April 4, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
301 
SOCIETIES. 
had been put to great expense in laying out their gardens; but 
their debt had never been repudiated. Some of the Fellows had 
voluntarily increased their subscriptions by refraining from 
drawing the interest to which they wei-e entitled on their bonds, 
and they could hold uji their heads in the faces of everyone, in¬ 
cluding the Horticultural Society. Another point was that the 
Botanic Society had taken to methods of raising money which 
were different to those followed by the Horticultural Society; 
but, as Sir John Hutton had pointed out, they had only to go to 
Westminster to see the Horticultural Society’s own notice board, 
lhe Royal Botanic Society would not apply to the London 
County Council for a promiscuous license for singing or dancing. 
Then they were charged with having taken to clubs, '"bazaars, ami 
dances. What they had done was to open a club composed ex¬ 
clusively of members of the society, and he failed to see the 
enormity of that. I hey had had bazaars. One 1 was in aid of 
Croat Ormond Street Hospital, and the Queen herself had been 
present. That, had been a great advantage to the hospital, and 
there was nothing wrong about it. Then the dances they had 
had were in connection with private parties in their own grounds, 
and everyone would admit that one of the greatest developments 
in horticulture in recent days was the floral decoration of tables 
and the interiors of houses. 
Cyprifedium insigne Sanderae. (See p. 296.) 
He took his stand on every item referred to by Sir Trevor Law¬ 
rence, and would assert that they had been doing their duty and 
nothing more. Sir John Hutton had told them what these 
arbiters of taste had done, but there were on the council of the 
Horticultural Society men of enlightenment and earnest men in 
matters of horticulture, and he would appeal to them to rea l 
over the letter signed, on behalf of the. Botanic Society, by Lord 
Lister. He asked them to deal with it in a spirit more worthy, 
more dignified, in a way they would expect from a “ Jttoyal ” 
Society, and not with the attitude assumed by their chairman. 
On the motion of the Earl of Aberdeen, a vote of thanks was 
given to the chairman for presiding. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL, 
March 24th. 
Colonel Rogers, Franklands, Burgess Hill, had a group of 
Cyclamen in 24-sized pots, and they were certainly splendid, 
being one mass of bloom. 
Messrs. W. Balchin and Sons, Hassocks, Brighton, had an 
interesting group of hard-wooded plants, consisting chiefly of 
Tetratheca ericoides. 
Miss F. W. Currey, Lismore, Ireland, exhibited a group of 
Daffodils, single and double, for which she was awarded a 
Silver Flora Medal. 
ROYAL BOTANIC SOCIETY OF LONDON, 
March 14th. 
A meeting of this society was held in the Museum in the 
Gardens, Regent’s Park, on Saturday, March 14th, the Earl 
of Aberdeen, Sir John Hutton, Sir William Collins, and other 
Fellows being present, Mr. Pembroke Stephens, K.C., presided. 
Attention was called to the remarks of Sir Trevor Lawrence, who 
was reported in the Press to have said, in presiding at the annual 
general meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, on February 
10th, " That they could not combine with the Royal Botanic 
Society owing to the large debt with which the society was 
burdened.” Mr. E. A. Sayers said that Sir Trevor Lawrence had 
certainly gone out of his way to make a most uncalled for attack 
on the Royal Botanic Society, and he would ask (1) whether any 
rejoinder had been sent to the press in connection with Sir Join 
Hutton’s letter to “ The Times ” ; (2) whether any other com 
munioation had passed between the two societies; and (3) 
whether the Council would take the matter into their most 
serious consideration with a view to counteracting 
Sir Trevor Lawrence’s statements, which were in¬ 
accurate and unnecessary. 
Sir John Hutton, chairman of the Finance Com¬ 
mittee of the Royal Botanic Society, said that no 
communication had been made, either directly or 
indirectly, to the Royal Botanic Society by the 
Royal Horticultural Society, and there was no 
doubt that the statement had been highly pre¬ 
judicial to their interests. It was strange that 
although Sir Trevor Lawrence had said that- the 
Botanic Society had taken to methods of raising 
money which were different to those of the Royal 
Horticultural Society, yet the following notice had 
appeared on the society’s site at Westminster : — 
“Royal Horticultural Society.—The society pro¬ 
poses to use the new hall for public exhibitions, 
concerts, meetings, and entertainments of tlie like 
kind, and will apply to the London County 
Council for a licence for music and dancing.” 
Horticulturists were people who evidently lived in 
glass houses, and they should not throw stones, 
lhe Horticultural Society certainly should not 
throw stones at those who were using honest and 
legitimate means to raise funds for horticultural 
purposes and the study of botany. Then, as to 
the Royal Botanic Society being heavily involved, 
they were not at all afraid of their debenture 
debt, which would be honestly met, and tiieir new 
lease should put them in a sound financial posi¬ 
tion. If the statement was made ignorantly it 
was reprehensible, and if made maliciously it 
would be open to more serious consideration; 
still, possibly the reason Sir Trevor had not 
1 answered his (Sir John's) letter was that he had 
no reply to make. 
Mr. Stephens, K.C., on behalf of the Council 
or the Royal Botanic Society, said the mattei 
had arisen out of a letter written by Lord Lister on theii 
behalf, offering the use of their beautiful gardens for 
p exhibitions of the Horticultural Society, whose site 
V,- °P el 'aAions had been for a great many years the Drill 
Ball at Westminster and the Temple Gardens. No one in¬ 
terested in horticulture would deny that the Drill Hall was not 
an ideal place for shows, and their position in the Temple was, 
as he knew, not a very secure one. There had always been two 
news in the Temple itself as to the desirability of having the 
s ?' vs there, in a place which was primarily for law and lawyers, 
an a change of Lord Chancellor might mean that- the shows 
mig it not again be held in the Temple. That was in their minds 
r Lister communicated their resolution to the Horti- 
ui in a I (society. They had not had a direct reply as to 1 whether 
e pionosal would be entertained, but someone at the meeting 
, ^horticultural Society having said it was to be regretted 
L x . .V T a d not entered into closer relationship with the 
o anic Society, so as to avail themselves of advantages which 
i n society possessed, the chairman’s remark had come like a 
out of the blue. He (Mr. Stephens) ventured to think that 
moie unlooked for and uncalled for answer to Lord Lister’s 
r, ei on behalf of their society it was difficult to conceive. Sir 
' e , vor Lawrence had said he found that any amalga- 
1 !on ’would be financially impossible, but no one breathed the 
] 0 -ni,° ■ al f i ~ ama tiom Then he said that “the Botanic was 
umI 'V 11 ’ i '® le R o.yal Botanic Society, like the Horticul- 
oeiety, had spent a great deal of money, and the Botanic 
