•January 17, 1903. 
The Gardening World 
GENERAL notices. 
W.' wou'd earnes ly urge secretaries of societies to notify us as far in advance as possib'e a- to dates of meetings, shows, eto. Wo des ; re to do a’l in our power to have these 
adequaiely represented in the columns ot HE GaIUEN'NQ Would, 
We resiectfuliy request ur readers, wl en they write to persons or firms advertising in this paper, to mention that their advertisement was seen in Tits Gardexino World. 
They will there oy not only oblige thiB paper, but the advertisers, 
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Views and Reviews. 
The Hal! of Horticulture. 
For many years, and practically ever since 
the Royal Horticultural Society left South 
Kensington, it lias been apparent to all con¬ 
cerned that the great desideratum of the 
society was “ a local habitation and a home.” 
Ever since then, we repeat, this fact has been 
uppermost in the minds of those whose duty 
or interest takes them to the meetings of the 
society in the Drill Hall, Westminster, and 
many have laboured with a will to further 
this end. The question kept cropping up at 
every annual general meeting, and at in¬ 
tervals a ray of hope lighted up the features 
of the Fellows assembled when it was an¬ 
nounced that someone or other had promised 
help towards the building of a new hall 
and home for the society. Year after year 
the question was held in abeyance, or allowed 
to drop out of sight altogether for another 
twelvemonth. At the annual meeting in 
1901 we had a somewhat stormy discussion 
as to whether a hall or a garden was the 
first or most essential desideratum, and the 
stronger party was in favour of the hall. 
At a special general meeting of the society 
on March 21st, 1902—that is, last year—the 
decision was more decided, taking, in fact, 
the initial steps in the new venture. So 
far the efforts of the society have been re¬ 
warded by a certain measure of success; and 
if outsiders, or even the Fellows generally 
were to take a firm grip of the question, the 
necessary funds would soon be made up. We 
still remember that His Majesty the King, in 
1890, addressed the Fellows at the opening' 
of one of the Temple shows in these words : 
“ I sincerely hope that your labours to obtain 
a hall may be successful, for I feel sure that 
it would be of the greatest use and advan¬ 
tage.” Since then he has confirmed the re¬ 
marks he then made, and substantiated them 
by forwarding a cheque for the handsome 
donation of 100 guineas from Balmoral 
Castle on September 30th last. Since then 
the Prince of Wales has followed suit by 
the remittance of a cheque for half of the 
above sum. 
The year of the proposed celebration of 
the Centenary—namely, 1904—draws nigh 
at a rapid pace, and it behoves all concerned 
to strain every nerve with the object of has¬ 
tening the consummation of the desired 
object, so that the work may be carried out 
to the terms of the letter. We have no desire 
for any undue haste or want of consideration 
for the details of the scheme in a manner 
befitting not only the Royal Horticultural 
Society, but the nation at large. Horticul¬ 
ture in its various phases is the monopoly of 
no society and no party in this country. It 
has often been repeated that we are “ a nation 
of shopkeepers,” but we ought also to be a 
nation of gardeners to a much greater extent 
than has yet been realised. 
A very large proportion of the people of 
this country are imbued with a love for 
flowers, and the products of the garden 
generally. The British market is the best 
in the world for every description of fruit 
and vegetables that can be grown in this 
country or conveyed to our shores. Our 
polls are open to all the world, and foreigners 
know it. We have no desire to see our ports 
closed against anything which it would he 
unprofitable or impossible for us to produce ; 
but at the same time the nation is paying 
away huge sums for fruits and other things 
which might well be grown in this country. 
The increased production of certain fruits in 
this country is a growing national necessity ; 
and to meet the exigencies of the case we 
should have a national home for horticulture 
in London. 
Is there any reason why a State-aided in¬ 
stitution of this character should not he 
established in the metropolis? Surely a 
“ modus vivendi ” could be established be¬ 
tween the Government or some representa¬ 
tive of the State and the Royal Horticultural 
Society whereby the sympathies of the 
various practical experts, who- freely give 
their services to the society, might be en¬ 
listed in a scheme that would be of direct 
service to the nation at large, and not merely 
to one particular district. Various schools: 
of horticulture are now established through¬ 
out the country, though they might well be 
more numerously planted. It is true also 
