710 
all over him, as it were, and there is a pre¬ 
cision of manner and crispness of speech, indi- 
cal ive of a. methodical, quick-thinking habit 
o f mind; and though he admitted that the 
secretarial duties were more onerous than he 
had expected they would be, yet the discovery 
would not, 1 imagine, be likely to depress 
much less nonplus such a man, for a slow 
pace and an easy post would have small 
attractions for one of his temperament. 
“ I am just going home. Will you come 
with me, and have a snack ? ” was the kindly 
invitation after we had passed the time of 
day, and touched on the well-v orn topic which 
our versatile and obliging climate has pro¬ 
vided for such occasions. 
So we got into an electric tram car and 
were borne, swiftly to the vicinity of Mr. 
Boshier's suburban retreat. 
As we journeyed our conversation lightly 
turned to the subject of Croydon, that one 
town of any considerable size and importance 
contiguous to our monstrous capital. It is 
possible, I am told, to travel by ’bus from 
Croydon right to the heart of London ; there 
are houses more or less all the way, the avant- 
couriers, as one might call them, of the city, 
which stealthily and ceaselessly extends its 
huge circumference. Distinguishing features 
of Croydon are its remarkable healthiness, 
for it usually ranks first or second in the 
periodical official returns of the lowest death 
rates for the whole of the country, and its 
open spaces, which are said to exceed in 
number those of airy other borough of equal 
size in the kingdom. The immediately sur¬ 
rounding neighbourhood of the town is well 
known for its beautiful scenery, and the 
famous Shirley Hills and Croham Hurst are 
popular resorts of holiday makers. 
Mr. Eoshier lias not yet ventured out of the 
state of celibacy, but I was given to under¬ 
stand that he will not much longer delay the 
momentous step. However, he is most com¬ 
fortably situated at his bachelor quarters and 
admirably looked after by his landlady, as 1 
can vouch, after having sat at his hospitable 
board. Opening off the room we occupied is 
a greenhouse, from whence one may descend 
into a garden which was brilliant with flowers. 
These have been cultivated by my host, and 
were such excellent specimens that they did 
not seem to support his disclaimer to being 
anything of a gardener. 
And now the inner man for the time being 
appeased, I opened my bombardment of ques¬ 
tions relative to the subject upon which I had 
come to seek information. 
Thereupon, in response to query number 
one, Mr. Boshier rapidly leeled off in mock 
monotone the following full and compact 
sentences : — 
“I was bom in Warwickshire in 1876. 
Originally it was intended that I should be a 
farmer. I tried a year of it and then decided 
to give it up. Then I was apprenticed to the 
seed business and was for three years with 
Mr. Henry Deverill, Banbury, the noted 
raiser of big. Onions. ALer that i was in, 
London for four years. I came to Croydon 
in 1898. and am managing the Croydon branch 
of Messrs. E. W. and S. Rogers, of Croydon 
and Thornton Heath. I-” 
“ Hold ! ” I cried, “ Let me sharpen my 
pencil; the terrific pace has broken the point. 
. - . How. Any more personal details ? ” 
“None,” was the laconic reply. “You 
have all the most stirring events of my life. 
Perhaps we’d better get on to ihe Society.” 
“ Yes, I want some particulars. When was 
it started?” 
“ Just five years ago. But before I proceed, 
I should like to point out that Croydon is 
uncommonly favourable for horticultural 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
societies. Croydonians are a flower-loving 
people. Then in the neighbourhood are many 
scores of gentlemen’s seats and gardens of 
more than ordinary interest; professional 
gardeners are therefore numerous, and they 
are wisely encouraged by their employers to 
exhibit at local shows, while they appreciate 
the opportunities offered by our Horticultural 
Mutual Improvement Society to meet and ex¬ 
change views and enjoy the company of 
kindred spirits. In amateur gardeners of all 
classes the district is rich, and the excellent 
allotments of the Corporation have further 
helped to encourage the practice of garden¬ 
ing.” 
Apropos of allotments, and by way of 
parenthesis, I should like to relate here that 
while in Croydon I was told of a local shoe¬ 
maker who rents one of these Corporation 
allotments and employs his leisure hours in 
. cultivating his little plot on which he has 
just raised what is believed to be a record 
crop of Shallots. The price obtained for the 
crop works out, on a. careful calculation, at as 
much as £326 per acre ! Questioned as-to his 
method of securing this extraordinary result, 
the shoemaker said that he utilised one of the 
waste products of his ordinary calling as 
manure. The burnt ashes of old boots—his 
speciality—he declares to be equal to the 
finest bone-dust. To the use of this he attri¬ 
butes his success with his tiny allotment, 
“ The Society was formed,” continued Mr. 
Boshier, after a pause, “ in consequence of a 
deeply-felt need among the gardeners them¬ 
selves, and Mr. J. Gregory called a meeting, 
when a number of the leading gardeners and 
horticulturists in the district attended and 
formed themselves into a provisional com¬ 
mittee with the convener of the gathering as 
honorary secretary. From the first the 
matter was taken up with enthusiasm. Mr. 
