Julv  12.  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
33 
Things  that,  as  “Punch”  would  say,  one  would  rather  not  have 
seen. 
One  of  the  first  exhibits  to  attract  attention  on  entering  the  Temple 
Gardens  recently,  from  the  Thames  Embankment  entrance,  was  a 
collection  of  grotesque  evergreen  caricatures,  supposed  to  represent 
animals  and  goblins,  the  like  of  which  were  to  be  found  in  a  few 
English  gardens,  a  century  or  two  ago,  as  cheap  substitutes  for  properly 
executed  statuary.  Happily  these  ludicrous  monstrosities  have  almost 
disappeared,  or  the  few  that  still  remain  are  banished  to  the  out 
of  the  way  curiosity  garden,  where  they  are  valued  only  as  relics  of  an 
inartistic  age,  or  as  a  source  of  amusement  to  the  juvenile  branches  of 
the  family  and  their  nursemaids.  Such  an  exhibition  at  the  present 
time  must  have  created  some  mirth  as  well  as  some  astonishment 
and  alarm  amongst  the  numerous  visitors  to  the  Temple  Gardens. 
Surely  history  is  not  about  to  repeat  itself  with  reference  to  the 
reintroduction  of  these  fantastical  figures  into  our  English  gardens, 
and  yet  what  can  such  an  exhibition  mean  ?  May  a  kind  Providence 
intervene  to  save  ns  from  such  an  infliction. — T.  Challis. 
The  Hoyal  Horticultural  Society’s  Examinatiou. 
After  a  careful  perusal  of  the  list  of  candidates  who  passed  in  the 
recent  R.H.S.  examination  and  of  the  places  whence  they  emanate,  I 
have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  annual  exam,  has  become  nothing 
better  than  a  contest  between  certain  collegiate  or  instructional  centres, 
and  that  special  efforts  are  there  made  by  imparting  purely  theoretical 
instruction,  to  pass  candidates  for  the  honour  and  glory  of  each  centre. 
That  being  so,  one  is  tempted  to  ask,  “  Is  the  game  worth  the  candle  ? 
Is  any  good  resulting  to  gardening  because  of  this  examination  ?  ”  It 
is  evident  that  the  examination  needs  division  into  horticultural  theory 
and  horticultural  practice  ;  no  student  should  obtain  a  first-class  pass 
until.he  or  she  had  passed  well  in  both  subjects.  The  practice  exam, 
should  be  as  severely  practical  as  the  theory  exam,  should  be  severely 
theoretical.  We  want  to  know  what  are  the  practical  values  of  these 
exams.,  and  no  information  is  given,  for  unless  they  have  very  practical 
aims  and  tests  they  are  worthless.  Why  are  not  the  questions  and  a 
few  of  the  chief  students’  answers  published  ? — Censor. 
- - 
Apples  and  Other  Fruits. 
It  is  interesting  to  read  the  reports — from  time  to  time — of  your 
valued  correspondents  on  Apples,  especially  where  they  do  well  and 
where  they  fail  to  give  satisfaction.  It  would  add  much  to  the  value  of 
the  information  communicated  if  we  received  further  details  of  the 
conditions  under  which  the  fruits  are  cultivated  ;  longitude  and  latitude 
only  given  do  not  meet  all  the  desires  of  readers  ;  altitude  we  know 
affects  all  plants  materially,  and  we  know  that  some  fruits,  shrubs,  and 
hardy  flowering  plants  do  much  better  a  hundred  miles,  and  more,  north 
from  Edinburgh  than  they  do  in  Midlothian  ;  and  some  fruits — culinary 
Apples  especially — do  better  in  the  midlands  of  Scotland,  and  in  the 
Lothians  especially,  than  in  some  of  the  midland  counties  of  England. 
The  soil,  subsoil,  and  nature  of  the  locality — wet,  dry,  or  exposed  to 
easterly  and  northerly  winds,  all  affect  the  quality  and  productiveness 
of  Apples  very  materially. 
