.lime 17, 1905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
197 
Society 
r 
Doings. 
The Editor will he pleased to receive particulars of the Fixtures, Meetings , Lectures, cfee., of Horticultural Societies . Secretaries 
or Members willing to send us brief notes of general interest are invited to forward name and address to the Editor, who will 
gladly send supply of stamped addressed contributors ’ slips. 
Wanted, Ideas and Suggestions. 
We would call particular attention to the 
announcement in the centre of this page of 
a prize competition on a subject of vital im¬ 
portance to all who are interested in local hor¬ 
ticultural societies. Here is an opportunity 
of setting forth ideas as to the best way of 
conducting these societies with a view to aug¬ 
menting their usefulness and extending their 
membership. We do not want fine writing 
so much as good suggestions ; indeed, the sug¬ 
gestiveness of the papers submitted, the essay 
which embodies the best practicable scheme 
for improving and popularising these bodies, 
will stand highest in the estimation of the 
adjudicator of the prizes. 
Why All should Compete. 
We think that everyone connected with 
society work or experienced in society 
organisation, and everyone interested in the 
spread of horticultural knowledge, should 
endeavour to take part in this competition, 
and that not merely because of the chance of 
winning a prize. Our intention is to quote 
liberally from those unsuccessful essays which 
may yet contain practical hints or impressive 
suggestions ; to extract the grains of gold 
hidden away, it may be, in more or less pro¬ 
fitless verbiage. Thus, though the com¬ 
petitor may not succeed in pecuniarily benefit- 
!ing himself, he may nevertheless feel the 
satisfaction of having helped to advance the 
cause which we all have—or ought to have— 
at heart. In answer to numerous correspond¬ 
ents we have now to say that this com¬ 
petition is open to members of all local 
gardening and horticultural societies, amateur 
and otherwise. 
Resuscitated after Twenty Years. 
We had something to say last week about 
restoring dead horticultural societies to life. 
On the top of this comes the pleasant re¬ 
minder from the secretary that the South 
Shields Horticultural Society was resuscitated 
last year after a dormant interval of no less 
than twenty years. Says Mr. Geo. Ogilvie : 
" It now bids fair to take a prominent posi¬ 
tion in the horticultural world once more.” 
This is good news, and we commend the in- 
I teresting fact to the notice of horticulturists 
in those districts which are in the unenviable, 
not to say reproachable, position of being 
without one of these peculiarly useful in¬ 
stitutions. 
Pluck and Energy Rewarded. 
“ Last year,” adds Mr. Ogilvie, “ the whole 
of the arrangements were completed in the 
short space of four months, and so success¬ 
fully was the venture managed that a 
i balance of over £60 remained. For this year’s 
show (August 30t.h and 31st) the prizes have 
been considerably augmented in all classes, 
and total to upwards of £120, while in addi¬ 
tion an excellent challenge cup of the value 
of ten guineas is offered for greenhouse 
plants. The entries last year exceeded 400, 
and the committee are in hopes that several 
well-known south-country exhibitors will 
figure in the list this year.” This is a capital 
object lesson, and an instance of pluck and 
well-directed energy rewarded. Mr. Ogilvie ’9 
address is 36, Thomas Street, South Shields. 
A Short-sighted Policy. 
“I agree with your eulogium of Mr. J. 
Andrews, Woodbridge, for his clever and 
original advertising,” writes the secretary 
(Mr. W. L. Wallis) of the East Anglian 
Horticultural Club. He sends us a copy of 
the schedule and report of his society, 
“although,” he says “you may not, of course, 
think much of my efforts at book compiling.” 
As a matter of fact, we readily compliment 
him, not only on the literary style and 
arrangement of the book, but on the quality 
of the printing, which places it easily amongst 
the best of the publications of this class 
received by us. Good printing and good 
paper are really so cheap nowadays that there 
is no sound excuse for the trashily printed 
reports issued by some few societies. To send 
out bad printing is very bad policy, and does 
not favourably influence subscribers or ex¬ 
hibitors either. 
< ---'x 
OUR PRIZE COMPETITIONS.' 
—*— } 
SPECIAL COMPETITION 
For Members of Local 
Horticultural Societies. 
Prizes. — (1) Three guineas. 
