560 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  18,  1902. 
N.R.5.  Annual  General  Meeting. 
The  twenty-sixth  annual  general  meeting  of  the  National 
Rose  Society  was  held  in  a  room  of  the  Hotel  Windsor,  in  West¬ 
minster,  on  the  afternoon  of  Thursday.  December  11.  The 
weather  being  agreeably  cold  and  healthful,  a  goodly  number 
of  members  signed  the  book,  the  full  attendance  being  as 
follows:  Charles  E.  Shea,  Esq.  (in  the  chair),  with  Messrs.  Joseph 
H.  Pemberton,  E.  B.  Lindsell,  John  Strange,  H.  Shackleton, 
G.  W.  Cook,  John  Ballmore,  Thos.  B.  Gabriel,  C.  Holbrook, 
Conway  Jones,  G.  Gordon.  Maxwell  T.  Masters,  Geo.  Paul,  Chas. 
Hayward,  Ed.  Mawley,  H.  S.  Bartlett,  A.  Savage,  C.  Cape,  W. 
Gaseling,  R.  Harkness,  K.  H.  Gifford,  Ed.  J.  Holland,  A.  Turner, 
H.  E.  Molyneux,  E.  T.  Cook,  G.  Moules,  T.  N.  Flintoff,  H.  J. 
Spooner,  J.  R.  Mattock,  R.  Foley-Hobbs,  F.  Page-Roberts, 
Clifford  Chadwick,  H.  P.  Landon,  Richard  E.  West,  L.  G.  Pawle, 
F.  Cant,  F.  Wellesley,  R.  Powley,  G.  W.  Piper,  F.  Dennison, 
and  A.  C.  F.  E.  Prince. 
The  preliminary  business  having  been  disposed  of,  Mr.  Frank 
Cant  and  C.  B.  Gabriel  were  appointed  scrutineers  of  the  ballot 
for  the  annual  election  of  officers.  (The  names  of  officers  that 
appeared  on  the  balloting  list,  sent  out  to  each  member  prior 
to  the  meeting,  was  adopted,  with  the  addition  of  the  Lord 
Provost  of  Glasgow  and  ex-Provost  Mitchell  to  the  list  of  vice- 
presidents.) 
The  report  of  the  committee  and  financial  statement  for  1902 
was  then  presented,  the  latter  being  read  first,  owing  to  Mr.  C. 
Hayward,  the  treasurer,  having  to  leave  the  meeting  early.  The 
report  is  given  hereunder  : — - 
Report  of  the  Committee  for  the  Year  1902. 
In  presenting  their  report,  the  committee  congratulate  the 
members  upon  the  increasing  influence  and  prosperity  of  the 
society.  The  only  drawback  during  the  year  was  the  much 
smaller  sum  received  in  gate-money  at  the  exhibition  in  the 
Temple  Gardens  as  compared  with  the  previous  year.  This, 
however,  is  a.  drawback  to  which  all  horticultural  societies  hold¬ 
ing  independent  shows  are  at  times  liable,  and  which  is  only 
seriously  felt  when  there  is  no  substantial  guarantee  or  reserve 
fund  to  fall  back  upon.  The  committee  are  of  opinion  that  the 
smaller  attendance  of  visitors  at  the  society’s  Temple  Show  is 
only  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  general  depression  which  at 
that  time  prevailed  throughout  the  country  owing  to  the  serious 
illness  of  the  King.  All  public  functions  of  a  similar  character 
held  during  the  early  part  of  July  appear  to  have  suffered  in 
the  same  way. 
The  flowering  season  proved  this  year  so  exceptionally  backward 
that,  even  as  late  as  Midsummer  Day,  fears  were  entertained 
that  there  would  be  but  few  Roses  available  for  the  Temple 
Rose  Show.  Fortunately,  warmer  weather  set  in  soon  after¬ 
wards,  with  the  result  that  that  exhibition,  although  by  no 
means  a  large  one,  proved  the  most  varied  in  arrangement  and 
enjoyable  that  the  society  has  yet  held.  Taking  the  number 
of  exhibition  Roses  as  a  guide,  it  was  the  smallest  metropolitan 
show  since  1893 — or  for  nine  years. 
