December 15, 1S00. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
253 
wood d'Ombrain, V.M.H.,and the co-secretary Mr. 
Edward Mawley. There were also Messrs. J. D. 
Pawle, Geo. Paul, V.M.H., Geo. Gordon, V.M.H., 
J. Bateman, Rev. A. Foster-Melliar, Rev. J. H. 
Pemberton, Rev. F. Page Roberts, Rev. F. R. ^urn- 
side, W. J. Jefferies, Chas. Burt Haywood, J. Burrell, 
A. E. Prince, H. P. Landon, G. Mount, G. W. 
Cook, R. E. West, E. B. Liudsell, F. Cant, B. R. 
Cant, K. H. GiSord, and others. 
After the secretary had read the notice convening 
the annual general meeting, the minutes of the last 
meeting were read and adopted. The chairman then 
called on Mr. Mawley to deliver the report of the 
committee for the year. This was read as follows : 
Report of the Committee for the Year 1900. 
The committee, in presenting their report, are 
pleased to record another year of steady progress in 
all the branches of the society's work. 
The cold and dry weather in May, and in the 
early summer,by checking the growth of Rose plants, 
had an unfavourable influence upon the Salisbury 
exhibition, which proved the smallest southern show 
that the society has yet held ; but at the exhibition 
which took place at Westminster in conjunction with 
the Royal Horticultural Society a week later the 
competition was much more satisfactory. The 
Crystal Palace show proved an unusually extensive 
one, being the largest metropolitan exhibition, with 
the exception of those in 1892 and 1897, yet held by 
the society, but owing to the unfavourable character 
of the season the general quality of the blooms was 
below the usual standard. The display of Roses at 
the Birmingham exhibition was also exceptionally 
large. 
Great credit is due to the local committees for the 
excellent arrangements made in connection with the 
southern and northern exhibitions, and especially to 
Mr. G. Nicholson at Salisbury, and to Professor 
Hillhouse and Mr. C. W. K. Wallis at Birmingham. 
Indeed, seldom have these arrangements been in all 
respects as complete and satisfactory. Much credit 
is also due to Mr. G. Caselton for his share in the 
management of the Crystal Palace show. At all 
three exhibitions of the society the attendance of 
visitors was exceptionally good. 
At the conferences held at Salisbury at and Birming¬ 
ham interesting discussions took place upon Miss 
Jekyll's paper entitled "Suggestions for the Decorative 
Use of some Garden Roses.’’ The report on these 
conferences has recently been issued to the members, 
together with a new and revised edition of the 
•• Hints on Planting Roses." The committee take 
this opportunity of expressing their best thanks to 
Miss Jekyll for her admirable and suggestive paper. 
The committee report with pleasure that the sale of. 
the society’s publications to non-members has greatly 
exceeded that of any previous year. They likewise 
regard with satisfaction the result of their efforts to 
encourage the staging of exhibition blooms in vases, 
instead of boxes, and also in the increased number of 
stands of garden Roses at all three exhibitions. 
It is with the deepest regret that they have to 
record the death in May last of Mr. T. B. Haywood, 
for seventeen years the society's able and much 
respected hon. treasurer. They have also to de¬ 
plore the loss through death of that very generous 
friend of the society, Mr. F. W. Campion. Then on 
the eve of the Birmingham ' Show came the sad 
news of the death of Mr. Benjamin R. Cant, of 
Colchester, at all times a warm supporter of the 
society, and one of its original founders. A sub¬ 
scription list has already been started to insure a 
special prize, to be entitled the " Ben Cant Memorial 
Prize,” being offered annually in his memory at one 
of the society's exhibitions. 
Finance. 
The committee feel they cannot refer to this 
question of finance without expressing their keen 
appreciation of Mr. Charles B. Haywood’s kindness 
in having consented, on the death of his father, to 
accept the position of hon. treasurer to the society. 
The usual payment of ^105 from the Crystal 
Palace Company towards the expenses of the metro¬ 
politan exhibition has not yet been received, other¬ 
wise the financial position of the society would have 
been in every respect as satisfactory as in former 
years. In order to prevent the society being placed in 
a similar unsatisfactory position at any future time, 
through the loss or delay in payment of any large 
sum due to it, the committee recommend that a 
reserve fund be at once set on foot. 
