372 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
February 12, 1887. 
to be propounded. Without doubt, the Council 
is unwilling to give up all claim to what once 
was its legal and rightful property, and still 
has some sentimental fondness for its long— 
if anything but fortunate habitation. Cer¬ 
tainly there were some few years during which 
prosperity seemed to reign, but these were 
passing few indeed, whilst far too numerous 
have been the years of depression and of 
comparative failure. On the whole, the South 
Kensington association has been an unfortu¬ 
nate one, and ever provocative of trouble and 
disputation. There seems little left to cling 
to after all; indeed, it would almost seem as 
if prosperity or usefulness would never come 
to the society at South Kensington, whilst it 
is fair to hope that, removed from the emas¬ 
culating atmosphere of that soul-killing and 
energy-wasting spot to some more invigorating 
and purer air, a new life might open out to 
the society, and with that life would come 
back all that usefulness which makes name 
and reputation so worthy to be prized. 
The past failures put on one side, the great 
cry of the assembled Fellows was, “ A new 
Home,” and nothing less than a new home, 
absolutely, will satisfy the society’s supporters. 
Really, it would seem as if the majority were 
willing to clear out from South Kensington 
at any cost, so long as the evacuation was 
accomplished. Very likely, if the society had 
a suitable new home into which to remove, 
less difficulty would be shown in the matter 
by the Council. It is obvious, however, that 
whatever is done, the society must not be 
rendered absolutely homeless by precipitate 
action, and the new love must be found before 
the old one is cast off. The society’s belong¬ 
ings could soon be removed—to Chiswick, if 
need be—but for the Lindley Library, in 
'which it is largely interested, accommodation 
cannot so readily be found. With the best 
of motives, a committee of five gentlemen— 
all able men—elected from outside the Council 
has been appointed to confer with, and, if 
possible, co-operate with the Council in its 
efforts to come to some satisfactory settlement 
with Her Majesty’s Commissioners, or find a 
new habitation elsewhere. Only very san¬ 
guine persons will derive much encouragement 
from that appointment; it conies in its in¬ 
ception so near akin to the common practice 
of Governments, of appointing Commissions 
of enquiry into unpleasant subjects, and which 
renders it so easy to defer action. We do 
not imagine that the Council were aware of 
the proposed Fellows’ Committee, but so 
readily did that body accept the proposal— 
regarding it, probably, as satisfying the Fel¬ 
lows for a time, and not of a nature to create 
alarm—that it was obvious the proposition 
came in the nature of a welcome red-herring 
to throw across the scent and check the per¬ 
sistence of the hunt—for a short time at least. 
Whether the committee will be able to do 
much good, will depend entirely upon the 
tact and vigorous action it may bring to bear 
on the subject; but, at any rate, some little 
breathing time is gained—that is something, 
and in a few weeks something more may turn 
up, if the society, in the meantime, does not 
have to turn out. 
It may seem harsh to express so much, and 
yet, if the Gordian knot were thus severed, 
it would forever settle the difficulty so far as 
the past is concerned, whilst it might still 
leave the future for a time in doubt. Once, 
however, assured that a habitation at South 
Kensington is no longer possible, and then 
something may be done worthy of the occa¬ 
sion. That the present location is dominated, 
more or less, by two bodies—the Commis¬ 
sioners of 1851 and the Royal Albert Hall 
Corporation—renders decision in any direction 
difficult, if not impossible. 
The unhappy lapsis on the part of the 
Council, in not being provided with suitable 
candidates for election to the Council in the 
place of those retiring, in time to enable the 
balloting papers to be issued as legally re¬ 
quired, had the effect at once of quashing any 
proposed change in the composition of the 
council for the present year, and at the same 
time of creating an appreciable want of con¬ 
fidence in the business capacity of that body. 
We do not assume that any limited change 
in the personnel of the Council would have 
altered its policy, or given to it renewed life 
and vigour; and probably nothing has been 
lost by the retention of the retiring members 
for another year. But there was much about 
the proceeding that was unbusiness-like, un¬ 
dignified, and created discontent. Even the 
compilation of the report—the blame for 
which was chivalrously appropriated by the 
genial and able President, Sir Trevor Law¬ 
rence, Bart., M.P.—gave too much room for 
adverse criticism, whilst it added force to 
the demand set up by so sharp a critic as 
Mr. Elwes for the securing of a really able 
and efficient paid secretary. Ko doubt very 
much indeed is to be said in favour of sucli 
an official, if first he can be obtained, and 
second, will be allowed a free hand; but the 
previous work of the Council in appointing 
paid assistant-secretaries leaves little to hope 
for in this direction. Their appointments have 
been anything but a success; indeed, whether 
the gentlemen selected had military or or- 
chidic reputations, as officials, all have been 
failures, and one wonders to this day what 
influence secured their appointments. But 
we have had enough of recrimination. We 
want now only practical suggestions, and, 
following that, earnest action. The Society 
is near and dear to us all. Horticulturists 
universally are watching its fortunes and 
anxious for its welfare, and a practical solu¬ 
tion of the problem will afford widespread 
satisfaction. 
-- 
We have received from Messrs. James Veitcli & Sons 
a copy of Part I, Odontoglossums, of their New 
Manual of Orchidaceous Plants, to which we shall 
more fully allude in an early issue. 
This Saturday evening Mr. It. Dean will read a paper 
on The Florists’ Tulip and its characteristics, 
illustrated by diagrams, at a meeting of the Ealing 
Microscopical and Natural History Society. 