Gregory resigned the secretaryship in 1902, 
when he was presented by the members with 
a purse of gold and an illuminated address as 
a mark of their appreciation of his services ; 
then I was appointed in his place, but I am 
glad to say we still have Mr. Gregory on our 
committee. The Society now numbers close 
on 200 members.” 
“Do you hold shows?” 
“ Well, we hold a small spring show, but 
there is no charge to the general public for 
admission, and no prizes are offered. One 
incentive to exhibit is the healthy desire to 
excel ; and I think I may add that another 
motive of the exhibitors is mutual encourage¬ 
ment and the wisli to share with others the 
pleasure which they have derived from the 
plants and flowers they have raised.” 
A very excellent sentiment truly. Croydon, 
by the way, has two other horticultural 
societies, viz., the Croydon Horticultural 
Society and the Croydon Chrysanthemum 
Society, each of which is prosperous. The 
relations between these three bodies are, it 
is pleasant to record, of the most amicable 
character. 
“ And what of your meetings, Mr. Boshier, 
which, of course, are the backbone of the 
society ? ” 
“ To be sure. These are held fortnightly, 
excepting in June, July, and August. In the 
summer months gardeners are naturally ex¬ 
ceptionally busy, so we only meet once every 
four weeks, and these meetings invariably take 
the form of an evening visit to some neigh¬ 
bouring garden of note. 
“ At our bi-monthly meetingjs, wliicli are 
always well attended, a lecture is given or a 
paper read, generally by an expert in some 
particular branch of horticulture, and valu¬ 
able discussions follow. Then the members 
are encouraged to bring exhibits, which 
September 9, 1905. 
greatly add to the interest of these gather¬ 
ings. We have a big annual summer outing, 
and an annual dinner. Our society is affili¬ 
ated to the R.H.S., and the advantages of 
this connection with the big society are very 
much appreciated by our members.” 
The society with their limited funds cannot 
do much to assist charitable objects, but at 
their headquarters at the Sunflower Temper¬ 
ance Hotel there is a collection box for dona¬ 
tions to the Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. 
“At one time,” said Mr. Boshier, “ we used 
tc hold prize essay competitions, but our ex¬ 
perience was disappointing; the average gar¬ 
dener and many of the cleverest gardeners do 
not take kindly to composition, so we reluc¬ 
tantly abandoned this item of our pro¬ 
gramme.” 
If this effort proved a failure, they have 
succeeded in other directions. For instance, 
the society sent a deputation to the particular 
committee of the Town Council dealing with 
these matters to urge that the trees, shrubs, 
and plants in the public gardens should each 
have its name plainly set forth on an attached 
label. This was done, and thus the educational 
value and the interest of these gardens has 
been considerably enhanced. Another thing 
accomplished by the society was the publica¬ 
tion, in 1900 of a catalogue of the works on 
horticulture, botany, agriculture, and kindred 
subjects to be found on the shelves of the 
Croydon public libraries. This has proved of 
immense service to the members. Mention 
should just be made of the Employment Regis¬ 
ter which the society keeps, and which assists 
the members to secure situations ; this feature 
is much valued, more especially among the 
younger members, and has been of very real 
service. 
“ The subscriptions of our ordinary mem¬ 
bers,” said Mr. Boshier, in conclusion. 
“ which are quite nominal, and those of a 
certain number of honorary members serve to 
meet all our expenses, and we generally have 
a small balance in hand at the end of the year. 
Our president (Mr. J. J. Reid, of Coombe 
Lodge, Croydon) and our vice-presidents in¬ 
clude some of the best known gentlemen in the 
neighbourhood, and they have done much to 
help forward the work of the society. The 
committee are a strong body, and they spare 
no pains to raise the status of the society and 
extend its usefulness by every means in their 
power. They are imbued with thoroughly pro¬ 
gressive ideas, and would like to enlarge the 
scope of the society by the introduction of 
new features if only funds would allow. It 
is a pleasure to work with them, and I could 
not wish to be associated with a. better com¬ 
mittee, presuming that such a committee is 
to be found.” 
As I wended my way towards the railway 
station and reflected on all I had been told, on 
this and other like occasions, a picture in¬ 
voluntarily came before my mind’s eye of the 
hundreds of horticultural mutual improve¬ 
ment societies scattered over the length and 
breadth of the land. And in fancy I could 
see a great multitude of professional gar¬ 
deners and amateur horticultural enthusiasts 
from hall and cottage gathered into innumer¬ 
able groups, drawn together under the in¬ 
fluence of a community of tastes, quietly and 
unostentatiously discussing the engrossing 
subject of flowers, fruits and vegetables, and 
seeking by this exchange of views and by com¬ 
paring exhibits to satisfy the craving to know- 
more and to excel more in this useful, elevat¬ 
ing and fascinating study and pastime. There 
can be no doubt that these societies are doing 
an inestimable service in spreading a know¬ 
ledge and accentuating the love of gardening 
among all classes. Petek Penn. 
