274 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
JOLY 14. 
ducted l>y a committee of twenty-four members, and a 
honorary secretary and treasurer : five to form a 
quorum. Such committee to be elected annually in 
January. 
“ 3. That a general meeting of the Society be called 
by the honorary secretary to elect such committee. 
“4. That the committee meet on the days of the 
Exhibition of the Botanic Society, at Regent’s Park, 
at eleven o'clock, and at such other times and places 
as may be deemed necessary. 
“5. That exhibitors wishing to become members of 
the Society are requested to communicate the same in 
writing to the honorary secretary. 
“ 6. That the subscription of the members be 2s. fid. 
annually, such subscription to be due the 1st of January 
in each year. * 
“ 7. That any member having a practical suggestion 
for, or a complaint against, any Horticultural or Flori- 
cultural Society, shall make the same personally on any 
of the days fixed for the meeting of the committee, or 
in writing to the honorary secretary. 
“ 8. That no complaint of any exhibitor can or will 
be entertained by the committee, unless such exhibitor 
shall have been a member at the time of the cause of 
complaint taking place. 
“ 9. That if the committee consider the suggestion of 
any member desirable, it shall be conveyed through the 
honorary secretary to the Society or Societies to which 
it may refer; and likewise, in case of complaint against 
any Society, if the committee shall think the member 
entitled to redress, they shall use their best endeavours 
to obtain the same for him. 
“ 10. That the secretary be empowered to call a 
special general meeting of the Society on the receipt 
of a requisition signed by twelve members, such requi¬ 
sition to contain the distinct proposition or propositions 
to be brought before such special general meeting, when 
no other business than that contained in such requisi¬ 
tion can or will be entered upon; seven days notice 
to be given to each member. 
“ LI. That the rules of the Society shall not be 
altered, except at the general annual or special general 
meetings of the members of the Society. The com¬ 
mittee for the time being shall be empowered to make 
bye-laws, or alter their bye-laws, as they may consider 
necessary. 
“ 12. Every member, by his membership, binds him¬ 
self to support the decisions of the committee on all 
occasions when required. 
“ Such were the rules agreed to at the above meeting. 
A committee of twenty-four was elected, and, therefore, 
the Society may be considered as formed; and the 
committee have power given them to act according to 
the above rules forthwith. The meeting adjourned to 
Saturday, the 9th of July next, to meet at the Crown 
and Anchor, Turnham Green, near Chiswick.” 
We have taken some pains to ascertain the grievances 
which have given birth to such a society, for we were 
certain that no body of Englishmen would band 
together for so apparently ungracious an object, unless 
the grievances were felt very generally and severely. 
We find that we were not mistaken in our conclusion; 
but, as we intend scrupulously to avoid mixing up any 
personalities with this subject, we abstain from citiug 
cases, and from mentioning names. 
Among the grievances complained of are the fol¬ 
lowing :— 
1st. The want of tent-room; flowers and plantshaving 
to be placed on both sides of the tents, as well as on 
the centre tables. 
2nd. The unequal distribution of prizes; some plants 
being rewarded more than they are worth, and others 
not sufficiently so. 
3rd. '[’be exhibitors having no control over selecting 
judges, especially at Chiswick; men being very fre¬ 
quently cbosen for the office who are not competent. 
They are appointed by the Council, and have been for 
several years, to judge orchids, and other plants, ot 
which they have not sufficient knowledge. Also, judges 
are appointed for other subjects who are exhibitors 
themselves, though not in that particular class for 
which they are appointed censors. 
4th. The officers of the different societies pay no 
attention to the representations of individuals, stating, 
as a reason, that if they paid attention to the repre¬ 
sentations of one they would offend others. 
If these complaints are founded on truth they require 
a prompt remedy, because they admit of suspicions that 
favouritism and undue bias may be exercised; and we 
advise not only that the remedy should be applied, but 
that the Councils of the Society should appoint a small 
committee to ascertain, by evidence from “ The Exhi¬ 
bitors’ Society,” whether, at such Society’s exhibitions, 
there is that courtesy shown by their officers which is 
not only due to exhibitors, but is absolutely needed for 
the well-being of such societies. 
We have spoken of “The Exhibitors’ Society” as 
“ apparently ungracious,” because, it does seem to those 
who merely glance over such subjects to be rather too 
bad that those who contend for prizes should endeavour 
to control the mode and proportions in which they are 
offered and awarded. Those, however, who consider 
the subject more deeply, at once admit that such con¬ 
trol is desirable both for the societies and the exhibitors. 
It is true that it is a severe censure upon such societies, 
but, unfortunately, experience teaches that corporations 
of all kinds, whether for scientific or lor charitable 
purposes, require periodically committees of enquiry 
and censorial visitations. “The Exhibitors’ Society” 
may bring to the knowledge of the Councils of the 
Societies giving prizes, practices and conduct, informa¬ 
tion of which might never reach them if sustained only 
by individual remonstrance. Practices and conduct, 
perhaps, which, if persisted in, might complete that fall 
to which those practices and that conduct may have 
heen advancing them. Let not the Councils ol such 
Societies delude themselves, or allow themselves to be 
deluded, by such strengthless exclamations as—“Have 
we not a right to do what we like with our own?” For, 
in the first place, the income of the Societies is not 
