HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27688, 18 June 1955, Page 9

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

ADDRESS BY MR C. M. SMITH New Zealand was the only country that had a botany division in its Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, said Mr C. M. Smith, officer in charge of the Botany Division in Christchurch, in an address to tfie annual meeting of the Canterbury Horticultural Society. Mr Smith said the opinion had been expressed that plants were only the playthings of the botanist. “I fear that opinion is too frequent; there is even a somewhat illogical rider added, to the' effect that botanists do nothing but play,” he said.

It was announced that investments in the society’s debenture scheme have now reached £B7OO. The scheme is to provide funds for the building of the proposed Canterbury Horticultural Centre. Because of the success of the society’s Woodland show last year, a committee ‘has been set up to arrange for a similar show in 1957. Officers were elected as follows: Patron, the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr R. M. Macfarlane, M.P.); president, Sir R. Heaton Rhodes; vicepresidents, Dr. T. Fletcher Telford, Dr. A. C. McKillop, Mrs A. C. Johns, Messrs A. T. Penrose, F. T. Shanks, O. W. B. Anderson, M. J. Barnett, J. R. Templin, R. C. Jaggar, E. Taylor, W. J. Humm, A. McNeil, H. Williams and J. Watling; board of control, Messrs N. E. Taylor and A. J. Dewar; honorary solicitor, Mr N. E. Taylor; committee, Messrs M. J. Barnett, L. Clark, E. G. Collett, A.'J. Dewar, J. Glazebrook, H. G. Gilpin, S. W. Gower, W. J. Humm, A. McNeil, R. T. Sladen, E. Taylor, J. R. Templin, J. Watling, H. Williams, K. M. Wilson.

Mesdames P. C. Browne and L. R. Barnett and Mr M. J. Barnett were elected life members.