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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  7,  1903 
The  Royal  Horticultural  Society  aud  the  Botauic 
Society’s  DeM. 
At  a  general  meeting  of  the  Fellows  of  the  Royal  Horticul¬ 
tural  Society,  held  under  the  presidency  of  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence, 
Bart'.,  on  March  21,  1902,  it  was  almost  unanimously  agreed  by 
that  meeting,  remarkable  for  its  numbers  and  for  the  carnest- 
nass  of  the  eminent  speakers  on  that  occasion,  that  the  Society 
should  undertake  to  build  for  itself  an  exhibition  hall  and  offices, 
which  it  so  imperatively  requires.  Attendance  at  any  of  the 
present  fortnightly  meetings  has  become  a  form  of  physical 
torture,  and  there  cannot  be  the  least  doubt  that  the  fatigue 
attendant  on  the  unavoidable  press  of  so  large  a  concourse  keeps 
a  great  number  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  who  love  flowers,  and 
would  otherwise  visit  the  show,  from  subjecting  themselves  to  it. 
The  erection  of  a  more  spacious  hall,  then,  liaving  been  so 
decidedly  agreed  to,  it  is  exceedingly  unsportsmanlike  on  the 
Eart  of  any  individual  of  the  opposition,  or  Garden  party,  to 
inder,  by  word,  writ,  or  deed,  the  successful  accomplishment 
of  the  w'ork  which  the  Society  has  now  for  months  so  unequivo¬ 
cally  set  its  hand  to.  Yet  not  only  has  someone,  evidently 
far  more  deeply  interested  in  the  Royal  Botanic  Society  than 
the  Royal  Horticultural,  written  to  the  “Morning  Post”  of 
April  24  in  mi.srepresentative  terms  of  the  Society’s  affairs,  but 
has  sought  to  create  a  schism.  If  the  Fellows  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society,  by  an  overwhelining  majority,  chose  a 
new  hall  and  offices  as  a  commemorative  emblem  of  the  cen¬ 
tenary  of  its  existence,  it  is  .surely  to  be  regarded  as  heretical 
on  the  part  of  any  member  of  the  minority  to  persist  in  active 
opposition,  and  the  action  seems  to  us  despicably  mean  which 
takes  the  form  of  a  misleading  letter  in  the  ijublic  Press,  more 
especially  as  the  organ  addressed  represents  the  best  of  the 
aristocracy  and  middle  class,  hundreds,  at  least,  of  Avhich  are 
Fellows  of  the  above  Society. 
The  letter,  “written  by  a  Fellow,”  states  that  “The  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  is  just  now  in  the  throes  of  an  internal 
di&sension.  Among  the  6,000  Fellows  there  is  discontent,  which, 
if  it  does  not  exactly  seethe,  at  least  mutters  and  murmurs  in 
the  distance.  Indeed,  the  dissatisfaction  with  the  action  of  the 
Council  has  found  clear  and  open  voice  in  protests  from  two  or 
three  leading  Fellows.  The  whole  question  is  one  of  Hall  versus 
Garden.  The  Council  has  not  only  decided  on  building  a  floral 
hall,  but  has  obtained  the  necessary  designs  (which,  by  the_  way, 
are  sufficiently  ugly),  and  has  put  the  w’ork  in  hand.  This  de¬ 
cision  practically  pronounces  the  doom  of  the  Chiswick  gardens, 
and  hence  the  .schism  which  rends  this  re.spectable  and  worthy 
Society.” 
The  opening  statement  is  most  astounding,  but  were  it 
not  that  in  the  present  instance  it  is  exceeffingly  baneful,  wuuld 
deserve  to  be  utterly  ignored.  This  patriotic  “  Fellow  ”  proceeds 
to  summarily  review’  the  history  of  the  R.H.S.  to  the  present 
time.  “Whereas  in  1888”  (continues;  the  “Fellow’”)  “only 
1,108  Fellows  were  on  the  rolls,  now  the  number  exceeds 
6,000.  No  doubt ,  this  is  due  in  part  to  the  revival  of 
interest  in  horticulture  throughout  the  country,  and  to  the 
popularisation  of  the  sub.scription.  But  it  is  also  attributable, 
partly  to  prudent  management,  and  to  the  new  policy  of 
systematic  shows  inaugurated  by  the  Council.  The  Temple 
Show  has  been  for  years  a.  fashionable  ‘function’  of  the  season, 
and  last  year  a  new’  Rose  show’  at  Holland  House  Avas  added  to 
the  attractions  of  the  programme.  It  is  not  possible  for  any 
society  w’liich  depends  on  the  public  for  its  financial  support  to 
de.spis6  such  attractions. 