I  may  also  say  the  same  of  Plums,  Apricots,  Pears,  and  Cherries. 
The  latter,  Morello  variety,  are  seldom  scarce  in  this  place.  Of  late 
years  we  have  almost  let  pruning  of  these  alone,  by  lifting  and  adding 
lime  to  the  soil.  The  growth  is  now  very  short  (in  fact,  natural  spurs), 
and  require  little  aid  from  the  knife,  and  the  trees,  especially  on  an 
easterly  aspect,  are  always  well  cropped.  Lime  rubbish  placed  under 
the  roots  to  prevent  downward  growth  does  much  to  keep  all  fruit  trees 
in  health,  and  in  a  fruit-bearing  condition.  To  place  this  material 
(or  a  substitute)  under  the  roots  when  planting  is  done  does  much  to 
save  trouble  in  future,  and  materially  adds  to  the  longevity  of  the  trees, 
and  generally  is  a  preventive  of  canker.  Feeding  done  from  the  surface 
to  induce  a  tendency  of  upward  root  growth  is  very  conducive  to 
excellence  of  fruit,  and  is  productive  of  a  multiplicity  of  fruit  buds. 
We  prefer  a  “  selection  ”  of  fruits  instead  of  a  “large  collection.” 
Apples  which  give  an  abundant  culinary  supply  every  season  without 
failure  are  Keswick  Oodlin,  Stirling  Castle,  Golden  Spire,  Lord 
Grosvenor,  Northern  Greening,  Sandringham,  Seaton  House,  and 
Yorkshire  Greening. — M.  Temple. 
Those  Wretched  Adages. 
I  HAVE  kept  notes  of  the  weather  and  certain  natural  phenomena 
for  a  great  many  years,  and  quite  agree  with  those  who  say  that  the 
average  Oak  is  always  before  the  average  Ash  in  coming  into  leaf. 
I  And  no  note  to  the  contrary  in  1879,  but  feel  pretty  sure  I  should  have 
noted  it  if  the  Ash  had  been  flrst.  The  Mountain  Ash  is  early,  and 
individual  seedlings  of  Ashes  may  be  early,  and  of  Oaks  late.  Bat  the 
jingle  that  really  makes  me  angry  is — 
“  A  dripping  June 
Puts  all  things  in  tune.” 
Perhaps  this  belongs  to  the  north;  but  no,  they  generally  have  enough 
rain  there.  Well,  I  cannot  understand  it.  There  is  no  time  of  the 
year  when  we  here,  in  the  dryest  part  of  England,  are  more  anxious  to 
escape  rain  than  from  mid-June  to  mid-July.  As  I  have  sat  lately 
indoors  watching  the  rain  destroy  three  things  near  to  my  heart  and 
ray  pocket — Roses,  hay,  and  partridges — I  think  I  should  have  liked  to 
argue  the  matter  out  personally  with  the  author  of  that  detestable 
rhyme;  but  I  strongly  suspect  he  has  been  long  ago  slain  by  the 
myriads  of  people  to  whom  rain  in  June  is  everything  that  is 
undesirable.  In  tune,  indeed !  Anyone  who  does  not  know  that 
sunshine  should  bo  the  keynote  of  midsummer,  and  that  gloomy  skies 
and  constantly  dripping  rain  are  utterly  out  of  harmony  with  the 
season,  seems  to  me  to  have  no  knowledge  of  the  meaning  of  plain 
English  words. — W.  R.  Raillem. 
Proxy  Voting. 
I  HAVE  been  looking  to  see  what  some  of  the  old  masters  have  said 
upon  this  subject,  and  although  it  has  now  virtually  been  decided  that 
proxy  voting  shall  not  be  allowed  in  the  debates  of  the  R.H.S.,  many 
might  still  like  to  know  how  this  question  has  been  dealt  with  in  the 
past.  The  human  memory  is  short,  and  the  generations  of  man  quickly 
succeed  each  other,  and  what  I  here  recount  happened  twenty-six  years 
ago. 
