594 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  26, 1895. 
efficient  committee.  Such  committees  would  be  enabled  to  make 
known  the  work  and  objects  of  the  R.H.S.,  and  might  be  made 
available  to  advise  parish  district  and  county  councils  upon  such 
subjecti  as  allotment  gardens,  school  gardens,  parks,  open 
spaces,  &c. — 'W.  H.  Gkeen,  F.R.H.S.,  Wolverhampton. 
The  proposed  changes  in  connection  with  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society,  and  which  formed  the  subject  of  your  leader  (page  543)  are 
very  important  ;  and  I  was  specially  pleased  to  read  the  admirable 
suggestions,  which  I  think  may  well  be  considered  by  this  Society. 
To  us  in  the  country  the  R.H.S.  is  but  a  “  name,”  and  that  “  not 
one  to  conjure  with  whereas  it  might  not  only  be  a  “reality,” 
but  of  the  greatest  help  to  provincial  shows,  and  consequently  to 
horticulture  over  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  Societies  in  their  districts  know  best  how 
to  cater  for  the  wants  of  horticulturists,  and  how  to  secure 
admirable  displays  of  plants,  flowers,  fruit,  and  vegetables. 
Many  of  these  exhibitions  would  not  be  a  disgrace  to  London, 
although  held  in  the  country  without  the  prestige  of  an  old  valued 
National  Society. 
But  why  cannot  help  be  given  by  the  R.H.S.  ?  I  do  not  mean  in 
a  mere  empty  patronising  sort  of  way,  but  practical  help  in  the 
interests  of  horticulture  generally.  As  you  suggest,  why  should 
not  the  President  of  the  Society — with,  say,  five  of  the  Council — 
visit  some  of  the  principal  country  shows  this  next  year,  and  acting 
as  a  body  of  judges,  themselves  give  the  certificates  of  merit  of  the 
R.H.S.  to  such  exhibits  as  they  may  think  worthy.  I  am  sure  such 
an  arrangement  would  be  cordially  received  by  the  managers  of  the 
shows  visited,  whilst  the  certificates  would  be  valued  by  provincial 
cultivators  who  never  exhibit  in  London.  Besides,  I  venture  to 
say  these  visits  of  the  President  and  Council  would  be  a  source  of 
pleasure,  and  I  think  profit  even,  to  the  visitors  themselves,  and  I 
feel  sure  they  would  be  surprised  at  the  excellence  of  some  of  these 
“country  ”  shows. 
It  would  be  impossible,  in  a  short  note,  to  give  a  tithe  of  the 
advantages  which  might  accrue  by  a  wide  public-spirited  policy 
adopted  by  the  R.H.S.  County  Councils  are  sending  their  horticul¬ 
tural  lecturers  into  every  village  in  the  country.  Why  should  not 
the  R.H.S.  reach,  in  a  practical  way,  every — yes,  I  write  it  advisedly 
— every  show  in  the  country,  whether  large  or  small,  and  lead  the 
way  in  all  horticultural  matters,  instead  of  being,  as  at  present,  I 
fear,  practically  unknown  in  many  districts  or  ignored. 
I  can  only  say  if  the  Society  chose  to  visit  the  show  I  am 
officially  connected  with  their  visit  would  bo  cordially  received. — 
H.  W.  Adnitt,  Shrewsbury. 
CLOSING  THOUGHTS. 
Going  !  Going  !  !  Gone  ! ! !  But  a  few  days  will  elapse  ere  the 
inexorable  hand  strikes  the  final  note,  ere  it  passes,  this  1895,  into 
history.  How  do  we  view  it — we  who  are  interested  in  these 
pages — and  how  shall  its  character  be  summed  up  for  reference  in 
the  years  to  come  ?  Possibly  the  balance  of  opinion  is  favourable,  and, 
overlooking  some  erratic  flights  in  its  character,  will  accord  to  it  an 
average  of  merit.  Such,  I  think,  will  be  a  fair  estimate,  though  I 
am  not  qualified  to  analyse  its  parts,  its  inches  of  rain,  hours  of 
sunshine,  degrees  of  heat  or  of  cold.  Individual  opinion  will 
qualify  it  by  the  degrees  of  good,  bad,  or  indifferent,  and  it  is  from 
these  diverse  views  I  will  endeavour  to  criticise,  not  the  unalterable 
but  the  revocable  ;  not  the  seasons,  but  ourselves,  for  “.  .  .  in 
ourselves  our  safety  lies.” 
