908 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
November 25, 1905. 
9 SOCIETY DOINGS. © 
The Editor trill be pleased to receive particulars oj the Fixtures, Meetings, Lectures, d-c, oj 
Horticultural Socictys. 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. 
Botanic Society’s Crisis. 
There will be a fight between the Council and 
the Fellows of the Royal Botanic Society at the 
meeting -which has been summoned for Friday the 
24th iiist. The Council propose to raise the 
Fellows’ annual subscription from two to three 
guineas on the ground that this increase is essen¬ 
tial to keep the society in existence, as the 
liabilities now 7 extend £30,000. This proposal is 
so drastic and the financial position of the society 
so serious that many of the Fellows have embodied 
their view's in a communication they intend to 
submit to the Council, a copy of which has been 
forwarded to us by Mr. J. S. Rubinstein, of 76, 
Addison Road, Kensington, who appears to be the 
leading spirit in the revolt. 
The Reforms Needed. 
The non-official view of the position, as set 
forth in this communication (the grammar of 
which, by the way, is not above suspicion), may 
be briefly stated as follows :—Objection is taken 
to the by-law's made by the Council for the regu¬ 
lation of their own election which are “ wholly 
‘repugnant’ to the Charter, and cannot be sus¬ 
tained before any tribunal.” The expediency of 
encouraging horticultural societies and arranging 
for their flower shows to be held in the Botanic 
Gardens is urged, as also the reinstitution of fruit 
shows, the institution of musical promenades on 
the days the gardens are open to the public, and 
the erection of a large floral hall to serve as a 
winter gardens wherein exhibitions and recep¬ 
tions could be held in any weather. The taunt 
of the Council that the Fellows wish to turn the 
gardens into a place of amusemeut similar to 
the Earl’s Court Exhibition is denied. All that 
is desired is that the intention of the charter shall 
be fully carried out. “ The Gardens are so 
delightfully situated,” concluded the communica¬ 
tion, “ andean be so easily made to serve their 
proper educative purposes that w 7 e view with dis¬ 
may the prospect of the Society coming to an end.” 
If the charge of mal-administration can be sus¬ 
tained and it can be proved that the Gardens have 
been restricted in their use to the personal enjoy¬ 
ment of a' comparatively few individuals not 
specially interested in the science of botany and 
horticulture, thei it is to be hoped the Fellows 
will record an overwhelming vote in favour of the 
changes now 7 demanded. 
Rules for Judging. 
The third revised edition of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society’s “Code of Rules forjudging, 
and Suggestions to Schedule-makers, Judges and 
Exhibitors, for use a 7 Horticultural Exhibitions,” 
has just been issued, and may be obtained from 
tbe offices of tbe Society, Vincent Square, West¬ 
minster. 
The Oldest H.S. 
Writing to a contemporary, Mr. F. Walking- 
shaw says, “ Can you give me any information as 
to the ages of horticultural societies ? Our society 
—Odiharu and Hartley Wintney—w 7 as founded in 
1855, and the first show was held in 1856 at 
Odiham. We intend celebrating our Jubilee 
next year. Do you know of any similar society 
which has existed so long, and held a show 
annually w’ithout a break ? ” 
From Time Immemorial. 
The Ancient Society of York Florists claims to 
have been in existence from time immemorial 
although that may be a sly allusion to “The 
grand old gardener and his wife” who, as 
Tennyson declares— 
“ From yon blue heaven above us bent 
Smile at the claims of long descent. 
The York Society was “ Re-established 1760,” is 
the fragmentary information w 7 e get from the 
Society’s schedule. The Royal Horticultural 
Society, as the reader will be probably aware, 
was founded in 1804, and without making re¬ 
search, there occur to us the Stirling H.S., 
instituted in 1812, the Durham, Northumberland 
and Nev 7 castle-upon-Tyne Incorporated Botani¬ 
cal and Horticultural Society, established in 1824, 
and which advertises itself as the oldest horti¬ 
cultural Society in England. The Paisley H.S. 
began its career in 1832. 
As to the specific question asked as to show's 
held annually without a break over the longest 
period, this year the Wood bridge H.S. held its 
fifty-fourth annual show, the Borough of Tyne¬ 
mouth and South Northumberland I’loral and 
H.S. its fifty-first, the Finchley H.S., its forty- 
sixth, the Woburn Cottage Garden Society its 
forty-second, the Gloucestershire Root, Fruit and 
Grain Society its forty-second, and the Whitting¬ 
ton Floral and H. S. its forty-first. If the shows 
of these and other old societies were held con¬ 
secutively year after year, then it will be seen the 
Odiham and Hartley Wintney Society’s record is 
not unique. 
Reinstated Gardeners. 
Last week we drew attention to the fact that 
two of the cleverest gardeners employed at Kew 
Gardens bad been discharged owing to their share 
in the organisation of a union of employees there. 
We are pleased to be able to state that the men 
have now been reinstated by the President of the 
Board of Agriculture. The next thing tbe Hon. 
Ailwyn Fellow'es should do is to institute an 
enquiry into the grievances of the men. If they 
are treated with justice the authorities need have 
no fear of trade unions. 
Chrysanthemums at Croydon. 
“ I am sure you will all agree that this is the 
finest show held by the Society during all its eigh¬ 
teen years’ existence,” said Mr. Alderman G. J. 
