2 
JOURNAL  OR  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  C,  1898. 
islands,  and  the.  lessons  taught  by  it  ought  to  prevent  the  great 
mistakes  that  have  been  made  in  times  past.  Strong  things  have 
been  said  upon  the  subject  of  waste  in  our  orchards,  but  not  any 
stronger  than  it  deserves. 
The  fortnightly  meetings  at  the  Drill  Hall  have  brought  together 
not  only  splendid  collections  of  plants,  flowers,  and  fruit,  but  also 
every  novelty  that  is  worth  recording.  The  awards  of  the  Committees 
are  eagerly  looked  for,  and  the  “  imprimatur  ”  of  the  Society  is  always 
regarded  as  an  important  commendation  of  the  subject  brought 
forward.  Of  course  mistakes  are  sometimes  made,  but  no  one  can 
have  noticed  the  careful  consideration  which  is  given  by  tlie  Committees 
to  everything  brought  before  them  but  must  recognise  the  value  of 
their  awards.  Ic  is  still  a  matter  for  regret  that  no  more  suitable 
place  has  been  found  for  these  exhibitions,  and  also  that  the 
attendance  of  visitors  is  so  small.  I  think,  perhaps,  that  this  has 
been  a  little  better  during  the  past  year;  still,  when  one  sees  the  room 
filled  with  the  most  admirable  productions,  and  recognises  how  almost 
universal  is  the  love  of  flowers  amongst  us,  it  does  seem  strange  that 
so  few  even  of  the  Fellows  of  the  Society  who  live  in  London  come  to 
these  e.xhibitions. 
The  Society  has  also  carried  out  its  plan  of  bringing  its  influence 
to  bear  on  horticulture  in  the  provinces ;  its  failure  in  times  past  to 
run  an  exhibition  of  its  own  in  our  provincial  towns  made  the  Council 
very  chary  of  attempting  anything  of  the  kind  again,  and  a  plan 
which  they  have  adopted  of  some  members  of  the  Council  visiting  one 
or  more  of  the  provincial  exhibitions  of  other  societies  in  recognition 
of  provincial  work  and  awarding  medals,  has  no  doubt  stimulated 
horticulture  in  the  places  visited,  and  at  the  same  time  formed  a  link 
with  the  great  centre  in  London. 
With  regard  to  other  horticultural  exhibitions  I  hardly  think  the 
Iioyal  Botanic  Society  has  made  much  progress,  although  a  certain 
amount  of  energy  has  been  put  into  it,  anl  the  authorities  have 
expressed  a  wish  for  other  societies  to  hold  their  exhibitions  there. 
The  Loyal  Aquarium,  which  everyone  abuses,  and  deservedly  so,  as 
the  most  hateful  of  all  places  for  a  flower  show,  may  be  regarded  as  the 
head  quarters  of  the  National  Chrysanthemum  Suciety,  whose  grand 
exhibitions  are  held  there,  though  many  supporters  of  the  Society  do  ni  t 
visit  them,  or  do  so  in  a  very  hesitating  manner.  The  Crystal  Palace, 
en  the  other  hand,  which  is  the  best  of  all  places  for  a  flower  show,  has 
by  the  loss  of  its  late  garden  superintendent,  Mr.  Heal,  made  it  the 
more  trying  for  his  successor,  Mr.  Caselton,  in  that  he  had  to  come  Into 
office  in  so  upsetting  a  year  as  that  of  the  Jubilee,  and  both  the 
National  Rose  Society  and  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  have 
been  very  much  interfered  with  by  the  arrangements  made  for  its 
celebration. 
A  prejiosterous  idea  has  been  lately  put  forward  in  some  quarters 
that  the  Government  should  buy  the  Palace  for  the  use  of  the  nation. 
I  call  it  preposterous,  because  it  could  never  be  of  any  use  to  the 
London  public,  being  too  far  out,  and  because  the  continued  main¬ 
tenance  of  such  an  institution  would  be  such  that  no  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer  would  care  to  be  responsible  for,  and .  produce  his  balances 
on  the  subject.  It  might  suit  some  shareholders  to  get  something  for 
their  investments,  which  I  am  afraid  they  do  not  now,  but  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  the  day  may  be  far  distant  when  sucha  project  may  be 
accomplished. 
Horticultural  societies  throughout  the  kingdom  have  been  carried 
on  with  their  usual  varying  results,  very  much  depending  on  the 
state  of  the  weather  on  the  exhibition  days,  for  a  wet  day  seriously 
cripples  any  society.  The  York  Gala  Fete  met  with  a  terrible 
catastrophe.  It  was  held  during  the  midst  of  that  tremendous  storm 
in  June;  the  tents  came  down  upon  the  plants,  and  I  am  told  by 
those  who  witnessed  it  that  a  more  pitiable  sight  could  not  be 
imagined.  The  Royal  Botanical  Society  of  Manchester  has  also  been 
in  a  transition  state.  The  death  of  its  able  and  indefatigable 
Superintendent,  Mr.  Bruce  Findlay,  was  indeed  an  irreparable  loss,  but 
there  is  so  much  energy  in  horticultural  matters  in  Manchester,  that 
I  have  every  hope  that  the  old  Society  will  renew  its  youth.  I  think 
that  horticultural  exhibitions  are  more  in  favour  in  the  West  of 
England  than  they  are  in  the  East.  I  can  recall  nothing  eastwards 
that  will  at  all  correspond  with  the  fine  shows  held  in  August  at 
Taunton,  Weston-super-Mare,  Yeovil,  and  other  places.  A  good  deal 
of  this  is  ow'ing  to  the  fact  that  the  gentry  of  the  neighbourhood  make 
it  a  point  of  regarding  it  as  a  day  with  which  nothing  else  is  to 
interfere,  but  I  think  it  is  more  than  ever  evident  that  flowers  in  them¬ 
selves  will  not  attract  the  multitude,  and  sometlnng  has  to  be  added. 
