512 



M. P. WILDER'S GREEN-HOUSE. 



The extreme remoteness and supposed 

 rusticity of our mountain State, has passed 

 into a proverb among story-writers, and 

 when the most uncouth specimen of hu- 

 manity their imaginations can draw, is de- 

 scribed, he is always represented as from 

 Vermont, or, to use a stereotyped phrase in 

 Boston and New-York police reports, " a 

 greenhorn from Vermont ;" and a few years 

 since I was asked by a pious old lady in 

 Hartford, Ct., "are the people in Vermont 

 much civilized yet?" her object being to 

 ascertain if missionaries could be safely 

 sent among us. But, on the shores of 

 Lake Champlain, with our daily and nightly 

 lines of steam-boats, connecting New- York 



and Europe with Queen Victoria's provin- 

 ces, our steam, ferry and tow-boats, our 200 

 sloops, lake and canal boat?, connected with 

 the river Hudson by a canal, with the St. 

 Lawrence by a canal and railroad — two 

 railroads in progress for Boston, one for 

 Saratoga, one for Ogdensburgh, connecting 

 us with Lake Ontario, and a fifth for New- 

 York ; we think we shall soon, by increased 

 intercourse with our more " civilized" neigh- 

 bors, be enabled to exchange a few of our 

 " greenhorns," and no longer be " out of 

 the world," though we may be " in Ver- 

 mont." 



Chauncey Goodrich. 



Burlin gton, Vt. April, 1847. 



A VISIT TO THE GREEN-HOUSE OF MARSHALL P. WTLDER, ESQ., 



PRESIDENT OF THE MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, HAWTHORN GROVE, DORCHESTER. 



BY JOSEPH BRECK, BOSTON. 



There is not, perhaps, another person in the 

 country, who has a greater passion for rare 

 and beautiful plants, or who has done more 

 for horticulture than Mr. Wilder, certainly 

 not in New England. There is scarcely a 

 tree or plant of aay description, that is re- 

 puted to have anj^ claim to beauty or use- 

 fulness, which has been heard of as existing 

 in any part of Europe or America, but it is 

 sure to find its way into this gentleman's 

 collection, cost what it may. It has always 

 afforded us much pleasure to visit this 

 green-house, for something new and rare is 

 always displayed, and then there are many 

 new things, just imported, in various stages 

 of progress, giving the pleasing anticipation 

 of successive exhibitions of something inte- 

 resting and magnificent. It sometimes 

 seems as if Madame Flora would soon out- 

 do herself, or be eclipsed by her own pro- 



ductions, so fast are improved varieties mul- 

 tiplied. What is considered the ne plus 

 ultra one year, is perhaps discarded, or 

 thrown completely into the shade, the next 

 season, by a new and superior rival. It is 

 really amusing to look back a few years, 

 and call to mind the varieties that, in their 

 day, have been the theme of admiration, 

 and upon which were bestowed the most 

 superlative terms, but are now neglected and 

 forgotten. The present visit was designed 

 principally for the purpose of examining the 

 splendid collection of Camellias and Aza- 

 leas, now in full bloom, and at the same 

 time to look at other curiosities. 



The green-house is divided into three 

 apartments. As the visitor enters into the 

 first division of the house, his eye rests up- 

 on a superb collection of Chinese Azaleas 

 finely grouped upon the stage so as to show 



