His Honour Judge Skinner Turner presided at the annual meeting of the Shanghai Horticultural Society held on Monday afternoon in the Cathedral Schoolroom, and attended by some 15 members.
In moving the adoption of the report and accounts, the Chairman said that last year complaints were made as to the lack of interest in the society, and these complaints were followed up by correspondence in the press. So small was the attendance last year that it was impossible to get a full committee as provided by the rules. Those who were elected added a few to their number, and the faithful few determined to carry on and hold the autumn show as usual, and he thought it was a very successful show. On behalf of the committee, he could say that they welcomed criticism. If thie Society was behind the times, the committed would be glad to know what could he done to bring it more up-to date, but they wanted criticism of a constructive as well as destruc tive character.
"DapHne Wuere art THov?"
One correspondent wrote to the paper in somewhat bitter terms a letter signed "Daphne.'"' 'Daphne where art thou?' was a question they had been asking ever since. So far "Daphne" had never come forward, but the committee would be very glad to welcome her—or him. After the autumn show, the committee appointed a small subcommittee to consider what might be done towards meeting present day needs of Shanghai in horticultural matters, and a recommendation was passed which was designed to encourage the growing of flowers and vegetables in small gardens; another, that an endeavour should be made to improve the educational value of the spring and autumn shows. These recommendations had been circulated to members, and they had the support of Mr. Macgregor, without whom he supposed the show could hardly go on, and who was of opinion that they were perfectly feasible. One recommendation was the somewhat drastic ons of cutting down the chrysanthemum classes at the autumn show from 97 to 50, Another thing which had struck the committee was the difficulty which had existed of learning at one show what was going to happen at the next. Information as to the schedule of prizs for the autumn show was not available in many cases until practically the morning of the show, a hopeless position for anyone who wanted to grow anything for exhibition. It was the same with the spring show. It had therefore been decided to
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.