888 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
February 18, 1888. 
hybrid committee of advice, which was so 
readily re-appointed, it is not possible to over¬ 
look the fact that the too evident lack of 
interest shown in the proceedings by the 
majority of the Fellows present must be taken 
as somewhat indicative of wearisomeness or of 
a feeling of willingness to let things slide— 
indeed, displaying a sort of Micawber philosophy 
in patiently waiting to see what would turn 
up. Some considerable questioning, and even 
some divergence of opinion, would have shown 
that the Fellows were still anxious and earnest. 
We fervently hope they may have been so in 
their quiet way, but to our mind the way 
seemed ominous. 
In a restricted corner some little exultation 
was shown, perhaps, because the anticipated 
opposition to the Kew nominees fell through, 
but that was never of a personal nature, and 
only intended to draw attention to a then very 
contingent danger. Circumstances, however, 
arose which showed that the danger was 
exceedingly minimised. As it was, beyond 
the treasurer, whom we object to solely on 
account of his Ivew association, and the fact 
of his being simply a subordinate government 
official, all the other neV members of the 
Council are horticulturists, and gentlemen in 
whom the gardening community may place 
entire confidence—at least we hope so. Still 
further, there is the promise avowed in the 
report of the hybrid committee, laid before the 
meeting, that two other members of the old 
Council will shortly resign, and that their 
places will be filled up by Mr. T. B. Haywood, 
of Reigate, and a genuine gardener, Mr. John 
Woodbridge. These things all tend to show 
that the back of the Kew interest is 
broken, and that the society will be saved 
from an association which, if accomplished, 
would prove as harmful and as baneful as has 
been the South Kensington combination. We 
might, indeed, have pitied the new treasurer 
had he been present to hear Sir Trevor 
Lawrence detail the efforts made to secure the 
services of Baron Schroder first and Colonel 
Beddome next for the post, who both, doubtless 
for good reasons, declined. This, however, we 
may say of Baron Schroder, that no election 
in connection with the society would have 
been more popular than his acceptance of the 
office. 
Some recent comments of ours upon the 
action of the late Council in tendering their 
resignations en masse for the purpose of 
enabling the Fellows to elect a totally new 
Council if desirable, evoked more than one 
reference, indeed, brought about the intro¬ 
ductory farce previously mentioned. The shaft 
seems to have gone home, and it was not 
efficiently extracted. Our opinion remains 
the same as before, that in ostensibly resign¬ 
ing, and yet in submitting to re-nomination 
officially, the majority of the Council who 
took this course were only displaying a little 
cheap heroism. As we showed in a former 
number, it was well-nigh impossible for the 
Fellows to accept the resignations as tendered 
en masse, and, as a matter of fact, with the 
exception of Mr. Dyer and Mr. Morris, the 
whole of the nominees of the Council were 
elected on January 19 th, after the time had 
expired for giving notice of opposition. The 
Fellows at the meeting on Tuesday had no 
power to accept the proffered resignations, 
except that of Mr. Dyer, or to elect anyone 
else on to the Council, except the gentlemen 
who had been named as substitutes for Mr. 
Dyer and Mr. Morris in conformity with the 
bye-laws. Mr. Wilks’motion to “respectfully 
decline to accept the resignations ” was there¬ 
fore, a sheer bit of bunkum—a mere herring 
drawn across the trail. But it served its 
purpose, it was passed with apptlause, the 
blarney stone was kissed, and the course thus 
cleared of all opposition. 
We will not, with the president, travel over 
the past connection of the society with South 
Kensington, because it is so full of unhappy 
reflections. Only to think of £80,000 spent 
on that ill-fated spot, and the society now 
turned out as it were, in debt, penniless, and 
homeless ! Had that vast sum been but 
expended on some noble garden in a purely 
horticultural sense, which the society possessed 
as its own freehold, what a grand property might 
there not have been to show, and how proud 
might the society have been of such a posses¬ 
sion ! Alas, now those stately arcades, the gay 
gardens, the noble conservatory, nay, all their 
once pleasant surroundings, will soon be dis¬ 
solved, and, like the baseless fabric of a vision, 
leave not a wreck behind. 
But if South Kensington looms upon us like 
a gloomy dream, to what sort of future are we 
to look 1 The hybrid committee, now so strong 
upon the Council in having so many of its 
members bound by the committee’s proposals, 
have sanguinely formed a scheme which the 
meeting practically accepted, and which includes 
the occupation of rooms in Victoria Street, 
Westminister, at a rental of £120 a year, and 
the further occupation of the spacious drill hall 
of the London Scottish Volunteers, near at 
hand, for committee meetings and small shows, 
at a further rental of £100 per annum. There 
are some who still hold that, having regard to 
the deplorable condition of the society’s finances, 
it would have been wiser to have made 
Chiswick gardens the home of the society for 
a year or two, and thus have taken time to 
pull round before incurring further liabilities. 
The expenditure of money on Chiswick would 
be both beneficial to the gardens and accept¬ 
able to the Fellows. It is still further doubtful 
whether this drill hall rvill serve to attract 
any greater portion of the general public 
than would visit the shows and meetings at 
Chiswick. We mention these objections, how¬ 
ever, in no hypercritical spirit, because we 
have no desire whatever to interpose anything 
which will tend to weaken the hands of the 
committee. 
Without being in any way sanguine as to the 
benefits of the proposed scheme of habitation, 
we may well hope all the same that at least 
things will turn out for the best. We confess 
to some feeling of disappointment that the 
Committee of Advice, in its published report to 
the Fellows, refers so indefinitely to the subject 
of a reduction in the rate of subscription. 