There  is  neither  time  nor  space  nor  is  there  special  necessity  for 
entering  now  into  such  details  as  are,  obviously,  fresh  in  reflective 
minds.  The  weather  may  be  praised  or  blamed,  and  to  some  serve 
as  a  scapegoat  for  little  sins,  forming  the  dividing  line  between 
success  or  failure.  There  is  a  salve  for  every  sore,  but  no  cure 
only  in  applying  the  right  remedy.  Many  pleasing  examples  are 
in  evidence  of  healthy,  vigorous  action  and  its  consequent  rewards  ; 
yet  do  not  these  serve  to  throw  in  deeper  shade  the  reverses  of 
fortune  (?)  experienced  by  those  who  fight  blindly  or  half-heartedly, 
who  know  not  their  own  powers,  who  look  for  safety  in  circum¬ 
stances  and  not  in  themselves. 
The  successful  cultivator,  or,  indeed,  the  successful  man  in  any 
phase  of  life,  is  always  a  medium  for  the  transmission  of  the  spirit 
of  emulation  to  his  fellow  men,  provided  they  are  susceptible  to 
the  influence.  On  the  other  hand,  instances  are  not  wanting  in 
which  published  failures  act  as  deterrents  to  those  engaged  in  the 
struggle  of  life.  Never  in  the  history  of  horticulture  has  the 
necessity  been  so  keenly  felt  as  in  the  past  year,  that  work  and 
thought  must  go  hand  in  hand.  Nor  has  there,  I  think,  ever  been 
stronger  evidence  adduced  of  the  wisdom,  of  the  vital  necessity, 
of  grasping  every  means  to  the  end.  These  means  are  so  many. 
and  so  open  to  all,  that,  to  my  mind,  they  more  than  compensate 
for  the  various  evils  these  later  days  have  sprung  upon  us. 
There  is  not,  I  suppose,  one  in  the  gardening  world,  from  the 
humblest  to  the  highest,  who  has  done  so  well  but  what  he  hopes 
to  do  better  ;  and  there  are,  probably,  but  few  who  are  not  at  the 
present  time  looking  back  in  a  general  survey  of  their  successes  or 
failures  for  future  guidance.  Provided  that  this  criticism  is 
severely  impartial,  and  that  its  consequent  resolves  are  not  vaguely 
defined,  nought  but  salutary  lessons  can  result.  The  bountiful 
Mother  has  sent  each  of  us,  her  sons,  into  the  gardening  world  with 
a  packet  of  the  seeds  of  success  in  our  pocket,  and  as  we  sow  so 
shall  we  reap. 
Turning  to  other  passing  thoughts,  a  casual  observer  taking  a 
broad  look  at  one  of  our  chief  horticultural  exhibitions,  or  noting 
the  features  of  some  eminent  gardening  establishment,  may  arrive 
at  the  conclusion  that  little  remains  to  be  done  so  far  as  improve¬ 
ment  is  concerned.  He  sees  the  best  of  its  kind  with  a  vision  in 
which  perspective  possibilities  have  no  place,  nor  is  he  troubled 
to  look  back  on  the  devious  paths  by  which  gardening  has  been 
brought  to  its  present  stage.  But  the  man  whose  life-study  of 
the  subject  has  strengthened  his  eye  to  look  far  beyond  has  glorious 
visions  not  bounded  by  the  horizon  of  the  present.  The  one 
views  with  pleasure  what  he  takes  to  be  the  maturation  of  labour 
and  thought  ;  the  other  derives  an  infinitely  greater  satisfaction  in 
watching  and  aiding  the  development  of  what  he  may  not  unreason¬ 
ably  regard  as  infinite. 
That  these  thoughts  may  not  be  obscure,  though  only  intended 
to  be  suggestive,  I  venture  to  ask.  Have  we  yet  attained  the 
highest  possible  with  any  subjects  under  our  hand  ?  I  think  not ; 
and  the  proof  is  not  wanting  in  the  ceaseless  endeavour  to  reach 
higher  points  of  excellence  in  size,  colour,  hardiness,  variety,  or 
what  not.  True,  in  some  paths  pursued  we  see  in  the  distance  a 
dead  wall  on  which  “  No  thoroughfare  ”  is  inscribed  ;  but  on 
nearer  approach  a  way  is  found  to  the  right  or  left,  and  man’s 
ingenuity  is  provided  with  an  outlet. 
