IS11.] 



AND HOBTIGULTURIST. 



319 



season, and has used untiring efforts to make it 

 the success it promises to be. 



Maryland Hort. Society. — During the week 

 of th'e meeting of the American Pomological 

 Society, the Maryland Horticultural Society held 

 its annual E.\hibition. It was a remarkably 

 creditable one in every respect, and we have 

 not for a long time felt so much encour- 

 aged in regard to the future progress and posi- 

 tion of Horticulture in our country as after see- 

 ing this beautiful show. The plants were not 

 only of new or rare kinds in numerous cases, but 

 had a' large number of well-grown specimens. It 

 has often been said in regard to American ex- 

 hibits of plants that they seldom were more than 

 the sweepings of greenhouses, showing no evi- 

 dence whatever of any gardening skill in their 

 growth. The exhibits of most shows unfortu- 

 nately compel us to say honestly that this is the 

 truth, and it is therefore with the more pleasure 

 that we record the fact that on this occasion 

 there was a better average of plants, healthy and 

 well-grown — we do not mean overgrown — than 

 we have seen brought together for a long time. An- 

 other feature which impressed itself strongly on 

 us was the cordial co-operation which seemed to 

 exist between all the gardening fraternity of Bal- 

 timore in one good result. As human nature is 

 what it is, w^e always expect some dissatisfied 

 persons, sometimes with and sometimes without 

 good reason, and who cannot therefore work 

 well together. If there be any of this here, we 

 did not find them, and all this is in favor of a 

 vigorous long life to the infant societ}'. It 

 also has the advantage of amateurs of taste and 

 culture, who, without wishing to appear promi 

 nent, yet do not shrink from leading off when 

 they feel they can be useful. The President of 

 the Society is Mr. W. H. Perot, a Baltimore 

 merchant, whose country seat of forty acres is in 

 many respects not inferior to the celebrated one 

 of Mr. Hunnewell at Boston. The Secretary — 

 Mr. W. B. Sands — is the editor of the American 

 Farmer, and one of the best workingmen in the 

 line of tact and talent that any Society could 

 have. A large number of others outside of the 

 trade take an active pride in the success of the 

 Society, and we shall not be at all surprised if, 

 before long, this young Society does not press 

 the older ones of Pennsylvania and Massachu- 

 setts pretty hard for pre-eminence. 



A large number of the plants on exhibition had 

 no exhibitor's names attached to them. This is 



supposed to insure a more impartial decision by 

 the jurors, but it is doubtful. On the other hand 

 it robs the exhibitor of half his honors. We were 

 enabled to ascertain only the following from an 

 inspection of the plants on exhibition : Mr. Wm. 

 T. Walters, Alex. Frazer, gardener, Patterson 

 Park, Mr. Frazer, Supt., Sam. Feast & Son, Eobt. 

 Buist, W. H. Wehrhaus, John Saul, Joseph Kift 

 & Sons, W D. Breckenridge, U. S. Bot. garden, 

 W. R. Smith curator, Robt. Halliday, Cromwell 

 & Congdon, James Pentland, Mr. Black, Thomas 

 Farley. The fruit department was chiefly in 

 connection with the American Pomological So- 

 ciety's exhibit, and we were notable in our short 

 examination to do credit to the Maryland show- 

 separately from that. We have only time and 

 space at this late period of the month to say that 

 all in all this exhibit of the Maryland Society in 

 itself, and in all its associations, was one which 

 all will long remember who took part in it. 



The American Pomological Society. — We 

 have only time to say, as we go to press, that 

 the biennial meeting of this excellent body was 

 held in Baltimore according to an announce- 

 ment, and was one of the most pleasant and 

 profitable it has ever held. At the last moment 

 it was found tliat tlie venerable and esteemed 

 President, Col. Wilder, could not be present, not 

 being quite as well as it was expected he would be, 

 and the Treasurer, Mr. Thos. P. James, was 

 absent for the same reason. Mr. James is one 

 of the most unselfish workers in the body, and 

 his absence was very much regretted. In Col. 

 Wilder's absence, Mr. Hovey presided, and 

 Mr. B. Smith, of Boston, acted as Treasurer. 

 Excellent essays were jiresented, and which will 

 appear in the transactions. The fruit list was 

 revised, and such additions and corrections 

 made as seemed warranted by circumstances. 

 There were few discussions, wherein were much 

 difference of opinion, except on Pear blight and 

 Early Peaches. In the latter case it was quite 

 evident, from the experience given in, that while 

 there was a very close resemblance of one of the 

 popular peaches to the other, there were other 

 cases where the same kinds exhibited differ- 

 ences enough to make distinction inii)ort;int. 



By special vote of the Society, Thomas Mechan 

 was invited to address the body on Pear bHght, 

 but he had nothing new to otl'er beyond ^\hat 

 is contained in his remarks at Chicago, as re- 

 ported in the Society's proceedings of that year. 

 Mr. Transou, of Tennessee, moved that the next 

 session (1879) be held at Nashville, otlurs 

 moved fur Rochester, and i'cn- New York city, 

 Mr. Quiiui making a warm speech in favor of 

 the latter. But nearly the whole of a full meet- 



