January ;2 J. COUNTRY GENTLEMAN'S COMrANlON. 280 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
D 
M 
n 
w 
1 Weather near London in 
1855. 
Moon 
R. & S. 
Moen’s 
Age. 
Q 1. n 
.vi. 
Day of 
Year. 
JANUARY 23—28, J856. 
Rarometer. 
Thermo. 
Wind. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
oiin 
Rises. 
oun 
Sets. 
hf. 
Sun. 
22 
Tu 
Geonietra primaria. 
j 29 . 803 — 29.762 
.38—18 
S.W. 
00 
55 a 7 
23 a 4 
rises. 
© 
11 
45 
22 
22 
\v 
Geometra liriimaria. 
29 . 868-29 807 
34—24 
N. 1 
00 
54 
30 
5 a 51 
16 
12 
1 
23 
24 
Til 
Tortrix spadiceana. 
1 30.003—30.000 
37—26 
N.K. ' 
00 
53 
32 
7 4 
17 
12 
16 
24 
25 
F 
CoNV. OF St. Paul. 
, 30 . 023 - 29.991 
38 — 23 
N.W.' 
04 
52 
33 
8 15 
18 
12 
31 
25 
26 
S 
Formica fusca. 
' 30.003—-29.871 
37—17 
S.W. 
00 
50 
35 
9 23 
19 
12 
44 
26 
27 
Sun 
SeXAGKSIMA Su.NDAY. 
29 . 972 - 29.946 
34—15 
N.E. 
00 
49 
37 
10 32 
20 
12 
S7 
27 
28 
M 
Formica lufa. 
29 . 934 — 29.847 
36 —26 
N.W. 
00 
48 
39 
11 43 
21 
13 
9 
28 
JIeteorology ok the Week. —At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-nine year*, the average highest and lowesttem- 
peratures of these days are 44.1°, and 32.5°, respectively. The greatest heat, 58°, occurred on the 23rd, in JS54; and the lowest cold, 15°, 
on the 25th, in 1627. During the period 109 days were fine, and on 87 rain fell. 
Proittless and troublesome, yet thanlcless, is the office 
of a Committee-man of a Society either for the exhi¬ 
bition of the tenants of our gardens or of our poultry- 
yards. It matters not that he labours honestly, con¬ 
scientiously, and indcfatigably, to promote the Society’s 
interests; to obtain subscriptions; to cut down needless 
expenditure; to offer judicious prizes; and to have 
many and good specimens exhibited :—all this will not 
secure him from unfair criticism and even aspersions 
on his honesty. 
If he exhibits and wins a prize, some unsuccessful 
e.xhibitor, totally regardless of whether the plants or 
the poultry deserved the award, shakes his head, and 
by looks, if not by words, enunciates his opinion that 
the Judge has been unfairly biassed. Nay, it dees not 
' slop there; for we heard a similar suspicion e.xpressed 
when the near relative of a Committee-man obtained a 
prize. “Ah !” said a defeated gardener, “ I wish I was 
a Committee-man’s brother ! ” 
Now, all this tolls of a remarkably small mind—a 
mind that can only conceive mean motives to actuate 
mankind. Such a mind is to be commiserateJ, for it 
must be for ever fretted by suspicion ; and Shakspere 
1 never penned a truer comment than when he wrote— 
“ Oh! what a ready tongue suspicion hath.” 
We have been led to these observations by the fol- 
! lowing letter:— 
“ I have forwarded to you the Yor/c Herald newspaper, 
which contains a report of the General Meeting of the York 
j Horticultixrul Society; from which you will perceive that 
I tliere is a strong objection to members of the Committee 
i being exhibitors for prizes. This (their exliibiting) has 
long been felt as a great evil, inasmuch as it is thought 
unlair to the rest of the exhibitors, and makes the members 
' generally look upon the Committee with suspicion and 
; jealousy. Sloreover, it has long been thought to be a great 
means of preventing the prosperity of the Society. In such 
a locality as York, the cajxital of the county, it is thought 
that there ought to be one of the best provincial societies in 
the kingdom, if the Committee would act with liberality and 
} energy. — A Subscribee to the York 1Iorticultur.al 
I Society.” 
! Now, in reply to our correspondent, we reply, that the 
! only questions the subscribers to this or to any other 
i Society having exhibitions need ask themselves are,— 
j Ought not the prizes to be awarded to the best plants 
exhibited? Have prizes been awarded to Committee¬ 
men whose plants did not merit such award? We 
j conceive that no one can answer the first question in 
I the negative ; and if so, why should the best plants be 
excluded merely because they belong to a Committee¬ 
man, and for the purpose of letting worse plants win? 
If prizes have been awarded unjustly to a Committee¬ 
man, never employ again the Judge who gave the 
award; and hold up to scorn the officer, or whoever he 
is, that informed the Judge of the OAvnership of the 
plants. 
It usually happens that the Committee and officers of 
a Horticultural Society are those of a neighbourhood 
who most delight and most excel in the culture of the 
objects patronised by the Society. To exclude them 
from e-xhibitiug, would be to insure one of two evils— 
you would either drive those gentlemen out of the Com¬ 
mittee, or you would exclude some of the best produc¬ 
tions. Neither of such results can be desirable to any 
Society. If there is good ground to suspect any mem¬ 
ber of the Committee of foul play, let the subscribers go 
in like Englishmen and turn him out; but do not ask 
any body of Englishmen to sit on quietly the stigmatized 
tools of the Society, after it has passed a resolution that 
that Committee is so open to suspicion that they must 
not show plants at an Exhibition over which they 
preside. 
We have written strongly upon this subject, because 
there is a growing disposition—born of disappointment 
—to vituperate and cast suspicions upon the members 
of Committees, and we warn our readers against leaning 
to such a course. 
If a Committee make a mistake, a mere error of judg¬ 
ment, do not at once condemn them; but wait until 
repealed errors demonstrate their incompetency, and 
then turn them out, with no other stigma than that they 
W’ere not fit for their office. 
If a Judge, competent and trustworthy, is obtained 
from a distance—a Judge who is unconnected in any 
way with any e.xhibiting Committee-man; and if he be 
not allowed to be near the e.xhibition-room until all the 
competing pots or pens are arranged and the attendants 
gone, there can be no just ground for suspicion to spring 
from. If, however, despite such an arrangement, some 
one has been so sedulous, and so fearless of doing evil, 
as to take e.xtraordiuary steps to influence the Judge, 
let the facts at once be brought fairly before the Com¬ 
mittee; and if they shrink from doing their duty, let a 
general meeting of the subscribers be summoned, and 
the Committee be deprived at once of an office whicli^ 
they are then shown to be no longer worthy of holding. 
No. CCCLXXXII. VoL. XV. 
