February 14, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
137 
Royal Horticultural Society. 
Annual General Meeting (February 10). 
At the annual general meeting the chair was taken by Sir 
Trevor Lawrence 1 , Bart., when the minutes of the last annual 
general meeting were read and signed. The report was taken as 
read, having previously been printed. 
Report fob, 1902. 
It is gratifying to the council to record that in this, the ninety- 
ninth year of the society’s existence a larger number of new 
Fellows have joined the society than in any year since its first 
establishment in 1804. The exact number of new Fellows elected 
in the past year has been 1,140, which, if contrasted with the 
1,108, who formed the whole number of the Fellows when the 
society left South Kensington in January, 1888, indicates the 
development which is continuously taking place in the society. 
The council hope that everyone who has tihe society’s welfare 
at heart will continue to endeavour to promote it by enrolling 
new Fellows. 
Under the head of ordinary expenditure at Chiswick £1,953 has 
been spent on the general work and maintenance of the gardens, 
and including legal expenses. The receipts by sale of surplus 
produce amount to £373, making the net ordinary cost of the 
gardens £1,580. 
Twenty-two Fruit and Floral meetings have been held in the 
Drill Hall, Buckingham Gate, Victoria Street, besides the 
larger shows in the Temple Gardens on May 28th, 29th, and 
30th, and at Holland House on June 24th and 25th, at the 
Crystal Palace on September 18th, 19th, and 20th. Lectures 
or demonstrations have been delivered at almost all of the 
meetings. 
The number of awards granted by the council, on the recom¬ 
mendation of the various committees, were as follow : —Gold 
Medals, 36 ; Silver Cups, 48 ; Hogg Memorial Medals, 7 ; Silver 
Gilt Flora, 63 ; Silver Gilt Knightian, 14 ; Silver Gilt 
Banksian, 39 ; Silver Flora, 146 ; Silver Knightian, 20 ; Silver 
Banksian, 166 ; Bronze Flora, 22 ; Bronze Knightian, Bronze 
Banksian, 39 ; Silver Gilt, 3 ; (Affiliated Societies’ Medals) ; 
Silver, 28 ; Bronze, 19 ; First Class Certificates, 65 ; Awards of 
Merit, 258 ; Botanical Certificates, 24 ; Cultural Commendations, 
28 ; making a total of 1,025. 
The society’s Great Show, held in May in the Inner Temple 
Gardens by the continued kindness of the Treasurer and 
Benchers, was as successful as ever, and was visited by their 
Majesties the King and Queen. It is a matter of satisfaction 
to the council to find that this meeting is universally acknow¬ 
ledged to be the leading horticultural exhibition of this country. 
The best thanks of the society are due to the Earl of Ilchester 
for his kindness in allowing a great show of, and conference on, 
Boses to be held in his park at Holland House, Kensington, on 
the 24th and 25th of June. Financially the show was not a con¬ 
spicuous success, owing to the fact of the King’s serious illness 
taking place on the 24th, but from every other point of view it 
more than fulfilled expectations. The Fellows will be pleased 
to know that, his Lordship has consented to another show being 
held at Holland House in the ensuing year, on June 25th 
and 26th. Fellows are requested to inform their friends of this 
show, so as to make it this year a financial as well as a. floral 
success. 
The exhibition of British-grown Fruit held by the society at 
the Crystal Palace on September 18th, 19th, and 29th was, from 
an educational point of view, most satisfactory. Full par¬ 
ticulars will be found in Vol. XXVII., Part 3, of the “Journal,” 
which will be issued in the course of a few weeks. 
A great desire having been expressed that vegetables should 
also be represented at this show, the council have willingly 
acceded to this request, stipulating, however, that they cannot 
consent to accept any money or prizes which are accompanied 
with the restriction that the seeds from which the vegetables 
have been grown have been procured from any specified firm. 
The council are of opinion that all growers should be at 
perfect liberty to procure their seeds wheresoever they will. 
The authorities of the Crystal Palace having always strictly pro¬ 
hibited the introduction of vegetables at this show, it has been 
decided to hold it at Chiswick on September 29th, 30th, and 
October 1st, 1903. Chiswick is nearer to London, and both more 
easily and more quickly accessible therefrom. 
It is calculated that such a combined show of fruit and vege¬ 
tables cannot be held under an expenditure of £350 to £400. 