(2) One guinea. 
(3) Ten shillings and sixpence. 
Open only to members of local Horticultural 
Societies. 
The above prizes are offered for the best article 
or essay on the following subject:— 
“ How to extend the membership 
and usefulness of local Horticultural 
Societies.” 
The length of the essay should be about 1,000 
words, and it must be sent in before the end 
of August next. Mark envelopes in left-hand 
corner with the words “Society Competition.” 
A New Daffodil Society. 
It is always pleasant to be able to place on 
record the birth of a new horticultural society. 
True the Hastings Daffodil Society is as yet 
in the embiyo stage, but the enthusiastic 
spirits who are engineering the project will 
doubtless soon give their ideas concrete form. 
A meeting is immediately to be held with the 
object of founding such a society and of hold¬ 
ing an exhibition annually of spring flowers. 
For Mutual Protection. 
The fruit-growers in the neighbourhood of 
Burnham, Sussex, held a meeting at the Corn 
Exchange, Barnham, on the last day of May, 
and formed themselves into the Barnham and 
District Fruit Growers’ Association. 
A Discourse on Leaves. 
An attractive feature of the Bradford 
Scientific Association’s summer programme is 
four lectures to be given in the local botanical 
garden. At the first of these, given last week, 
Mr. W. P. Winter took a party of ladies and 
gentlemen around the garden and talked 
about leaves, a subject which proved inex¬ 
haustible owing to the diversity of the plants 
and the many interesting examples they 
afforded of the strategems to which plant life 
resorts in self-preservation. 
What Shall we Do with our Girls ? 
According to a speaker at the annual meet¬ 
ing of Swanley Agricultural College, horticul¬ 
ture as a profession offers great inducements 
to women, there being more applications for 
girl gardeners in schools, institutions, and 
private gardensi than there are girls to fill the 
vacant posts. Of the past Swanley students, 
forty-eight are doing well as private 
gardeners, twenty-three have charge of school 
and institution gardens, fifty-two manage 
their own gardens, and ten have nurseries of 
their own. Three are landscape and eight 
jobbing gardeners. We regret to hear that 
in spite of the good work this college has 
done and is. doing in the training of women 
for horticulture, it is financially embarrassed. 
Viscountess Falmouth, at whose house the 
meeting was held, and who presided, ex¬ 
plained that unless they got £2,000 the col¬ 
lege would probably have to close its doors. 
Farningham’s Forthcoming Show. 
J line 28th is the date of the twenty-seventh 
annual exhibition of the Farningham Rose 
and Horticultural Society, entries for which 
must be sent in on or before the 24th inst. 
There is a large number of prizes for amateurs 
and gardeners, for ladies, and for cottagers. 
The exhibition of last year was a great suc¬ 
cess, the exhibit of Roses being exceptionally 
good. The balance-sheet for 1904 show's 
receipts £153 6s. 3d., and expenditure 
£134 9s. 10d., a deficit of the previous two 
years having been turned into a balance of 
nearly £8. 
Broughton Astley H.S. 
At a meeting of the Broughton Astley 
Horticultural and Floral Society held last 
week the accounts for 1904 were passed. The 
complete turnover was £106, the balance in 
hand £26 18s.—an increase of nearly £2 from 
the previous year. All the officers were re¬ 
elected, and the lion, secretary (Mr. R. IV. 
Shelton) was accorded a special vote of thanks 
for his efforts on behalf of the society. 
Lady Gardeners. 
Mrs. Wilton Allhusen, a vice-president of 
the organisation, presided at the annual meet¬ 
ing of the Women’s Agricultural and Horti¬ 
cultural International Union, held on the 
31st ult., in the museum of the Royal 
Botanic Gardens, London. The union has a 
membership of 137 ladies, of whom thirty- 
seven are gardeners, eleven market gardeners, 
and eight farmers. The financial position 
showed appreciable improvement. 
Interesting Items. 
Good work is being done in North Man¬ 
chester by the Children’s Window Gardening 
Society among elementary school pupils. 
Three flower shows were held last year.— 
Nearly 100 members of the Wolverton H.S. 
last week inspected the magnificent gardens 
and grounds at Castle Ashby by permission 
of the Marquis of Northampton, Mr. Searle, 