“  The  question,  hoAVCA’er,  arises  as  to  hoAv  far  it  is  w’ise  to  push 
this  policy.  The  explanation  of  the  new’  departure  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  is  natural  enough.  It  has  been  found  to 
pay.  The  Society  in  the  past  has  done  admirable  service  to 
horticulture,  and  proposes  to  continue  to  do  so,  only  in  another 
way.  Here  is  what  the  Society  claimed  to  have  done  in  the  first 
fifty  years  or  more  of  its  existence.  ‘  It  has  examined  the 
qualities  and  reduced  to  order  the  names  of  fruit  trees  and 
succulent  plants  ;  it  has  directed  the  attention  of  scientific  as 
well  as  of  practical  men  to  the  improvements  of  the  arts  of 
cultivation ;  it  has  introduced  at  much  cost  great  numbers  of 
esotic  plants  to  decorate  our  gardens;  it  has  published  many 
volumes  .  .  .  ;  it  has  formed  an  extensive  garden  and  orchard 
in  w’hich  have  been  colleoted  from  time  to  time  numerous  plants, 
valuable  for  their  utility  or  beauty  ;  it  has  given  a  great  im¬ 
pulse  to  cultivation  by  its  public  exhibitions  of  garden  produce ; 
it  has  been  a  school  from  ivhich  have  sprung  some  of  the  mo.st 
distinguished  gardeners  of  the  century.’ 
“  This  is  no  vain  boast,  but  adequately  sums  up  the  w’ork  of 
the  Society.  Yet  some  of  these  achiei^ements  w’ill  be  no  longer 
possible  if  the  gardens  are  discarded.  The  fact  is  that  trade 
interests  have  captured  the  Council,  Avhich  is  therefore 
concerned  now’  w’ith  the  erection  of  a  huge  floral  hall  and  the 
distribution  of  medals  than  in  its  other  and^  original  objects. 
The  hall  is  to  be  erected  in  Vincent  Square.  4\  estminster,  which 
is  hardly  an  ideal  site,  and  is  to  oO'St  £40,000.  Appeals  have 
been  made  for  money,  and  .something  like  £23,000  has  been  sub¬ 
scribed  by  a  few’  people.  It  is  supposed  that  the  Council  will 
make  up  the  balance  by  appropriating  the  reserve  funds  of  the 
Society.  Then  the  Council  will  have  on  its  hands  an  exhibition 
hall  which  ivill,  no  doubt,  serve  the  needs  of  the  trade. 
“But  w’hat  of  the  gardens?  Apparently  the  majority  of  the 
Felloivs,  or  rather  the  majority  of  those  who  attended  the  last 
two  annual  meetings,  is  prepared  to  abandon  the  gardens.  It 
was  propo.sed  some  three  years  ago  to  celebrate  the  centenary 
of  the  Society  by  moving  the  gardens  to  a  site  in  Surrey.  The 
preparation  of  new’  gardens  would  take  time,  and  certainly  five 
years  .should  be  alloived  before  they  could  be  considered  in  full 
going  order.  This  proposal  was  rejected,  and  another  attempt 
Avas  made  to  establisli  the  gardens  in  Kent.  This,  too,  fell 
through,  and  the  trade  got  its  Avay — ^the  Society  resolved  on  the 
erection  of  a  hall  instead.  Yet  the  report  for  1902  assures 
FelloAA’s  that  ‘  the  provision  of  a  noAv  garden  has  not  been  lost 
sight  of.’  This  might  be  encouraging  if  Ave  did  not  also  read 
that  ‘  negotiations  for  the  surrender  of  the  Chiswick  lease  are  in 
progre.ss.’  At  the  annual  meeting  held  the  other  day  tliis  reck¬ 
less  abandonment  of  the  gardens  was  strongly  criticised  by  Mr. 
H.  J.  Elwes,  F.R.S.,  and  Mr.  Godman,  F.R.S.,  both  ex-membei's 
of  the  Council.  The  dissension  has  caused  also  the  resignation 
of  two  Avell-knoAvn  amateurs  from  the  Council.  Indeed,  the 
apple  of  discord  has  been  throAvn  on  the  table.  If  the  Society 
abandons  its  gardens  it  will  have  entered  on  a  ncAV  stage  of 
existence.  Whether  for  good  or  ill  it  Avill  not  be  the  same 
Society,  a  fact  Avhich  Avill  naturally  affect  its  membership. 