Everybody  may  not  be  aware  that  lady  Fellows  of  the  society  were 
once  privileged  to  vote  by  proxy — a  privilege  denied  to  the  mere  men 
Fellows.  Nor  are  all  aware  that  in  the  clamour  for  sexual  equality — 
men  proxies — that  the  proxies  of  their  more  charming  superiors  were 
swept  away,  and  this  because  of  an  allegation  that  a  council  with 
decided  horticultural  proclivities  was  turned  out  by  the  proxy  votes  of 
their  masters — the  ladies — and  a  non-horticultural  council  put  in. 
Then  came  the  demand  of  the  men,  and  at  a  special  general  meeting 
of  January  8th,  1874,  a  resolution  was  passed  by  a  show  of  hands 
according  them  this  privilege.  Note  the  sequel.  Though  the  council 
was  non-horticultural  the  president  of  the  society  declined  to  act  on 
the  verdict,  on  the  plea  that  it  was  not  legal,  but  he  no  doubt  fore¬ 
saw  other  consequences,  at  any  rate  he  opposed  the  proposition.  He 
said  there  was  “  no  sort  of  guarantee  that  the  proxies  would  be  used  for 
the  purpose  intended.  On  a  former  occasion  he  said  the  proxies  of  the 
ladies  had  been  really  used  without  their  knowing  the  effect  of  their 
action  for  throwing  the  society  into  chancery.”  It  was  his  duty,  how¬ 
ever,  to  read  the  empowering  bye-law.  To  this  Dr.  Denny,  a  real  horti¬ 
culturist,  proposed  an  amendment,  the  effect  of  which  was  to  abolish 
proxies  altogether.  He  said  voting  by  proxy,  while  suitable  for  railway 
and  public  companies  where  large  sums  of  money  were  at  stake,  would 
be  worse  than  useless  for  the  R.H.S.  It  would  destroy  the  independence 
of  Fellows,  and  place  entire  power  in  the  hands  of  the  council,  who 
could  canvas  for  proxies  to  any  extent.  So  much  for  Dr.  Denny. 
Now  hear  Mr.  Shirley  Hibberd,  who  in  seconding  said,  “  If  they 
did  not  carry  the  amendment  they  would  be  violating  the  fundamental 
principle  of  the  Charter.  They  had  a  right  to  vote  by  ballot,  the  object 
of  which  was  to  destroy  any  personal  element.  There  was  by  the  ballot 
no  record  of  the  way  in  which  any  Fellow  had  voted  ;  but  there  was  of 
voting  by  proxy,  as  it  put  the  personal  element  in  the  first  place.” 
Dr.  Denny’s  amendment  was  carried  by  48  against  18  votes,  and 
when  put  as  a  substantive  motion,  finally  carried  by  49  votes. 
Now  hear  Dr.  Hogg.  Not  only  by  the  result  of  that  decision  is  the 
power  of  Fellows  generally  to  vote  by  proxy  refused,  but  the  ladies’ 
proxies  are  withdrawn.  Proxy  voting  is  therefore  abolished  in  the 
R.H.S.,  which  is  now  in  this  respect  in  the  same  position. as  all  other 
chartered  societies  and  learned  bodies  in  which  no  such  power  has  ever 
existed.  No  Fellow  should  have  the  power  of  voting  on  any  motion 
without  hearing  the  arguments  urged  on  both  sides. 
The  House  of  Lords  resigned  the  privilege  of  proxy  voting  because 
it  was  known  to  operate  wrongfully ;  and  is  there  any  sound  reason 
why  the  chairman  of  the  R.H.S.  council  should  be  able  to  say  any  more 
than  the  Prime  Minister,  “  Let  the  opposition  argue,  I  have  the  majority 
in  my  pocket?” 
It  is  right  that  the  present  Fellows  should  have  these  records  of  the 
Worthy  and  loyal  horticulturists  of  the  past  even  after  the  impor- 
tant  question  that  came  before  the  meeting  a  week  ago  has  been 
settled. — F,  R. 
