278 



TRANSACTIONS OF THE MASS. HORT. SOCIETY. 



REVIEW. 



Transactions of the Massachusetts Horti- 

 cultural Society. Volume I., Part 1, large 

 octavo. [34 pages and 28 pages of Proceedings.] 

 Boston. Published for the Society, by W. D. 

 Ticknor &. Co. 

 We announced early last spring, the pros- 

 pectus of this work, and are happy to find 

 the first part now before us. 



The Committee of Publication apologises 

 for the delay, in issuing the work so long 

 after the time fixed for its appearance. 

 " This delay has arisen from an anxious de- 

 sire to have plates in a style of excellence 

 much superior to that of those which now 

 accompany it. After infinite trouble and 

 disappointment, the Committee feel satis- 

 fied that the process of chromolithing, in its 

 present state, is not adapted for a work of 

 the character which it is determined to 

 stamp on the Transactions of the Massachu- 

 setts Horticultural Society, or to give even 

 a faint idea of the beautiful drawings made 

 by their artist, Mr. W. Shakp. While, 

 therefore, the Committee regrets extremely 

 that it is obliged to issue the present num- 

 ber with chromolithed plates, it has resolv- 

 ed not only that the plates of the future 

 numbers shall appear in a very difierent 

 style, but that, if possible, those of this first 

 number shall be reproduced in a uniform 

 manner." 



These are fine plates, richly coloured, 

 and more carefully executed than those in 

 Mr. Hovey's serial, though, as the Com- 

 mittee so honestly and frankly state, not 

 with that fidelity to nature, and delicacy 

 of tint, which characterise the best English 

 and French coloured plates, done by hand. 

 This defect, however, we are glad to see, 

 will be remedied hereafter. 



The plates consist of the two almost per- 

 fect seedling Camellias raised by the Pre- 



sident of the Society, the Van Afons Leon h 

 Clerc pear, and the William'' s Favorite and 

 Baldwin apples. 



The letter press comprises excellent de- 

 scriptions of these flowers and fruits, a pre- 

 face by the Corresponding Secretary, an 

 article on the Character, History and Culture 

 of the Pear, by Gen. Dearborn, one on the 

 Superiority of Native Varieties of Fruits, 

 by A. J. DoAVNiNG, and twenty-eight pages 

 of the proceedings of the Society. 



The letter press is most admirably exe- 

 cuted on fine heavy paper, with unimpeach- 

 able type and margins ; and we congratu- 

 late the Society, certainly the most ener- 

 getic and vigorous in its management in 

 the country, on having fairly commenced 

 so promising a series of Transactions, 

 which cannot but increase ver}^ largely its 

 sphere of usefulness. 



From Mr. Teschemacher's prefatory re- 

 marks, we quote the following paragraphs : 



" Independent of the pleasure enjoyed 

 by the sight of them, it will not be difficult 

 to show, that, like Fruit and Vegetables, 

 Flowers may be considered as articles of 

 considerable trade, and are, therefore, of 

 importance in a commercial point of view. 

 Civilization bids us mingle the ornamental 

 with the useful ; and the pleasures of the 

 eye, though not so indispensable, are of 

 a much more refined nature than those of 

 the mouth. There is no reason Avhy the 

 overflowings of wealth may not pour forth 

 a grateful and refreshing stream into the 

 lap of floricultural industry, as well as into 

 that of the ornamental branches of the in- 

 dustry of the loom, or into that of the de- 

 corative arts of sculpture and painting ; 

 none why the drawing rooms of the weal- 

 thy should not be rendered attractive by 