If, therefore, the show is to take place, it will be necessary for all 
who are interested in the encouragement of the growth oi good 
fruit and vegetables within the United Kingdom, now largely 
dependent on external and foreign supplies, to combine in 
raising at least half the amount of money required. The 
schedule of the show is being proceeded with, and will be ready 
for issue on April 2nd, should the list of subscriptions prove 
satisfactory. The list of subscribers! to the 1902 show will be 
given in Vol. XXVII., Part 3, of the Society’s “Journal.” 
The following table will show the society’s progress in regard 
to numerical strength during the past year: — 
Deaths in 1902. 
£ s. d. 
Life Fellows . 27 ... 
4 guineas . 1 ... 4 4 0 
2 „ 29 ... 60 18 0 
1 „ 32 ... 33 12 0 
89 £98 14 0 
Resignations. 
£ s. d. 
4 guineas . 1... 4 4 0 
2 guineas . 22 ... 46 4 0 
1 guinea.124 ...130 4 0 
147 £180 12 0 
Felloavs Elected 1902. 
£ s. d. 
4 guineas . 6 ... 25 4 0 
2 „ 233 ... 489 6 0 
l „ 829 ... 870 9 0 
Associates. 33 ... 17 6 6 
Affiliated socie¬ 
ties . 26 ... 29 8 0 
Commutations 13 ... 267 15 0 
1,140 £1,431 13 6 
Deduct loss. 279 6 0 
Neb increase in in¬ 
come.£1,152 7 6 
New FelloAvs, etc. 1,140 
Deduct registrations and 
deaths .. 236 
Numerical increase... 904 
The total number of Fellows, members, associates, and affi¬ 
liated societies is now 6,228. 
After some meetings and discussion in relation to the purchase 
of a garden, the latter was negatived and held in abeyance. 
Relying on the already promised subscriptions and the enthu¬ 
siastic reception with wthic'h the appointment of the committee 
had been hailed, the council reported to a special general meet¬ 
ing, held on March 21st, 1902, that a suitable site had been 
found in Vincent Square, Westminster. The utmost enthusiasm 
for the 'hall prevailed at this meeting, which was attended by 
nearly 300 Fellows; “the principle of building a new hall” 
was “accepted,” and the council were “authorised to take the 
necessary steps to enable the building to be opened in the year 
1904,” a resolution embodying these words being carried with 
only three dissentients. 
The council at once took “ the necessary steps to enable the 
building to be opened in 1904,” on the completion of the one- 
hundredth year of the society’s existence. The site in Vincent 
Square was seoured by Baron Schroder on behalf of the society, 
and after careful consideration Mr. Edwin Stubbs Avas requested 
to draw up plans for the buildings in accordance rvith instruc¬ 
tions given by the council. A subscription list has been opened, • 
to which H.M. the King and H.R.H. the Prince of Wales have 
been graciously pleased to subscribe, their subscriptions being 
accompanied by letters of full approval and encouragement. 
The sum subscribed up to the date of this report going to press 
is £22,000, which the council cannot but regard as a promising 
commencement. The total estimated cost of the new hall_and 
offices is £40,000, inclusive of furniture and equipment. While 
the council gratefully acknowledge on behalf of the Fellows the 
response they have already received to the appeal, they feel con¬ 
fident that there are very many Fellows, amateur and profes¬ 
sional, who will desire to recognise the great and continuous 
advantages they receive from the society by liberally supporting 
the New Hall Fund. 
The council desire to assure the Fellows that the provision of 
a new garden has by no means been lost sight of. The society’s 
lawyers are in correspondence with those of the Duke of Devon¬ 
shire, and negotiations for the surrender of the Chiswick lease 
are in progress, and they hope that these, when completed, will 
materially facilitate the acquisition of the new garden. 
The annual revenue and expenditure account for the year 
ending 31st December, 1902, shows that establishment expenses 
cost the society £3,952 0s. Id. ; the Lindley Library, 
£36 19s. 7d. ; shows and meetings, £1,873 14s. 3d. ; the com¬ 
mittee awards, £420 14s. Id. ; and Chiswick Gardens, 
£1,952 19s. 4d., making a total of £8,236 7s. 4d. On the credit 
side of the sheet subscriptions brought £6,982 15s. 6d. ; sIioavs 
and meetings, £2,248 Is. 4d ; advertisements, etc., £610 3s. 2d. ; 
dividends, £437 Is. 9d. ; interest on deposit account. 