At a meeting of the Linmean Society at Burlington 
House, on the 3rd inst., Surgeon-Major Aitchison, who 
acted as naturalist for the Delimitation Commission of 
Afghanistan, read a most interesting paper on the 
Flora and Fauna of Afghanistan. The subject 
was admirably handled, and well illustrated with maps 
and specimens of plants and animals. 
One of the most charming of the Himalaya Prim¬ 
roses, Primula floribunda, is now in bloom at the 
Botanical Gardens, Birmingham, and its lovely bright 
yellow flowers are of a most pleasing shade of colour. 
Really, the various species and varieties of herbaceous 
Primulas are most deserving of attention for early 
conservatory work. 
WHAT^is known as the spring show of the Reading 
Horticultural Society will this year take place a 
fortnight later than usual. No doubt, owing to this 
being Jubilee year, it will extend over two days, and 
be held on Wednesday, June 22nd, and Thursday, 
June 23rd. The usual August summer show is fixed 
for the 25th of that month. 
A deplorable misadventure is reported from Trent- 
ham. It seems that between three and four o’clock on 
the morning of February 4th, Mrs. Stevens, widow of 
the late head gardener at Trentham Hall, asked her 
little daughter to give her some medicine ; instead of 
giving her mother the medicine bottle, the little girl, 
unhappily, handed her a bottle containing an embro¬ 
cation of Belladonna and soap linament. Mrs. Stevens 
at once became ill, and though medical assistance was 
summoned, the unfortunate lady died in the afternoon 
of the same day, 
We have received some more flowers of the fine 
late-flowering Chrysanthemum Golden Gem from 
Mr. R. Owen, and which are as bright, fresh and 
pure in colour as if opened in November. Mr. 
Owen states that it will open the whole of its buds, 
and is not very much improved by disbudding, except 
for exhibition purposes. 
On Friday, the 4th inst., Mr. Walter Rouse read an 
instructive paper on Orchid Culture, their require¬ 
ments and mismanagement before a well-attended 
meeting of the Chiswick Gardeners’ Mutual Improve¬ 
ment Association. He dwelt chiefly on Odontoglos¬ 
sums, Masdevallias, Cattleyas and Phalaenopsis. A 
lively discussion followed on the use of the syringe, 
whether warm or cold water should be used, and on 
manurial stimulants for Orchids. 
Mr. John Hughes, hon. sec. of the Birmingham 
Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Association, 
was on Wednesday evening, February 2nd, presented 
by Mr. W. B. Latham—acting on behalf of ninety-six 
members of the association—with a very valuable gold 
English lever watch, bearing an appropriate inscrip¬ 
tion. Mr. Hughes feelingly acknowledged the gift, 
alluding, in the course of his remarks, to the rapid 
strides made by the society during the past year, and 
predicting confidently a continuance of the same for 
the future. 
At a meeting of the St. Peter’s, Hammersmith, 
Horticultural Society, held on Thursday, February 
3rd, a very interesting paper was read by Mr. Alex. 
Wright, Devonhurst, on Ferns from a spore to a tree. 
After delineating the life history of a Fern, the essayist 
concluded with cultural notes on Ferns generally. The 
paper was illustrated by numerous mounted specimens 
and sections of fructification under the microscope. 
The meeting was well attended, and the audience was 
both attentive and appreciative. 
The Shropshire Horticultural Society, which 
for several years past has devoted large sums from its 
handsome balances in improving the beautiful Quarry, 
in which the Society’s exhibitions are annually held, 
has decided to devote out of last year’s profits, £250 
for enlarging the band-stand, so that two bands can 
be accomodated ; £100 for erecting movable iron 
railings, to facilitate an increase in the number of 
turnstiles on show days ; and £50 for new movable 
lavatories. Besides making these improvements, the 
society also devotes £100 to the purchase of books for 
the new free public library. Bravo Salop ! 
Mr. Cypher, writes:—“You maybe interested to 
know that I have had three twin-flowered spikes 
of Lycaste Skinneri this season ; also several twin- 
flowered spikes of Cypriptdium insigne and the variety 
punctatum violaceum ; and one of C. Boxallii. I may 
also add, that I have, one bulb of Lycaste Skinneri 
with fourteen flowers, which I consider a very unusual 
occurrence.” 
--— 
THE HOLLY-LEAVED PRUNUS. 
The hardy evergreen Californian shrub here noticed, 
Prunus ilicifolius, is generally described under the 
name of Cerasus, but all the stone fruits, even including 
the Peach, are now included under the name of Prunus. 
It was introduced by the Horticultural Society of 
London, probably through the medium of their collec¬ 
tor, Hartweg, who states that the fruit is like a small 
Cherry. The stiff spiny toothed leaves very much 
Tesemble those of the Holly, hence the specific name. 
A good-sized specimen has outlived the recent severe 
weather on an open wall at Kew. 
The accompanying illustration gives.a true conception 
of the general appearance of the plant, although less per¬ 
fectly developed than native grown specimens sometimes 
are. In specimens collected by Mr. Lobb in 1857, the 
erect racemes are longer than the leaves, and bear from 
eighteen to twenty-four flowers on each. The fruit 
even in a dried state on some of Freemont’s specimens 
is about the size of a large Cherry or even small Plum. 
Even although this state of perfection cannot be 
attained in our country, the shrub would be a beautiful 
and serviceable one for covering walls or other objects 
whose naked appearance is undesirable. The growth 
in the open shrubbery would undoubtedly be slower 
than on a wall, but its utility there might be tested. 
There is a figure of the species in Paxton’s Flower 
Garden, III., 44, f. 254. 
