490 [Senate 



Judges, Delegates of other Institutions, and distinguished men from 

 other parts of the Union, Charitable Schools, &c. And to these must 

 likewise be added the very large number who gain admittance by the 

 transfer or loan of tickets and other deceptiye modes. 



Your chairman is here led to remark, that many thoughtless indivi- 

 duals have, on former anniversaries, gained admittance by presenting 

 articles which were unworthy of exhibition, thus disparaging the dis- 

 play and crowding the rooms with unprofitable visitors. On the pre- 

 sent occasion, however, he has deemed it his duty to reject these " un- 

 considered trifles," to the disappointment of many a seemingly patriotic 

 contributor. Every article received should be distinguished by the 

 mark of excellence, superior culture being the end and aim of this 

 Association. 



It has been the object of your chairman to render the Horticultural 

 Department a House of Representatives to all contributors. With 

 this view, he has attached the name of each in uniform and legible 

 characters, to the different articles of merit sent in for competi- 

 tion. 



In conclusion, your chairman would respectfully remark, that dis- 

 satisfaction has been expressed by competitors in the Mechanical Arts, 

 relative to the premiums awarded for the promotion of Floriculture ; — 

 a darling pursuit of the virtuous and enlightened from " time imme- 

 morial." We hope to prove that these censures have not justice for 

 their foundation, and to convince the unprejudiced, that more honor 

 "than profit has been the. portion of those who have contributed so 

 largely to the chief attraction of the Fair. Have not our Florists, by 

 their inimitable displays of " Nature's choicest gems," attracted to the 

 Horticultural Room, thousands of "virtuous wives and beautiful daugh- 

 ters," — the pride and glory of our Commonwealth 1 This they deem 

 a distinguished honor, and a pleasing evidence of that pure and refin- 

 ed taste which elevates and so well befits the female character. A few 

 "^words as to the profit. Since the commencement of the Fair, on 

 the 6th instant, upward of 30,000 Dahlia blooms have been 

 exhibited ; their value, in connection with the time occupied in suc- 

 cessive renewals, cannot be computed at less than five hundred dollars 

 a larger sum, by five times, than the cost of the premiums awarded by 

 the Institute to the cultivators of this splendid floral gem. 



By adopting the new regulation of adjudging distinct premiums for 

 ornamental designs, renew^ed during the fair, and appointing one day 

 expressly for the awards on the twenty-five best specimens of seed- 

 ling and other choice varieties, a goodly number of amateurs assem- 

 bled together in friendly communion. Monday, the 15th day of 

 •October, will be long remembered in the annals of American flori- 

 ' culture. A more gorgeous display of the varieties of the Dahlia was 

 never before witnessed on the American continent : their glowing 

 colors, their rich contrasts, and beautiful perfection, excited general 

 admiration. Well did these brilliant favorites repay the well-spent 

 hours devoted to their cultivation. 



