SPRING FLOWERS.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") Sre,—Your correspondent " Nemesis " in objecting to a flower show in war time seems to forget that it is the bounden duty of everybody too old for active service to do his best to maintain our British trades and industries, amongst which horticulture in its various branches occupies a by no means inconspicuous position. Our Society was the very first to issue an appeal to the public to increase the general food supply of the country by planting a larger part of their gardens (and all waste land) with vegetables. This we did by means of a letter to the Times the very day after war had been declared, and it had a magnificent result. Following closely upon this we circulated a hundred thousand flyleaves advising what and how to plant, and how to preserve fruits, &c., for winter use. Subsequently we published a little pamphlet giving instructions how to obtain an autumn crop from lands generally left fallow after the summer crops have been gathered in. Since then we have supplied the French and English camps at Salonika with vegetable seeds, and the base hospitals in France and Flanders with bulbs and flowering shrubs, and plants and seeds to brighten the sup roundings of our wounded men and recall to them reminiscences of home. We have also been asked, and gladly undertaken, to co-operate with the Committee charged with the laying out of the various cemeteries behind the lines where the bodies of the fallen rest. These are a few amongst the patriotic works which spring from the shows of flowers and vegetables which " Nemesis " so trenchantly condemns. The Council of our Society very seriously debated the question Whether to give up our shows or not. The matter was found to resolve itself into the question : Would the great national industry of gardening suffer? and it was unanimously felt that it would, and we therefore considered it to be our bounden duty to help to maintain the industry by continuing our shows, though on a smaller and more limited scale than heretofore. We have also had great encouragement from the testimony of many mourning the loss of dear ones in the war who have found some relief from depressing and sad thoughts by the contemplation of the beautiful flowers of the earth which the good God makes to come again from their graves and live another new life amongst men, suggesting, as they do, at least the possibility of another and brighter life some day for those who to-day have fallen asleep.—I am, Sir, &c., Vincent Square, Westminster, S.W. W. WiLlis, Secretary, R.H.S.
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