January  2,  1896. 
7 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND 
COTTAGE  GARDENEk, 
Princess  Beatrice,  Cardinal,  and  Blanche  Burpee.  I  had  this  year 
the  pleasure  of  growing  a  number  of  Mr.  Eckford’s  seedlings,  and 
among  these  Chancellor,  Lidy  G.  B.  Hamilton,  Caledonia,  Crown 
Jewel,  Queen  Victoria,  Refulgent,  Lovely,  Lady  Binning,  Duchess 
of  Sutherland,  and  Prima  Donna,  are  individually  fine.  Sweet 
Peas,  it  may  be  added,  should  be  cut  previous  to  the  full  expansion 
of  the  flowers,  and  they  are  prettiest  in  loose  bunches,  each  sort  by 
itself.  Carnations  are  also  best  bunched  or  set  up  in  small  vases. 
I  occasionally  employ  single  Begonias  for  decorating  the  dining- 
table.  The  flowers  in  this  case  are  laid  on  the  cloth,  Clematis 
being  employed  in  the  same  way. 
Trees  and  shrubs  provide  a  by  no  means  despicable  quota  of 
flowers  eminently  suited  for  table  decorations.  Nothing,  for 
instance,  is,  or  can  be,  more  beautiful  than  Apple  blossom.  From 
fruiting  trees  it  is  sparingly  cut,  but  Crabs  are  freely  cut  and  used. 
The  red-berried  Elder  is  chiefly  commended  for  its  bright  clusters 
of  fruit,  but  its  flowers  also  are  charming  and  greenish  yellow  in 
colour.  Hardy  Azaleas  are  well  known  for  their  wide  range  of 
hues.  Spirccas  are,  of  course,  less  showy,  but  some  of  them  are 
decidedly  pretty,  such  as  Thunbergi,  ariasfolia,  and  callosa,  of 
which  latter  we  grow  many  varieties.  Weigelas  are  also  good. 
We  grow  between  twenty  and  thirty  sorts  ;  Eva  Ratheke,  Dr. 
Baillon,  and  candidissima  are  very  select.  Sometimes,  perhaps  on 
account  of  sentiment,  such  common  shrubs  as  Laburnum  and 
Lilac  are  requisitioned  for  flowers.  Of  the  latter  there  is  now  a 
long  list  of  both  single  and  double-flowered  varieties.  Mahonia 
aquifolia  yields  leaves  with  beautiful  markings.  Azaleas,  Oaks, 
Spirsea  Thunbergi,  Prunus  Pissardi,  Tea  Roses,  Maples,  Acer 
palmatum  atro-sanguineum,  Carrots,  Vitis  coignetia:,  and  Virginian 
Creeper  are  a  few  hardy  plants  that  furnish  at  one  stage  or  other 
foliage  of  great  beauty. — B. 
THE  ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
Provincial  Opinion. 
It  would  hardly  be  consistent  with  my  duty  towards  the  Council 
of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  for  me  to  enter  into  any  dis¬ 
cussion  in  your  columns  as  to  the  merits  of  any  of  the  suggestions 
lately  made  for  improving  the  status  of  the  Society  in  the 
province#. 
Kuowing,  however,  so  well  what  is  the  real  mind  of  the 
Council,  and  sharing  myself  to  the  fullest  possible  extent  in  its 
earnest  desire  and  endeavour  to  do  anything  and  everything  that 
may  tend  to  promote  the  true  interests  of  the  Society  and  of 
horticulture,  I  ask  you  to  allow  me  to  state  that  all  suggestions 
made  in  the  courteou#  spirit  of  your  leader  of  December  12th, 
and  of  those  gentlemen  whose  letters  you  print  on  pages  592-4, 
will,  I  am  certain,  be  most  carefully  considered  by  the  Council 
with  a  view  to  the  adoption  of  such  of  them  as  may  be  found 
practically  feasible. 
May  I  further  remark  that  definite  suggestions  of  definite  action 
will  always,  I  am  sure,  be  received  by  theCounc’fl  with  the  attention 
which  they  deserve,  whilst  vague  generalities  seldom  lead  to  any 
useful  result.  —  W.  Wilks. 
