The  Journal  of  Horticulture,  Mny  2D,  19C2 
t— 
HE  present  period  is  an  interesting  one  in  the  history  of  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society.  It  is  a  i^eriod  of  great  pro¬ 
sperity  and  of  wonderful  activity.  The  Society’s  influence 
is  visibly  penetrating  the  provinces  and  parishes  of  the 
three  sister  kingdoms,  and  we  have  been  surprised  and 
plea.sed  on  many  occasions  recently  to  discover  Fellows  of  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society  in  irlaces  whose  positions  could  not 
in  the  least  have  brought  them  into  direct  touch  with  the  Society 
or  its  management. 
The  Roj^al  Horticultural  Society  was  established  in  1804,  and 
measures  were  adopted  in  the  spring  of  the  present  year  whereby 
the  Centenary  in  1904  may  be  celebrated  in  a  manner  worthy  of 
the  Mother  Society  of  English  Horticulture.  This  Journal,  in 
common  with  its  class  contemporaries,  did  its  utmost  to  engage 
Formation  of  the  Society. 
No  complete  or  exhaustive  history  of  this  gi'eat  Society  has 
ever  been  issued,  though  its  records  contain  such  material  as 
would  thrill  the  lovers  of  gardens  and  horticulture  in  its  best 
application,  were  they  prescribed  by  an  educated  and  literary 
judgment.  Miss  Amherst  devoted  two  or  three  full  pages  to  the 
Society’s  accomplishments  in  her  splendid  “  History  of  Gardening 
in  England”;  and  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence,  Bart.,  the  President, 
has  just  issued  a  tiny  brochure  entitled,  “A  Short  Historical 
Sketch  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,”  to  which  we  are 
indetyed  for  the  greater  part  of  our  present  notes.  The  first 
president  was  the  Earl  of  Dartmoor,  a  John  AVedgwood  the  first 
treasurer,  and  Gleeve,  the  first  secretary.  The  latter  was  soon 
superseded  by  R.  A.  Salisbury.  Price,  clerk  to  the  Linnean 
5cene  at  a  5how  of  the  Society  in  1849,  Chiswick. 
the  attention  of  the  public  in  regard  to  the  proposals  for  a  Cen- 
tenarj’  Celebration,  which  has  been  discussed,  and  furthermore 
pleaded  on  behalf  of  what  was  denominated  the  Metropolitan 
Hall  scheme.  How  .satisfactory  and  commendable  this  proposal 
to  build  in  London  a  great  hall  and  offices  for  the  Society  was,  has 
been  overwhelmingly  demonstrated  at  the  special  general  meeting 
held  on  March  21. 
The  Society  in  these  later  days  is  indebted  for  its  popularity, 
its  advertisement,  and  its  success,  almost  entirely  to  the  fre<iuent 
exhibitions  and  annual  conferences,  and  secondly  to  the  issue  of 
an  invaluable  Journal  of  the  transactions  of  the  Society,  and  the 
secretarial  vigilance.  In  the  early  days  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society,  before  the  exhibitions  had  become  a  feature  of  the  yearly 
programme,  the  Society’s  greatest  work  and  usefulness  centralised 
at  and  radiated  from  the  experimental  garden  at  Chiswick.  This 
has  now  altered.  “  All  is  change,  woe  or  weal.”  When,  in  a  few 
years,  a  powerful  and  consolidated  Fellowship  have  accomplished 
the  magnificent  task  now  lying  before  them,  a  new  garden, 
fruitful  in  po.«sibilities,  will  be  assured,  from  the  best  of  all 
reasons,  that  it  is  a  necessity. 
Society,  was  engaged  as  clerk  to  the  new  Horticultural ;  but  the 
most  valuable  worker  and  chief  instigator  in  the  formation  of  the 
Society  was  Thomas  Andrew  Knight,  F.R.S.,  whose  name  is  asso- 
ciatetl  with  the  Hoi'ticultural  Society  during  a  long  course  of 
years,  and  ever  regarded,  says  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence,  “  with  the 
highest  honour  by  all  connected  with  it.”  He  then  proceeds: 
“  Mr.  Knight,  whose  name  and  virtues  are  commemoi'ated  by  the 
Knightian  Medal  of  the  Society,  had  devmted  much  attention  to 
scientific  horticulture  and  vegetable  physiology,  on  which  subjects 
he  had  communicated  several  papers  to  the  Royal  Society.  He 
lived  in  Herefordshire,  in  the  midst  of  a  cider  and  perry  country, 
and  had  been  struck  by  the  unskilful  and  unscientific  management 
of  the  .suri'ounding  orchards.  The  idea  of  founding  a  society  to 
bring  together  British  liorticulturists  occurred  to  him  in  1804. 
He  put  himself  into  communication  with  Sir  Joseph  Banks, 
P.R.S.,*  and  others;  the  result  being  that  on  March  7,  1804,  the 
*  Sir  Joseph  B.anks,  Bart.,  was  President  of  the  Koyal  .society  for  fort y-onc 
years.  He  die, I  in  1520.  A  new  edition  of  his  Journ.als,  during  his  voyage  with 
Captain  Cojk,  has  lite'ybesn  published,  edite  l  by  Sir  Josepli  Hook  r. 