“ Reduced rates of subscription, with adequate 
privileges and representation,” reads well, but 
we want to see the meaning more clearly 
defined; and, further, we want to see that 
definition at once. Hot only is procrastination 
the thief of time, but in this case it may prove 
to be the thief of hundreds of pounds, which 
might otherwise become useful income to 
the impoverished society, and bring into its 
train hundreds of the cream of the gardening 
fraternity as members. If bye-laws must be 
altered to secure the reduction of the rate of 
subscription, let them be altered without delay ; 
but whilst that is being set about, let there also 
be no delay in the publication of the nature of 
the proposed reductions, that hopes and antici¬ 
pations may soon be either realised or quashed. 
Those reductions constitute the very crux of 
the situation, and what they are to be cannot 
be too quickly made public. 
-*>=£<-- 
Nursery and Seed Trade Association.—The annual 
general meeting of the members of this association will 
be held at 25, Old Jewry, E.C., on Monday next at 
5.30 p.m. In the evening the annual dinner will take 
place at the Guildhall Tavern. 
Professor Sargent.—From a letter dated New York, 
January 30th, we regret to hear that Professor Sargent, 
who is about to bring out a new weekly paper to be 
called Garden and Forest, is lying dangerously ill with 
typhoid fever. 
The Rugby Chrysanthemum Society will hold its 
next show on November 21st. Most of the classes are 
now thrown open, and a special prize is offered for cut 
blooms. 
The National Auricula and National Carnation 
and Picotee Societies (Southern Sections) will hold 
their annual exhibitions again under the auspices of 
the Roj'al Horticultural Society, and have fixed upon 
April 24th for the former, and July 24th for the 
latter. 
Reading Chrysanthemum Show.—This was origin¬ 
ally fixed for November 9th, but finding that the Town 
Hall will be required for civic purposes upon that day, 
Mr. Richard Catchpool, the honorary secretary, informs 
us that it will now take place on Friday, November 
16 th. 
Yeitch Memorial Prizes for 1888.—We learn that 
the trustees have made the following grants of Medals 
and Prizes for the present year :—Shropshire Horti¬ 
cultural Society', one Medal with £5 in money for a 
collection of vegetables ; Glasgow and West of Scotland 
Horticultural, one Medal with £5 for Roses, and one 
Medal with £5 for Grapes ; Crystal Palace, one Medal 
with £5 for a collection of fruit; Hull and East Riding 
Chrysanthemum Society, one Medal with £5; and 
Bath Floral, one Medal with £5. 
Chiswick Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Associa¬ 
tion.—On February 29th, Mr. Sydney Summers, fore¬ 
man in the Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens, 
Chiswick, will discourse on an important question just 
now—“ Fruit Culture for Profit,” to be followed, on 
March 7th, by Mr. F. T. Daniel on “Some American 
Fruits and Vegetables.” As Mr. Daniel has travelled 
in the United States, a very interesting paper may be 
expected. 
Ancient Society of York Florists.—The annual 
meeting of this society was held last week, Mr. T. E. 
Abbey presiding. From the report read by Mr. J. 
Lazenby, we learn that the very satisfactory position 
the society had attained at the close of 1886, as regarded 
its financial position, was still maintained at the end of 
1887. The various shows, held as usual in the 
Guildhall, had in the past season been accorded a very 
much increased attendance of visitors, and it could not 
be doubted that great good must have resulted from a 
horticultural point of view. The number of competitors 
had also increased, although in a pecuniary sense 
exhibitors had not benefited to any great extent, as the 
increased vote brought out upwards of forty competitors, 
amongst whom 1,420 prizes were awarded. The Chry- 
anthemum Show again resulted in a great success for 
financially the receipts at the doors showed an increase 
each day over the preceding years. The financial 
statement showed a balance on the right side amounting 
to £149 odd. The report and balance sheet were 
adopted, and Mr. J. Lazenby was again re-elected 
secretary. 
Gardeners’ Orphan Fund.—Mr. George Deal, chair¬ 
man of the executive committee, writes:—“For the 
information of your correspondents who evince so 
warm an interest in this Fund, and to whom I feel 
deeply grateful, 1 shall be obliged if you will kindly 
allow me to state that the question of money boxes 
was considered at the last meeting of the executive 
committee, with the result that sample boxes are to be 
presented at the next meeting for approval. A number 
of boxes of the approved pattern will then be ordered 
for distribution among such of our friends as will 
kindly undertake the charge of them.” Mr. A. F. 
Barron, honorary secretary, writes: — “I should feel 
obliged if you would kindly notice in your next issue, 
for the information of the honorary local secretaries 
who may be pleased to attend, that the meetings of the 
executive committee have been fixed to be held on 
the last Fridays in each month (excepting March 30th, 
which, being Good Friday, the meeting will be on 
the 23rd), at the “Caledonian Hotel,” Adelphi, at 
six o’clock p.m. Nomination forms for the first 
election of six children to the benefits of the Fund on 
July 13th are now ready, and may be obtained on 
application to me.” 
Wilts Horticultural Society.—The annual meeting 
of this society was held on Wednesday, February Sth, 
at Salisbury, the ex-mayor (Mr. F. Griffin) presiding. 
From the report of the committee we learn that from a 
financial point of view the year’s working was not a 
success. This is not difficult to account for when it is 
remembered what exceptional demands were made on 
the loyalty of the city and neighbourhood in the 
celebration of Her Majesty’s Jubilee. In 1887 there 
were 258 subscribers against 261 in 1886. The amount 
subscribed was £150 13s. 6(7. against £171 19s. 6(7. in 
the previous year. On the summer show of 18S7 there 
was a loss of £21 6s. 11(7. against £9 2s. 10(7. in 1886. 
The Chrysanthemum Show netted a surplus of 
£16 6s. 6(7. in 1886, and in 1887 a surplus of 10(7., so 