On,  on,  ever  onwards  !  Doubtless  we  would,  with  this  subject 
dear  to  our  hearts,  like  to  go  back — back  to  the  very  cradle  of  life 
and  trace  by  natural  selection,  or  other  means,  the  development  of 
vegetable  life  till  such  time  as  man,  the  privileged  animal,  brought 
it  subservient  to  his  will.  Some  few  might,  indeed,  like  to  throw 
aside  a  few  more  aeons  of  ages  and  grapple  with  a  subject 
(evolution)  which  is  engaging  the  attention  of  the  deepest  thinkers 
of  the  age.  Nor  do  I  see  those  dangers  in  so  doing  which  may 
suggest  themselves,  provided  that  the  mind  is  able  to  leave  the 
narrowness  of  present  surroundings  and  measure  immensity  on  the 
infinite  scale.  It  is  good  to  lose  oneself  for  a  little  while  in  such 
sublime  philosophy  provided  that  we  lose  not  sight  of  the  great 
architectural  plan,  and  reverently  recognise  the  majesty  of  design, 
of  law  and  order.  Yet  these  things  are,  rather,  for  the  chosen  few 
selected  by  intellectual  endowment  and  privileged  by  circumstances. 
That  the  spirit  of  such  things  is  in  the  gardening  body  must  be 
sufficient,  and  that  it  is  there  is  evident,  for  even  the  boy  who 
stokes  the  fires  looks  wonderingly  on  the  print  of  a  prehistoric  leaf 
in  the  coal. 
Yet,  out  of  the  depths  of  past  years  must  the  return  be  made 
to  this  unit  of  time — the  passing  year,  and  its  teachings.  Possibly 
to  many,  besides  myself,  the  pithy  verdicts  of  our  “Reporters,” 
“Inspectors,”  “Nomads,”  or  whatsoever  signatures  the  “  Chiels  ” 
employ,  have  come  as  a  surprise,  a  pleasant  surprise,  in  reverting 
to  the  somewhat  peculiar  season.  “  Very  fine,”  “  never  better,” 
“the  best  ever  seen,”  has  been  frequently  noticed  in  the  recent 
reports  of  the  Chrysanthemum  shows.  So  with  the  fruit  has  high 
meed  of  praise  been  given.  To  what  may  we  attribute  this  happy 
condition  of  things  ?  Is  it  to  the  weather,  which,  for  the  nonce, 
has  been  dealt  to  us  in  alternate  slices  of  heat  and  cold,  shine  and 
shade,  rather  than  under  the  normal  conditions  of  mixed  ? 
To  say  that  even  our  giants  are  independent  of  the  weather 
would  be  a  bold  thing  to  do  ;  but  there  are,  I  think,  ample  results 
testifying  to  the  victories  gained  over  adverse  conditions.  Periods 
of  drought,  spells  of  wet,  untimely  frosts,  all  enter  into  the 
prudent  man’s  calculations  ;  hence  his  hopes  are  neither  parched, 
drowned,  nor  frozen.  What  ways  or  means  he  takes  to  cope  with 
such  contingencies  are  not  for  passing  thoughts  ;  those  who  seek 
them  will  find  them  faithfully  depicted  in  the  year’s  work  of  the 
Journal  of  Horticulture.  Not  a  hundred  miles  from  Inverary  the 
sailings  of  a  boat  used  to  be  proclaimed  by  sound  of  bell.  The 
departure  was  contingent  on  weather ;  “  weather  permitting  on 
Monday,”  failing  that  “on  Tuesday,”  and,  mark  the  sequel,  “on 
Wednesday,  weather  or  no.”  The  moral,  if  far  fetched,  is, 
“  Where  there’s  a  will  there’s  a  way,”  and  that  same  indomitable 
will,  for  which  there  are  no  terrors  in  the  torrid  zone,  and  to  which 
the  frozen  pole  may  ere  this  have  revealed  its  secrets,  can  turn  the 
many  failures  ever  waiting  on  the  gardener’s  work  into  success. 
Perhaps,  in  the  years  to  come,  the  present  year  may  not  be 