The  practical  question  we  have  to  face  i°,  How  can  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  be  improved  ;  how  can  it  be  made  more 
useful  and  more  national  ?  It  is  a  question  which  concerns  not  the 
Council  of  the  Society  only,  but  every  Fellow  as  well,  and  in  fact 
everyone  who  is  interested  in  horticulture. 
We  may  take  it  for  granted,  I  think,  that  the  members  of  the 
Council  are  not  satisfied  with  past  results,  and  have  dreams  of 
greater  usefulness  for  the  Society.  They  ought  therefore  to 
welcome  such  a  discussion  as  you  have  opened  up  in  your  columns. 
The  most  practical  and  easily  carried  out  suggestion  is  the  one 
which  has  been  made  regarding  deputations  from  the  Royal  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society  visiting  lome  of  the  leading  provincial  shows,  and 
the  letters  of  Mr.  Green  of  Wolverhampton  and  Mr.  Adnitt  of 
Shrewsbury  are  valuable  in  this  connection. 
Supposing  five  gentlemen,  two  members  of  the  Fruit  Committee, 
two  members  of  the  Floral  Committee,  and  one  member  of  the 
Council,  were  delegated  to  attend  Wolverhampton,  Shrewsbury, 
York,  and  Edinburgh,  I  am  sure  they  would  be  heartily  welcomed, 
and  the  expense  would  not  be  dreadful.  Still,  it  would  run  to  at 
least  £20  for  each  show,  but  possibly  half  of  the  amount  might  be 
obtained  from  the  local  society.  I  am  well  aware  that  the  question 
of  ways  and  means  is  a  serious  one  with  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society,  and  that  is  one  reason  why  I  would  urge  forward  such  a 
scheme  as  foreshadowed.  It  could  be  financed  without  difficulty, 
while  anything  more  ambitious  would  require  grave  consideration  ; 
and,  further,  it  would  show  that  the  Society  meant  to  do  something. 
I  am  heartily  in  sympathy  with  the  feeling  which  prevails 
against  the  methods  of  electing  not  only  the  Committees  of  the 
R.H.S.  but  also  the  Council,  but  these  are  not  likely  to  be  remedied 
until  the  Fellows  wake  up  and  offer  some  systematic  opposition. 
I  would  venture  to  suggest  that  a  meeting  of  all  those  interested 
in  the  expansion  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  be  held  in 
London  on  the  second  day  of  tho  Temple  show.  Many  provincial 
horticulturists  are  then  in  London,  and  they  could  meet  with  their 
brethren  of  the  metropolis  who  sympathised  with  the  movement, 
and  possibly  resolve  on  some  united  action. 
Meantime,  by  all  means  let  the  subject  be  thrashed  out  in  your 
columns. — Wm,  Cutiibertson,  of  Dobbie  &  Co.,  Rothesay. 
Your  recent  leader  respecting  methods  for  widening  the  area  of 
operations  of  this  popular  Society  comes  at  a  most  useful  time. 
Not  only  just  now  can  more  attention  be  given  to  the  subject,  but 
we  are  within  a  few  weeks’  time  of  the  holding  of  the  annual 
general  meeting,  and  thus  ample  time  is  afforded  for  the  Council, 
in  conjunction  with  a  representative  committee  of  the  provincial 
societies,  to  formulate  a  scheme  of  inclusion  and  yet  of  far  wider 
operation  than  now  exists.  Another  specially  favourable  cause  is 
the  practical  conclusion  of  the  labours  of  the  R.H.S.  Code  of 
Judging  Committee,  thus  enabling  the  new  code  to  be  published 
early  and  issued  all  over  the  kingdom. 