The  committee  thankfully  acknowledge  their  great  indebted¬ 
ness  to  the  Treasurer  and  Benchers  of  the  Inner  Temple  for  again 
granting  the  society  permission  to  hold  the  exhibition  in  their 
gardens.  Their  thanks  are  likewise  due  to  the  President  and 
Council  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  for  so  generously 
placing  the  Society’s  staff  of  assistants,  including  Mr.  S.  T. 
Wright,  the  superintendent  of  the  Chiswick  Gardens,  at  their 
disposal  on  the  show  day.  To  those  members  who  rendered  such 
substantial  help  this  year  by  their  promised  contributions  to 
the  Temple  Show  Guarantee  Fund,  amounting  in  all  to  £‘360, 
the  committee  feel  that  their  thanks  are  specially  due. 
The  southern  show,  which  took  place  at  Exeter  two  days 
after  the  metropolitan  exhibition,  was,  owing  to  the  lateness 
of  the  season,  also  an  exceptionally  small  one.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  .show  at  Manchester  proved  unusually  extensive; 
indeed,  with  only  four  exceptions,  it  was  the  largest  exhibition 
that  has  yet  been  held  by  the  society  in  the  provinces.  Taking 
together  the  average  quality  of  the  exhibits  and  the  number 
of  them,  it  must  be  regarded  as  having  been  the  finest  Rose 
show  of  the  year.  The  arrangements  made  in  connection  with 
both  exhibitions  reflect  great  credit  respectively  on  Mr.  G.  D. 
Cann,  the  secretary  of  the  Devon  and  Exeter  Horticultural 
Society,'  and  on  Mr.  P.  Weathers,  the  curator  of  the  Royal 
Botanic  Gardens  at  Manchester.  The  success  of  these  exhibi¬ 
tions  was  also  in  a  great  measure  owing  to  the  kind  exertions 
of  two  of  the  society’s  vice-presidents — Mr.  Peter  Yeitch,  who 
acted  as  the  society’s  representative  at  Exeter,  and  Mr.  James 
Brown,  who,  with  equal  energy  and  tact,  furthered  the  society’s 
interests  at  Manchester. 
During  the  course  of  the  year  a  new  edition  of  the  “  Hints 
on  Planting  Roses,”  brought  up  to  date,  and  also  an  entirely 
new  edition  of  the  “  Official  Catalogue  of  Exhibition  and  Garden 
Roses,”  compiled  by  a  special  committee  appointed  for  the  pur¬ 
pose,  have  been  published  and  issued  to  the  members.  The 
necessity  for  reprinting  the  above  and  other  publications  of 
the  society  so  soon  has  arisen  through  the  exceptionally  large 
increase  of  members  during  the  last  two  years,  which  could  not 
have  been  foreseen  when  the  last  editions  of  those  publications 
were  printed. 
The  committee  regret  to  announce  the  loss  through  death  of 
Mr.  Charles  J.  Grahame,  one  of  the  society’s  vice-presidents. 
Mr.  Grahame  had  for  many  years  taken  the  keenest  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  the  society,  and  was  at  all  times  its  most  generous 
supporter.  He  will,  no  doubt,  be  best  remembered  for  his  ener¬ 
getic  action  in  bringing  about  the  adoption  of  the  regulation  that 
requires  amateur  exhibitors  to  show  according  to  the  number  of 
plants  they  grow,  a  regulation  which  lias  worked  well,  and  has 
now  been  in  force  during  the  last  ten  years. 
It  is  with  the  deepest  regret  that  the  committee  record  the 
resignation,  in  February  last,  through  failing  health,  of  the 
Rev.  H.  Honywood  D’Ombrain,  the  founder  of  the  society,  and 
for  twenty-five  years  its  senior  secretary.  Throughout  the  whole 
of  that  period  his  labours  have  been  untiring,  and  the  committee 
cannot  but  feel  that  the  present  satisfactory  position  of  the 
society  is  in  a  great  measure  due  to  the  ability,  energy,  and  tact 
unremittingly  displayed  by  him  on  its  behalf.  At  the  committee 
meetings  of  the  past  year,  as  well  as  at  the  Temple  Rose  Show, 
liis  genial  presence  has  been  greatly  missed.  Mention  should 
also  be  made  of  that  semi-official  publication  of  the  society, 
“  The  Rosarian’s  Year  Book,”  of  which  Mr.  D’Ombrain  was  the 
editor  during  the  whole  period  of  his  secretaryship — the  issue 
of  which  has  now,  unfortunately,  ceased. 
