354 
tions of tlio beds according to tlieir own ideas of prettiness, 
if there is such a word, and not according to the different 
sizes of the plants to he put into them, or as the different 
colours can be harmoniously arranged in them. 
What I have so enforced is the true principle of laying 
down any flower-garden. In Scarlet Geraniums, foi in¬ 
stance, we have three sizes of plants, and the best of each 
size is, perhaps, the Amazon (Low's), for the tallest; Punch 
the middle size, and Tom Thumb the third size. Then, if 
you were to have only three Scarlet Geranium-beds in a 
design, is it better to have the three beds of the same size, 
and plant them all with one kind of Geraniums ; or to have 
them of three different sizes, and plant with three distinct 
kinds and sizes of Scarlet Geraniums ? The answer to this 
question will be a key to all the other colours, and distinct 
shades, which make up a good flower-garden. If any body 
chooses to have only one plant, or one size for each colour, 
The London Horticultural Society tardily, and, there¬ 
fore, not so beneficially to itself as if done with alacrity 
and at once, is altering its course to that towards which 
for some years we have urged its attention. Long ago 
we pointed out that utility should be more the Society’s 
object; and it has this year offered rewards for Salads 
and other kitchen-garden produce. We have pointed 
out that the charter of the Society established it for 
something more important than attracting together 
ladies and gentlemen to look at flowers, and listen to 
military music ; and now it purposes to send out a plant 
collector, as it began to do in its palmy days, some 
thirty years ago, and continued to do until ten years 
since. 
We know it is not palatable to some of the Society 
to be told by us that it is walking in the ways of error, 
but we must perform the disagreeable duty, notwith¬ 
standing ; and we must now warn the Society, that it 
will become embarrassed, as it did in the days of Mr. 
Sabine, if it does not very promptly adopt measures to 
render its expenditure less than its income. 
Divested of all extraneous statements, the income of 
the Society, during the last twelvemonths, was TO,315, 
and its expenditure <£7,009. We are quite aware that 
this deficiency of T700 arose from the falling off of the 
receipts for admission to the Exhibitions; but we are 
quite sure, also, that not one member of the Society 
but must feel its degradation at being dependant for 
its very existence to such a source of income—a source 
of income, too, so uncertain, as to be decided upon by 
the absence of rain and cold winds. 
It is not our province to go through the Society’s 
items of expenditure, but there is one so apparently 
undesirable, that we cannot but recommend its abo¬ 
lition. We mean the publication of its Journal. There 
is an annual loss of more than T200 upon its pub¬ 
lication, and every refader of it feels painfully that a 
work usually made up from translations of Foreign 
periodicals is unworthy of a leading English Society, 
and is not deserving of such an annual money sacrifice. 
It is more within our province to point out how the 
Society might increase its funds, and this might be 
achieved by having a general reduction of the annual 
Fellowship payment to one guinea. We would also 
admit the public on certain days to the Gardens upon 
August II. 
he or she has a perfect right to have it so, but not to push 
that out into the world as an example for others. 
In the above plan, Tom Thumb, as in an outside belt, in 
beds 5, intersected at the four corners, with beds C, in 
crimson, and tbe outward end of 6 at 9, in white, to cut off 
the blue and yellow in 8 and 7, is as cleverly and as simply 
executed as any thing I ever saw on paper. When we began 
to discuss this subject in The Cottage Gardener, half the 
world would put all the Tom Thumbs in the central bed, 10, 
and the 5’s would be in white, as likely as not, just diminish¬ 
ing the effect to more than one-half. 
Besides, notwithstanding the elegant simplicity of the 
whole of this design, you cannot enter the garden at a single 
point where you can walk up straight to the centre, to 
admire the splendid tall Fuchsias in the middle. Every one 
of these points are good fundamentals, and will never 
change or alter. D. Beaton. 
the payment of a very small entrance fee. The re¬ 
duction of the annual payment ought to be more than 
compensated by the increase of Fellows, and certainly 
would be, if the Society, acting up to the words of its 
Charter, “ improves horticulture in all its branches, 
ornamental as well as useful.” To admit the public to 
the Society’s Gardens would be so acting, unless the 
Society is conscious that there is nothing in the Garden 
that anyone would be benefited by inspecting. 
We have been led from our subject, however,,which 
was to express our pleasure that the Society, recurring 
to its early proceeding, has appointed a plant collector. 
We wish that an Englishman had been so appointed, 
not from any jealousy of foreigners, but because, as we 
agree with those who thought a British Sovereign 
should employ British troops, so a British Horticultural 
Society should be served by British gardeners. The 
gentleman selected is M. Matteo Botteri, a native of 
Dalmatia, and a naturalist of high attainments, and we 
sincerely wish him every success in the southern de¬ 
partments of Mexico, which he is purposed first to 
explore. 
We anticipate to him good success, because the 
Society can command government aid and introduc¬ 
tions in the land to which M. Botteri is proceeding, 
and because his predecessor? reaped good harvests in 
the different fields selected for them. In 1821, Mr. 
John Potts obtained, in China, the Chrysanthemums 
which were the originals of our present collections. In 
1822, Mr. Oeorge Don was despatched to the west coast 
of Africa, who would not have been sent in vain, had he 
done no more, to use the words of Mr. Sabine, than 
“ lay before the Society a more ample account of the 
fruits than had hitherto been given to the public.” In 
the same year, Mr. John Forbes was sent to Brazil, and 
his collections of bulbs, orchids, and other tropical 
plants, was an ample promise of even better things, had 
not death arrested him at his post in 1823. He died at 
Senna, in the August of that year, whilst making his 
way up the Zambezi Biver, on the east coast of Africa. 
It was a loss, said Mr. Sabine, “ which botanical science 
will long deplore.” Mr. Potts may also be said to have 
died during his mission, for he contracted a disease, 
which terminated his life in the October of 1822, only a 
few weeks after his return. 
THE COTTAGE GABDENER. 