Such  a  publication  will  not  only  draw  strong  attention  to  the 
nature  of  the  R.H.S.,  but  will  also  emphasise  in  the  country  that 
eminent  position  the  Society  now  occupies  in  the  estimation  of  so 
many  thousands  of  horticulturists.  It  would,  however,  be  a  grave 
mistake  were  the  Council  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  to 
assume  that  such  an  effort,  and  it  is  a  great  effort,  is  enough  for 
the  present.  So  far  from  that  being  the  case  the  metal  has  been 
long  heating,  and  it  is  for  the  Council  to  strike  whilst  it  is  hot.  A 
scheme  of  inclusion  on  the  basis  suggested  in  your  leader  must  be 
a  broad  and  a  very  generous  one.  There  is  little  probability  that 
too  much  will  be  asked  by  the  provincial  societies.  Rather  it  is 
a  case  for  bold  and  generous  offers,  so  as  to  secure  at  once  co-opera¬ 
tion  and  federation. 
A  good  deal  has  been  said  from  time  to  time  as  to  the  duty  of 
the  R.H.S.  in  relation  to  what  are  termed  special  societies.  These, 
however,  having  been  established  for  the  promotion  of  special  and 
restricted  objects,  seem  to  be  of  far  less  importance  in  relation  to 
horticulture,  although  they  do  valuable  work  in  their  respective 
spheres,  than  are  the  vast  number  off  provincial  or  local  horti¬ 
cultural  societies  that  bo  widely  exist,  indeed.  Cover  the  entire 
kingdom.  To  some  extent  it  may  be  possible  to  nring  every  one  of 
these  various  bodies,  small  or  large,  into  federation  with  the  R.H.S. 
by  grouping  them  in  counties  or  other  wide  areas  and  first  affiliating 
them  to  the  chief  or  leading  county  or  other  organisation,  this 
latter  body  being  the  actual  representative  of  the  R.H.S.,  and 
whilst  also  affiliated  is  also  the  medium  of  tho  operations  of  the 
national  society  in  its  respective  area.  There  is  hardly  a  county  in 
which  some  prominent  and  strong  loading  society  may  not  bo  found. 
In  forming  county  committees  to  co-operate  with  or  become 
branch  sections  of  the  R.H.S.  Committees,  each  local  affiliated 
society  in  a  district  or  county  should  have  the  right  to  nominate 
one  member  at  lea*t,  but  who  must  be  a  Fellow  of  the  R.H.S.,  as  all 
presen  t  members  of  the  Committee  have  to  be .  There  are  few  counties 
in  which  it  may  not  be  easy  to  find  at  least  twelve  capable  horticul¬ 
turists  willing  to  serve  on  each  branch  Fruit  and  Floral  Committee. 
As  to  keeping  their  labours  in  exact  harmony  with  those  of  the 
Central  Committee,  perhaps  the  gravest  difficulty  is  presented  ;  but 
in  face  of  the  enormous  gain  to  horticulture  which  may  result  from 
the  proposed  federation,  small  difficulties,  or  even  large  ones,  must 
be  faced  only  to  be  overcome.  Reports  of  the  proceedings  of  these 
committees  should  be  furnished  to  the  London  gardening  papers, 
and  to  the  Council  of  the  R.H.S.  for  embodiment  into  their  journal. 
Of  course  such  reports  would  have  to  be  very  concise.  Still  that 
could  no  doubt  be  done.  The  present  need  seems  to  be  a  confer¬ 
ence  between  the  RH.S.and  representatives  of  the  leading  pro¬ 
vincial  societies.— D.,  Kingston. 
I  was  very  pleased  to  see  the  leading  article  in  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture,  December  12th,  1895;  there  is  what  I  call  a  grand 
suggestion  in  the  latter  part  of  the  article.  It  is  what  I  have  been 
thinking  about  for  some  time.  For  instance,  say,  a  nurseryman, 
gardener,  or  amateur  has  a  new  seedling  or  a  new  sport  or  anything 
special  it  must  be  brought  before  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  in 
London  before  it  can  have  a  certificate  from  that  Society.  It  is 
not  every  gardener  who  can  afford  to  take  new  products  to  London, 
and  then  others  reap  the  benefit  of  hi#  labours,  not  himself.  If  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society  held  meetings  in  our  large  cities  such 
as  Birmingham,  Manchester,  Edinburgh,  and  others,  what  a  grand 
thing  it  would  be,  and  now  the  ball  is  set  rolling  I  hope  it  will 
come  to  something  m^re  than  talk. — Wm.  Pearce. 