As  Mr.  Wollaston  will  in  future  be  residing  away  from  London 
during  the  winter  months,  he  has  reluctantly  tendered  his  resig¬ 
nation  as  one  of  the  lion,  auditors  of  the  society.  In  accepting 
this  resignation,  the  committee  take  the  opportunity  of  thank¬ 
ing  Mr.  Wollaston  for  his  kind  services  as  auditor  during  the 
past  seventeen  years. 
Finance. 
Although  the  receipts  at  the  last  Temple  Rose  Show  fell  short 
of  the  amount  taken  at  the  previous  exhibition  by  £150,  it  has 
only  been  necessary  to  draw  upon  the  guarantee  fund  to  the  extent 
of  £90.  That  a  larger  sum  was  not  required  has  been  almost 
entirely  owing  to^  the  large  amount  received  this  year  in  new 
subscriptions.  The  net  gain,  as  in  the  preceding  year,  has  been 
150  members,  thus  bringingriip  the  aggregate  number  of  members 
to  890.  The  total  receipts  "amounted  to  £1,248  4s.  3d.,  and  the 
expenditure  to  £1,233  5s.,  leaving  a  balance  of  £14  19s.  3d.  to 
carry  forward  to  1903. 
Arrangements  for  1903. 
The  metropolitan  exhibition  will  again  be  held,  by  the  kind 
permission  of  the  Treasurer  and  Benchers  of  the  Inner  Temple, 
in  the  Temple  Gardens,  on  Wednesday,  July  1.  There  will  be 
no  southern  exhibition  next  year,  but  arrangements  have  been 
made  to  hold  the  northern  show  in  St.  Andrew’s  Hall,  Glasgow, 
on  July  15,  in  conjunction  with  the  West  of  Scotland  Rosarians’ 
Society.  The  only  previous  occasion  when  the  society  has 
visited  Scotland  was  in  1887,  when  a  most  successful  exhibition 
was  held  in  the  Waverley  Market,  in  Edinburgh. 
Members’  Privileges. 
Members  subscribing  one  guinea  will  be  entitled  to  six  5s. 
tickets,  and  subscribers  of  half-a-guinea  to  three  5s.  tickets  of 
admission  to  the  society’s  exhibition  in  the  Temple  Gardens ; 
or,  if  preferred,  any  of  these  tickets  may  be  used  instead  for  the 
society’s  northern  show  in  Glasgow.  Members  joining  the  society 
for  the  first  time  in  1903  will  also  receive  copies  of  the  following 
publications :  The  recently  issued  edition  of  the  “  Official  Cata¬ 
logue  of  Exhibition  and  Garden  Roses,”  the  new  and  revised 
edition  of  the  “  Hints  on  Planting  Roses,”  the  “  Report  of  the 
Conferences  on  Pruning  and  Exhibiting  Roses,”  the  “  Report  on 
the  Constitution  of  Rose  Soils,”  the  “  Conference  Report  on  the 
Decorative  Use  of  Some  Garden  Roses,”  and  to  a  symposium  on 
“  How  to  Grow  and  Show  Tea  Roses.”  Members  alone  are  allowed 
to  compete  at  the  shows  of  the  society.  Members  will  be 
entitled  to  purchase  tickets  for  their  friends  for  the  Temple 
Rose  Show  at  reduced  prices. 
In  conclusion,  the  committee  desire  to  convey  their  best  thanks 
to  the  donors  of  the  numerous  special  prizes  which  were  this 
year  presented  to  the  society,  and  especially  to  Captain  Ramsay 
for  the  handsome  prize  he  again  offered  at  the  Temple  Rose 
Show,  in  what  has  now  become  one  of  the  most  popular  classes 
in  the  exhibition.  The  local  secretaries  have  again  done  good 
service,  and  more  particularly  Mr.  H.  S.  Bartleet  and  Mr.  H.  E. 
Molyneux.  To  Miss  Whllmott  the  thanks  of  the  committee  are 
