MAGAZINE OF SCIENCE AND ART. 
THE AUSTRALIAN HORTICUL¬ 
TURAL AND AGRICULTURAL 
SOCIETY. 
It will be perceived by our readers, from 
a notice under the name of this Magazine, 
that it is to be the authentic organ of the 
above Society, and to contain a monthly re¬ 
cord of the society' s transactions, and the 
papers read at the monthly' meetings ; we 
have, therefore, deemed it advisable, that it 
may' hereafter be convenient for reference, 
to give our readers in this, the first number 
of the Magazine, a short history of the pre¬ 
sent society. 
In Julv, 1848, a Society was established under the name 
of the “Australasian Botanic and Horticultural Society,” 
which society seemed in a fair way ot flourishing, and no 
doubt would have done so, but for a short-sighted policy 
in its early career which excluded practical men from any 
participation in its government, and in a short time it 
dwindled down to nothing but an exhibition, society but 
nothing was done for the advancement ot either Horticul¬ 
ture or Agriculture. Beyond this, we are not able to obtain 
information as to the working of the society from our in¬ 
ability to procure tlie records of the society. A number 
of practical men and others interested^ in the welfare ot 
the colony, and these branches of science, met in. the 
month of November, 1851, having consulted together, and 
decided that some more practical encouragement to the 
spread and cultivation of horticulture should be fdveu, 
than any afforded by existing institutions. A preliminary 
meeting of gentlemen favourable to such an object was 
convened, and was held at Mr. Mott's Store, on the Cir¬ 
cular Quay. At this meeting, it was determined to es¬ 
tablish a Society for the encouragement ol horticulture, 
under the name of “ The Horticultural Improvement 
Society,” and a provisional committee with an honorary 
secretary’ was appointed. 
The provisional committee thus appointed framed a 
code of rules, which were submitted to the public meeting 
on the 8 th of January’. The meeting adjourned to the 
15th January, when the rules where adopted and a council 
of twenty-one members elocted- 
Solieitations to that effect having been tnade by the 
Society, his Excellency Sir William Denison accepted 
the office of President, and the Honorable Sir Charles 
Nicholson, Speaker of the legislative Council, and Sir 
Thomas Livingstone Mitchell, Surveyor-General, were 
chosen as Vice-Presidents. _ . 
In consequence of some delay in the organization of the 
Society, and for the sake of greater convenience in res¬ 
pect to matters connected with horticulture, it was deter¬ 
mined that the actual commencement of the proceedings 
of the Societv should date from the 1st day of July, 185o, 
and that subscriptions should only be calculated from 
that date. 
The opening meeting of the members of the Society 
was held on the 15th May, 1855, in the Theatre of the 
School of Arts, at which the Honorable Sir Charles 
Nicholson presided. The meeting was very numerously 
and respectably attended, and interesting papers were read 
by Sir Charles Nicholson, Mr. E. K. Silvester, and Mr. 
T. W. Shepherd. , , , TT 
From this time np to the 8 th December last, the Hor¬ 
ticultural Improvement Society grew in strength and 
attracted general attention; it held its regular public 
monthly meetings for the reading of essays and papers, 
and discussing Horticultural and Agricultural subjects, 
on the first Tuesday in everv mouth, the only omission ot 
th obervance of the appointed day for this purpose being 
in the case of New Tear’s Pay happening to fall on the 
first Tuesday in January, 1S5G. The whole of the meet¬ 
ings were numerously attended, both by ladies and 
gentlemen, and on each occasion the evenings were agree¬ 
ably and profitably spent in listening to the many inter- 
esti’ng papers read", and discussions on the various topics 
thev suggested. . . , 
The following is a list of the subjects of the papers 
which have been read before those meetings, and some ot 
which, as we find space, we propose to publish in externa 
in this Magazine ;— 
1— Muspratt on Manures. , 
2 — Jessup, on the Cultivation of Orchids, (A o. 1 )■ 
3— Webb, on Photography, as a means of taking im¬ 
pressions of leaves. 
4 — T. IV. Shepherd, on Hybridization. 
5 — Jtuspratt, on Horticultural Chemistry. _ 
0—Creswick, on the Noxious Bum and Thistles grow¬ 
ing in the Colony. . . , 
7 _Sadlier, on the Agricultural Capabilities ot the 
Colour, (No. 1). 
8 — "Mitchell, on Native Plants. 
9 — T. IV. Shepherd, on Native Plants, (No. 1). 
10— Sadlier, on tho Agricultural Capabilities of the 
Colonv, (No. 2 ). , ... 
llJ-L. C. Shepherd, on the Construction of Flower 
Gardens. „ . . 
12 —T. IV. Shepherd, on Native Plants, (No. 2). 
13_Sadlier, on the Agricultural Capabilities of the 
Colony, (No. 3). . 
14—Creswick on tho Cultivation of Craerarais. 
15 _Creswiok on the Cultivation of Boses. 
10 —IPKean, on Orchids. , . 
1*1 _Macgillivray, on the Vegetable Productions ot the 
South Sea Islands. , _ ,, 
18_Keene, (prize essay) on tho Best Means for Pre¬ 
venting the Sand Drifts ifi the vicinity of Sydney. 
19 — Macgillivray, on Sandal Wood. 
20 — Creswick, on the Cultivation of Boses. 
21_Graham, on the Cultivation of the Jerusalem 
Artichoke. 
• 22 —Jessup, on Orchids, (No. 2). 
03_T. IV. Shepherd, on Native Plants, (No. 3). 
24 _Macgillivray, on tho Vegetable Productions of 
Cape York. ... „ ... 
25 _Creswick* on tbc Cultivation of Koses, (iso. 
2G_Milne, on the Cultivation of the Breadfruit. 
27— Graham, on the Cultivation of Cucumbers. 
28— Bell, Oil the Cultivation of Dahlias. 
29 _Milne, on the Tacca, or Native Arrowroot. 
30—Wilson on the Cultivation of Heaths. . 
31 _I), shepherd, on tho Cultivation of the Olive in 
Australia. 
32 —Bell, on the Growth of Garlic. 
33 _Carron, on Cuscuta Europsca, Dodder, a plant 
which is destructive to Lucerne, &c. , , 
34— D. Shepherd, on the Propagation of I lants by 
Cuttings. 
35— D. Wilson, on Pillar Boses. 
30 _R. Meston, on the Climatology of Australia. 
3 7 —Creswick, on Sorghum Saccharatum. 
S3_J. Graham, on the Cultivation of Rhubarb. 
39 — L. C. Shepherd, on the best means of eradicatin 
Knot-grass—Cyprus Hydra. , , 
40— T. W. Shepherd, on the Botany of Norfolk Island, 
C. Shepherd, on Ladies’ Minature Flower 
Gardens. 
42—Mills, on Sorghum Saccharatum. 
43_T. W. Shepherd, on the Botany of Norfolk Island, 
(No. 2 ). 
44— Creswick. oil the Cultivation of Liquorice. 
45— Bell, on the. Benefits to_ be derived from Horticul¬ 
tural and Agricultural Associations, and the Establish¬ 
ment of an Horticultural and Agricultural Museum. 
40_L. C. Shepherd, on the best means of Eradicating 
Noxious Burrs, growing in tbe colony. 
47—Meston, Prize Essay on Burrs and Thistles. 
In the mean time, about October, 1856, communica¬ 
tions were received from the Australasian Botanical an< 
Horticultural Society, with a view to amalgamating tho 
two Societies, when at a communication of sub-commit¬ 
tees, duly appointed by both the Societies, the following 