There has again been a steady increase in the roll of 
members, which at the present time number 584, or 
more than in any preceding year. 
Proposed Arrangements for 1901. 
The southern show of the society will be held at 
Richmond, Surrey, on Wednesday, June 26th, in con¬ 
junction with the Richmond Horticultural Society ; 
the metropolitan exhibition at the Crystal Palace on 
Saturday, July 6th ; and the northern show at Ulver- 
ston, in connection with the North Lonsdale Rose 
Society, on Wednesday, July 17th. Prizes will also be 
offered by the society at the Rose Show of the Royal 
Horticultural Society, which will take place at the 
Drill Hall, Westminster, on Tuesday, July 2nd. 
Members’ Privileges. 
Members subscribing £1 will, as usual, be entitled 
to two private view and four transferable tickets, the 
latter admitting at the same time as the general 
public, while subscribers of 10/- are entitled to one 
private view and two transferable tickets. Each of 
these tickets is available for any one of the society's 
exhibitions. Members joining the society for the 
first time in 1901 will also receive copies of the 
following publications:—The new edition of the 
' Official Catalogue of Exhibition and Garden Roses," 
the revised edition of the “ Hints on Planting 
Roses,” the " Report of the Conferences on Pruning 
and Exhibiting Roses," the “ Prize Essay on the 
Hybridisation of Roses," the " Report on the Con¬ 
stitution of Rose Soils," and the conference report 
on Miss Jekyll’s paper on “ Suggestions for the 
Decorative Use of Some Garden Roses.” Members 
alone are allowed to compete at the shows of the 
society. 
The committee express their best thanks to the 
donors of special prizes at the society’s exhibitions, 
among which may be mentioned the Right Hon. 
Lord Calthorpe, the Right Hon. Joseph Chamber- 
lain, M.P., Captain Ramsay, Mr. C. J. Grahame, 
Mr. F. DennisoD, and the late Mr. F. W. Campion. 
Their thanks are also due to those local secretaries 
who have in any way assisted the society to main¬ 
tain its present position, and especially to Mr. G. 
W. Cook, who has again outdistanced all its other 
local representatives in inducing new members to 
join the society. Mr. F. W. Wright, a new local 
secretary, has also done excellent service at 
Birmingham. 
Balance-Sheet for the year ending 30th 
Receipts. 
£ 
S. 
d. 
Balance at bankers, December 1st, 1899 
155 
I 
2 
Subscriptions 
390 
15 
6 
Affiliation fees and for medals from 
affiliated societies 
75 
5 
0 
From Wilts. Horticultural Society 
5 ° 
0 
0 
From Birmingham Botanical and Horti¬ 
cultural Society 
80 
0 
0 
Special prizes 
47 
0 
9 
Sale of publications 
15 
15 
8 
Advertisements 
14 
4 
6 
For proposed Treatise on " How to grow 
and Show Tea Roses ” 
5 
0 
0 
£833 17 
0 
Expenditure. 
£ 
s. 
d. 
Printing, stationery, and advertisings* 
126 
5 
0 
Postage, telegrams, and sundry expenses 
56 
16 
4 
Secretary’s travelling expenses to arrange 
shows .. 
3 
16 
II 
Expenses, Salisbury Show 
I 
II 
0 
Ditto Crystal Palace Show.. 
13 
I 
7 
Ditto Birmingham Show .. 
I 
9 
6 
Medals .. . 
20 
I 
6 
Ditto for affiliated societies 
6l 
12 
0 
Contribution to R. H. S. Rose Show .. 
17 
0 
0 
Prizes, Salisbury Show. 
90 
15 
0 
Ditto Crystal Palace Show 
234 
15 
0 
Ditto Birmingham Show .. 
154 
^5 
0 
Purchase of plate for prizes 
34 
3 
9 
Analysis of Rose Soils 
15 
O 
0 
Annual rainfall 
I 
I 
0 
Balance at bankers 
I 
14 
0 
£833 17 
7 
Charles Burt Haywood, Hon. Treasurer. 
Audited with vouchers j J. D. Pawle, i Hon. 
and found correct (F.F. Wollaston,} Auditors. 
