha 
29744—29.724 
76—46 
s.w. 
.01 
0 6 
9a 14 
lG 
5 
55 
200 
iy 
S 
Notodonta Ziczac. 
29.054—29.582 
64—46 
s. 
.36 
8 5 
9 35 
17 
5 
59 
201 
20 
Sun 
9 Sunday aft. Trinity. 
29 951—29 745 
73—4 1 
w. 
— 
9 3 
9 52 
18 
6 
2 
202 
21 
M 
Sun’s declinat., 20° 26' n. 
30.107—30.019 
80—45 
w. 
— 
10 2 
10 6 
19 
6 
5 
203 
Meteorology of the Week. —At Chiswick, from observations during: the last twenty-eight years, the average highest and lowest 
temperatures of these days are 73.8°, and 51.4°, respectively. The greatest heat, 94°, occurred on the 17th, in 1S34; and the lowest cold, 39°, on 
the 18th, in 1851. During the period 105 days were fine, and on 91 rain fell. 
Chiswick Gardens are to be preserved, and, conse¬ 
quently, the Horticultural Society is to be saved from 
au ignominious death. This is as it should be, and 
we feel assured there is not one of our readers who 
does not feel gratified at the intelligence that our Na¬ 
tional Society is not to he allowed to dwindle away like 
some obscure coterie. True, it has been a coterie too long, 
and would, no doubt, soon have shared the fate of all 
such, when those who constituted it had passed away; 
but, thanks to the strong will and determination of a 
band of true hearted meu, in the face of official blind¬ 
ness and official chicanery, they have succeeded in form¬ 
ing a Council whoso resolve is to preserve the Society 
intact, and to leave no stone unturned till they havo 
restored it to the high and influential position which it 
once occupied. 
There are men who are sceptical on this subject; they 
“ can’t see how it is to he done." Granting there was 
no Horticultural Society, do these men pretend to say, 
looking at the present state of the country, at the tastes 
and pursuits of every class of the community, and the 
spirit which pervades a very large portion of the upper 
and middle classes, that such a Society could not be 
“ got up? ” If, then, it were possible to constitute such 
a Society, surely it will be equally as easy to maintain 
one already in existence, if there are but the right men 
in the right place. All that the public wants is an 
assurance that the Society is under proper management, 
that the income is not to be put into a bag with holes, 
showing nothing for the outlay; and that some bene¬ 
ficial results will he obtained by the maintenance of 
I such a Society. 
Thero was a time when all eyes were directed towards 
I Chiswick for the elucidation of great facts in horticulture, 
j Some new mode of cultivation was proved; some new 
i plant, fruit, or vegetable was flowered, fruited, or pro¬ 
duced; experiments were in progress, and every now and 
then the gardening world had its senses startled, or its 
cravings gratified; but these are things of tho past, 
and for the last twelve or fifteen years the science and 
the practice of horticulture have been loft to oo/.o out 
haphazardly, here and there, to make their own way 
without a godfather. But such a state of things may not 
continue. The time lias come when there is work to lie 
done, and done it will be. Is horticulture a science, or 
is it like mesmerism, a mere fact, incapable of develop¬ 
ment or progression? Is it less a science now than it 
wns fifty years ago? If it is a science, let it take up its 
position among the sciences, aud let it he carried out 
with that singleness of purpose, without which no work 
can succeed. 
Like a chimney that has long smoked, the Horticul¬ 
tural Society wants sweeping ; there are many cobwebs 
and much soot to clear away; aud, unless the new j 
Couucil is prepared, as we fully believe it is, to apply 
the necessary remedies, all their work will he in vain. 
The first thing to he done is to clear off the debt. A 
society, like au individual, cannot go on and prosper j 
under a burden of debt; and we have good reason for 
believing that this will form one of the earliest con- ^ 
sideratious. The house in Regent Street will he sold, or 
should he sold. Such an establishment, with a ground- ! 
i rent of .£100 a year, is totally unnecessary. A large 
| establishment involves a heavy expenditure; and if the 
Society can but procure a floor with one apartment 
large enough for a meeting-room, and another conve¬ 
nient for a library, it will Have all that is necessary for 
its purpose. But why should not application he made 
to Government for apartments suited for the Society ? 
As a chartered Society, it has the same claim as the 
Royal, the Linniean.or the Antiquarian, for all of which 
it is contemplated to make provision; and we linve not 
the least doubt that if pioper representations are made, 
and if Government can he assured that the management 
of the Society has passed from the hands of an indi¬ 
vidual to a liberally chosen and competent body, there 
will he no difficulty; and with such a Council as has 
now been formed, we have every reason to assume there 
is yet a bright future in prospect. 
The new Council being appointed, we now wait with 
interest to know the course they intend to pursue. In 
the report which we published last week we have what 
may he called their “ hustings speech,” telling us what 
their views are, and what they intend to do. But, as is 
there stated, “ whatever changes may be contemplated 
in the privileges, proceedings, or constitution of the 
; Society, must, under the charter, he incorporated in the 
bye-laws. And as no bye-laws oau he valid until 
certain formalities have been complied with, and the 
acquiescence of the corporation has been signified in 
general meetings summoned for the purpose," it will 
ho some time before the necessary arrangements can he 
carried out. Still, we hope no time will he lost in j 
making the public acquainted with what the contem¬ 
plated measures are. There are many who, in conse¬ 
quence of the shameful mismanagement, have hitherto 
No. CCCCVII. Vol. XVI. 