For  instance,  at  Taunton  the  exhibition  would  be  an  absolute  failure 
financially  were  it  not  for  the  fireworks  in  the, evening;  while  at 
York  and  Shrewsbury  the  exhibition  is  more  like  a  great  fair  than  a 
show  of  flowers.  It  is  a  pity  that  such  societies  should  be  able  to 
quote  the  Royal  Botanic  Society  as  an  example  they  are  to  follow. 
With  regard  to  the  taste  for  flowers  I  observe  no  diminution, 
although  I  think  we  may  see  that  it  runs  more  for  decoration  year  by 
year.  One.  cannot  fail  to  notice  how  completely  in  the  Carnation  and 
Picotee  the  old  florist  varieties  have  been  put  into  the  background  by 
the  new  Fancy  and  border  varieties,  just  as  already  the  Fancy  Pansy 
has  ousted  the  old  florist  kinds  ;  and  now  the  Cactus  Dahlia  seems 
to  be  coming  completely  to  the  front,  while  the  old  florist  varieties, 
which  do  not  lend  themselves  to  decorative  purposes,  are,  compara¬ 
tively  speaking,  neglected ;  just  as  in  the  Chrysanthemum,  the 
Japanese  varieties  are  so  much  more  in  favour  than  the  incurved, 
although  I  think  the  mammoth  Chrysanthemums  are  of  little 
use  for  decorative  purposes.  I  see  signs  of  a  revolt  against  these 
enormous  flowers,  whose  size  appears  to  be  gained  at  the  expense 
of  colour.  We  get  a  very  large  number  of  new  flowers— yellow, 
white,  blush,  and  light  shades  of  pink  ;  but  flowers  of  such  brilliant 
colour  as  Cullingfordi,  Jean  Delaux,  and  Julia  Lagravere  we  look  for  in 
vain.  Of  what  use  is  it  to  have  these  mops  of  wishy-washy  colours  ? 
but  if  you  go  to  a  nurseryman  and  ask  for  some  of  those  older  flowers 
the  chances  are  ten  to  one  whether  you  can  find  them,  and  as  long  »s 
such  a  number  of  certificates  and  awards  of  merit  are  given  to  the 
pale-faces  I  do  not  think  the  evil  will  become  less. 
The  special  societies  xvhich  encourage  the  more  popular  flowers  have 
had  a  varied  experience  during  the  past  year.  There  are  some  persons 
who  decry  these  societies ;  they  think  that  everything  ought  to  be 
connected  with  the  Royal  Horticultural,  and  that  their  exhibitions 
ought  to  be  held  under  its  auspices.  I  daresay,  as  a  matter  of  theory, 
most  growers  of  flowers  would  wish  for  this,  but  there  are  various 
objections  to  such  a  course.  There  is  no  place  in  which  the  Royal 
could  offer  to  hold  such  exhibitions  as  those  of  the  Rose  and  the 
National  Chrysanthemum  Societjq  nor  is  it  in  such  a  condition 
financially  as  to  offer  the  substantial  subsidies  which  other  public 
bodies  are  enabled  to  do.  There  are  five  of  these  special  societies — 
the  Auricula,  Chrysanthemum,  the  Carnation  and  Picotee,  Dahlia 
and  Rose.  Of  these,  the  first"  is  the  only  one  that  holds  its  shows  at 
the  Drill  Hall,  the  exhibits  occupy  little  space,  and  though  complaints 
are  made  of  the  bad  light,  yet,  after  all,  it  is  convenient,  and  its 
meetings  are  generally  a  success;  so  it  has  been  this  year,  and  I  do 
not  think  there  is  any  other  meeting  at  the  Drill  Hall  that  is  so 
well  attended  as  that  of  this  Society. 
The  Carnation  and  Picotee  Society  that  has  been  so  well  fostered 
by  Mr.  Martin  R.  Smith,  has  shown  a  balance-sheet  that  other  societies 
might  well  envy,  but  made  a  mistake  this  year,  for  which  it  has  had 
to  suffer.  In  an  evil  hour  it  linked  its  fortunes  with  those  of  the 
Royal  Botanic  Society,  and  as  a  result  their  fine  balance  has  been 
greatly  diminished.  How  could  it  be  otherwise  ?  The  obsolete  and 
antiquated  methods  of  that  Society  are  an  effectual  bar  to  any  free 
movement.  Some  years  ago  the  Society  was  anxious  the  National 
Rose  Society  should  go  there,  and  1  was  deputed  to  inquire  into  the 
matter.  I  did  so,  and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  utterly 
hopeless.  The  National  Chrysanthemum  Society  has  had  a  prosperous 
year ;  it  is  perhaps  the  most  popular  of  our  special  societies,  and 
fortunately  the  blooms  resist  a  plague  of  smoke,  which  would  be  death 
to  many  other  kinds. 
The  National  Dahlia  Society  has  had  also  a  prosperous  year,  and 
closes  with  a  good  balance.  Its  exhibition  was  held  in  the  Crystal 
Palace,  the  most  noticeable  feature  of  it  being,  as  I  have  said,  the 