According  to  the  president.  Sir  Trevor  LaAvrence,  ‘  Ave  must  first 
resign  the  lease,  and  the  arrangement  is  that  we  shall  be  given 
a  year  after  that  to  proAude  ourselves  Avith  a  neAv  garden.’  The 
provision  of  a  year  only  is  simply  ridiculous,  and  it  really  looks 
a,s  if  the  Council  were  playing  Avith  the  FelloAvs,  and  had  re¬ 
solved  privatel3’  to  drop  the  garden. 
“  Sir  Trevor  Law’rence  also  stated  that  the  Council  con¬ 
sidered  they  had  the  right  to  abandon  the  gardens  Avithout  con¬ 
sulting  the  FelloAvs.  This  is  possibly  correct  according  to  the 
charter,  but  it  is  a  monstrous  offenC'e  against  the  laAVS  of  repre- 
.sentation  and  popular  control  as  knoAvn  in  this  country.  Tlie 
fact  is  that  the  Council  is  a  small  coterie,  consisting  of  practi¬ 
cally  co-opted  members,  and  Avhat  it  needs  is  fre.sh  blood  and 
younger  blood,  and  a  stronger  lacing  of  amateurs  Avho  W’ill  work 
for  the  good  of  the  Society. 
■  “  A  proposition  w’O'S  .set  on  foot  some  time  ago  for  the  amalga¬ 
mation  of  the  Society  Avith  the  Royal  Botanic  Society.  The 
Royal  Botanic  Society  is  oonsiderablj’  in  debt,  but  it  has  the  ad- 
A’antage  of  a  central  situation  and  an  area  of  garden  quite  equal 
to  that  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  at  Chiswick.  More¬ 
over,  the  Botanic  Society  has  of  late  years  adopted  the  plan  of 
training  cadets  in  horticulture.  The  debt,  however,  has  pre¬ 
vented  any  serious  attempt  at  amalgamation  so  far.  Yet  surely 
a  Avay  out  of  the  difficulty  might  be  found.  The  Horticultural 
Society  is  raising  £40,000  to  build  its  hall.  With  this  sum  the 
debt  of  the  sister  Society  might  be  easilj’  extinguished,  and  a 
sufficient  sum  left  over  to  establish  an  adequate  floral  hall  in 
Regent’s  Park.  The  proposal  is  favoured  by  the  Royal  Botanic 
Societjq  but  is  resisted  by  the  ruling  coterie  of  the  Horticultural 
Society.  In  the  interests  of  both  Societies  some  amalgamation 
is  desirable,  for  then  the  Botanic  Society  Avould  be  lifted  out  of 
its  troubles,  and  the  Horticultural  Societj’  avouIcI  retain  a  garden 
and  gain  a  central  position.  But  the  interests  are  so  far  con¬ 
flicting,  and  it  is  to  be  feared  that  unless  pressure  is  brought  to 
bear  the  trade  Avill  triumph  ”  ! ! ! ! 
The  marks  of  exclamation  are  oui’s.  71  iil\  ihis  sum  the  deot 
of  the  sister  (the  lioyal  Botanic)  Society  yniyht  be  easily  extin- 
(juished.  .  .  That  any  person  could  have  the  effrontery  to 
Avrite  these  w’ords  after  misrepresenting  the  interests  of  pur 
distinguished  Society,  and  haA’ing  aspersed  its  Council,  is  in¬ 
comprehensible  to  conscientious  folks ;  but  happily  that  sentence 
is  at  the  same  time  the  key  to  the  solution  of  this  most  un¬ 
seasonable  attack.  The  Council  will  not  let  the  Society  exist 
without  a  garden,  and  seeing  that  the  ChisAA’ick  Garden  is  con¬ 
demned  as  falling  too  much  Avithin  the  smoke-radius  of  Innclon, 
they  are  not  likely  to  pay  the  debt  of  the  Royal  Botanic  Society 
in  return  for  a  ga'rden  five  miles  nearer  to  the  smoke-centre. 
- 1  mtm  « - 
The  Black  Currant  Mite  (Phytoptus  ribis). : 
'  This  mite  has  been  found  on  Black  Currant  plantations  m 
nearly  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  its  presence  is  detected  by 
the  distortion  of  the  buds  (fig.  3).  In  many  cases  it  has  been 
neces.sary  to  grub  up  the  Black  C’urrant  birshes,  and  to  replace. 
them  with  other  kinds  of  fruit  bushes.  _  ,  i  i 
Upon  examination  Avith  a  microscope  it  is  seen  that  the  un- 
naturallv  sAVollen  buds  are  full  of  w’hiti.sh  mites  Avhich  are  feethng 
within  the  Avhorls  of  the  embryonic  leaves  and  b  ossoms.  Ihe 
buds  become  SAvollen  by  the  irritation  set  up  by  the  mites,  and 