Allen,Mayor of Croydon, at the opening of the local 
Chrysanthemum Show. “ l even consider tbe 
exhibits are better than those which were dis¬ 
played a few days ago at the Crystal Palace.” 
(Hear, hear.) This is not the first time we have 
come across a similar expression of opinion made 
at other Chrysanthemum Shows, and though com¬ 
parisons may be odious, the N.C.S. should look to 
its reputation. Certain it is the Chrysanthemums 
exhibited by H.S.H. Prince Hatzfeldt (gardener 
Mr. F. Bible), and which were awarded the 
Champion Challenge Cup and took also the Allen 
Silver Cup, were of a superlative order of merit. 
Great Scott! 
Compositors are funny fellows, and the typo¬ 
graphical errors they often perpetuate make 
strange and amusing reading. The other day a 
newspaper reporter, describing the seventh 
annual show of the Tullycarnett Horticultural 
Society, wrote: ‘‘Specimens of all the famous 
potatoes of the past few years were on view— 
Eldorado, The Diamond, The Pearl, Superlative, 
Million-maker, Great Scott, etc., and also the 
new varieties Sensation and Marvel.” This is 
how the printer - man set up the sentence :— 
“ Specimens of all the famous potatoes of the 
past few years were on view—Eldorado, the 
diamond, the pearl, superlative, million-maker, 
and, great Scott! also the new varieties sensation 
and marvel.” 
Won’t let the Secretary Retire. 
Alderman Allen, who is president of the 
Croydon society and in which he takes an active 
interest, being himself a floriculturist of no mean 
distinction, alluded to the announced approaching 
retirement of (Mr. Wm. B. Beckett, the popular 
secretary, to whose organising skill and untiring 
efforts it was generally admitted tbe success of 
that show, as of many previous ones, was largely 
due. “ Mr. Beckett has hinted at resignation be¬ 
fore,” said Alderman Allen, “ but I absolutely 
refused to listen to him. There are some who will 
lend him a hand with the work, and no one 
interested in the society will allow him to retire 
after having seen us safely through eighteen years. 
Much of the success the society has attained is 
attributable to the personality of our popular 
secretary,” and the speaker went on to pro¬ 
phesy that the association would collapse if (Mr. 
Beckett were permitted to go. “ But,” he added 
firmly, “ we’re not going to let him go,” a deter- 
minatio n which was greeted with loud applause. 
After that Mr. Beckett has no option but to stand 
by his admiring friends. 
A Hard Working Mayor. 
Councillor A. C. Loury, Mayor of Southend, 
works with a vengeance. According to a report 
in the local paper he is stated to have said, 
while performing the opening ceremony of the 
Southend Chrysanthemum Society’s Show, that 
during his year of office he had attended no less 
than 538 functions of a similar description. This 
looks something like a typographical error. He 
had also, he said, attended 172 meetings of the 
council and committees. This examplar of 
the strenuous life expressed the hope that 
before next summer Southend would have a 
horticultural society of its own. There was a 
balance of £50 from the Essex Show, and he 
thought this might be a nucleus of a fund for 
this purpose, and trusted the new mayor would 
open, through the Press, a subscription list. 
Three good Reasons. 
Presiding at the opening of the Eastbourne 
Horticultural Society’s Chrysanthemum Show, 
Councillor C. O’Brien Harding expressed regret 
that the society was not supported so largely as 
it deserved to be. Having pointed out what the 
society was doing, he said there were three 
reasons why it should be supported. Firstly, it 
afforded outdoor amusement; secondly, it 
enabled men to spend their leisure in a profitable 
manner; and, thirdly, acquaintance with the 
beautiful and pure forms of Nature led them to 
better and higher things. 
Garden Cities and Gardening. 
Under the above title, Mr. Thos. Adams, 
secretary of the Garden City Association, 
lectured before the members of the Scottish 
Horticultural Association, Edinburgh, on the 7th 
inst. After detailing the aims and principles of 
the association, the lecturer, by the aid of lime¬ 
light illustrations gave a description of the estate 
of Letchworth, near Hitchin, in its original con¬ 
dition as acquired by The Garden City Pioneer 
Company. Thereafter he described the prospective 
plan of the city, and gave an account of its actual 
development up to the present. This latter part of 
the lecture included an account of the cheap 
cottages exhibition held on the estate recently. 
So far as experience has gone the enterprise 
promises to be a success. C. C. 
Plucky Bath Gardeners. 
No little praise is due ito the Bath Gardeners’ 
Self-Help Debating Society in reviving the local 
Chrysanthemum Show. This society has been 
in existence only some thirteen months, but it 
has already over 250 members, which says much 
for the energy and ability, of the executive. For 
many years the Bath Floral Fete and Band Com¬ 
mittee promoted a similar exhibition at the 
Assembly Rooms, but the venture was not a 
success. We trust the present effort will meet 
with a large measure of success. 
United Horticultural Benefit and Provident 
Society. 
The monthly committee meeting of this society 
was held at the Royal Horticultural Hall, Vincent 
Square, Westminster, S.W., on Monday, the 13tlr 
inst., (Mr. Charles H. Curtis in the chair. Seven 
new members were elected. The amount paid for 
sickness since the last meeting was £26 16s. 
Ten members are on the sick fund at the present 