“General printing, &c., £67 5s.; printing new 
catalogue, £5 1; printing report on constitution of 
Rose soils, £8 
Upon the conclusion of the reading of the report 
Mr. Mawley advised the members of a special 
reason that accounted for the low state of the 
financies at this, the year's end. They had begun 
the year with /155 is. 2d., and ended it with only 
£1 14s. But the Crystal Palace Company, Ltd., 
had still roo guineas to pay them as the amount of 
their contribution towards the subscriptions for the 
great summer show held in July. This sum had 
always been received before the annual general 
meeting of the Rose Society, and on this occasion 
they would have shown a balance of £70 had 
accounts been squared. The printing expenses dur¬ 
ing the year had been heavy, in so much as they 
paid £51 for the society's catalogue, and £8 for that 
on “ Rose Soils." 
In case the Rose Society’s summer show could not 
be held at the Crystal Palace in I90 T Mr. Mawley 
had written to various other centres, including the 
Imperial Institute, Royal Botanic Gardens, Regent’s 
Park, Benchers of the Inner Temple, Alexandra 
Palace, N., London’s Exhibitions, Ltd., Earl’s 
Court, a~d from the letters which he had received, 
and which were read aloud to the meeiing, it was 
evident that the society would have no difficulty in 
finding suitable quarters. 
The chairman now rose to move the adoption of 
the report. He said the society could look on a 
first-class year's work. The shows had been good, 
the membership was larger, the society’s literature 
had had a greater sale than ever before, and its 
influence was extending wider and wider, and was 
more appreciated. In their exhibitions they wanted 
away as far as possible from mere big blooms—they 
wanted the charm of variety. The greater extension 
of the “Garden Rose" classes had proved most 
attractive to the general public. Mr. Shea then 
briefly referred to their loss by the hand of death of 
the late Mr. Haywood and Mr. B. R. Cant. They 
all deplored their loss. 
Touching on money matters, the chairman advised 
the society to increase its reserve fund, and this could 
easily be done by augmentations from the various 
balances. He also proposed that the committee 
(which is so strong and fully representative) should 
be empowered to deal with the Crystal Palace 
matter, and the fixing of where the show would be 
held in 1901. Allowance would be given till the end 
of the present month. Mr. C. F.. Cant seconded the 
resolution, which was carried unanimously. 
Rev. F. Page-Roberts then proposed a vote of 
thanks to the officers and committee for their 
attention and work during the year. Mr. K. H. 
Gifford seconded, it being carried with acclamation. 
Mr. E. Mawley and Rev. H. H. D’Ombrain re¬ 
plied. 
Mr. H. P. Landon moved the following addition 
to Bye-Law 3 : “ The committee shall have power to 
fill any vacancy in the officers of the society, or in 
the committee which may occur during the currency 
of the year." Mr. Mount seconded, and it was unani¬ 
mously. Mr. G. W Cook proposed that Bye-Law 
12 be altered to read as follows : " That affiliated 
societies have the privilege of offering for com¬ 
petition the Medals —except Gold Medals— of the 
National Rose Society which Medals may be obtained 
for this purpose at the following charges, viz.:— 
Silver Gilt Medal, 14s.; Silver Medal, 1 is. ; and 
Bronze Medal, 5s. 6d. None of the Medals shall be 
awarded by an affiliated society for any seedling 
Rose or for any decoration or vase of flowers. No 
Medals sent without prepayment. No affiliated society 
shall offer more than four of the National Rose 
Society’s Medals at any exhibition." He pointed out 
that the National Society’s Gold Medals had lately 
been used by certain affiliated societies in a way that 
was never intended. He instanced the case of a 
" backyard exhibition ” not far from London where a 
Gold Medal was given for twenty-four Roses, not less 
than twelve varieties. The Gold Medal was the 
" Hall Mark ” of the N.R.S., and to offer thus, was 
to prostitute it. Mr. Bateman seconded ; and it also 
was unanimously carried. 
Mr. Geo. Gordon, V.M.H., proposed the addition 
*0 regulation 18: “For four trebles, 2 ft. long; 
for 6 trebles 2 ft. 9 in. long ; for 8 trebles 3 ft. 6 in. 
long." This refers to the size of the boxes, 
but as it was felt that many exhibitors would have 
to go to much expense if a host of new boxes had to 
be made, the definition at present is confined to a 
few classes, but in 1902 the rule will be general, and 
exhibitors were warned to make preparations. Mr. 
