64 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[February, 



mon. The fruit show was a fair one comprising 

 pears, apples, grapes, etc. 



Nearly six thousand persons visited the exhibi- 

 tion, a proof that the Boston public fully appreciate 

 the effort of the horticulturists. 

 Botanic Gardens, Cambridge, Mass., Nov. 2S, '84. 



[As will be seen by the date this should have 

 reached us in time for our last number, but seems 

 to have been delayed on the road somewhere. — 

 Ed. G. M.] 



HINTS TO EXHIBITORS. 



I enclose an extract from a private letter from 

 Boston, which may interest you. It is written by 

 a flower lover. Is there not a hint for exhibitors 

 therein ? 



" I wish I could describe to you, so you could 

 realize how charming the flowers (Chrysanthe- 

 mums) are, the newspaper reports are so cold and 

 meagre. I'm so old fashioned, that I like best the 

 bonny little pompons. The sprawly Japanese 

 varieties, I do not love one bit — not to have and 

 to hold and pet. The Chinese are belter, some 

 are almost perfectly round, like a " Dizlia" — as 

 the Maine people say ; and one pink one with a 

 little pink perfume quite won me. 



" But the orchids were a revelation to me — I 

 never saw such beauties, and do not generally care 

 much for them. They seem to be uncanny things 

 — like transformed fairy butterflies or moths. One 

 was evidently a tiger, which had been changed to 

 a moth, and then to a flower; but it had rather a 

 tiger uncertainty about it still, and I was a little 

 suspicious of it. 



" And my heart ached for some lovely pansies 

 near the orchids. Can you imagine any human 

 being capable of putting about thirty pansy blooms 

 into a tall, narrow vase ! all squeezed together, so 

 that not one could show its liltle face happily, j 

 They did look so sorry and uncomfortable that 1 , 

 made a desperate venture and begged of someone 

 in charge a flat dish of water, and put them to 

 float in it, and then the little faces smiled their 

 thanks." 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



A Grand Chrysanthemum Show.— The Penn- 

 sylvania Horticultural Society has decided to 

 have a grand show in Philadelphia next Autumn, 

 which shall continue open four days. 



Mass. Horticultural Society.— In the an- 

 nual report of this Society, the committee of ar- 1 

 rangemcnts, in reviewing the exhibitions of the , 

 year now closing, pronounce them the most suc- 

 cessful, so far as the quality, beauty and extent of 

 exhibits are considered, which have taken place , 

 for many years, and possibly exceeding any with- 

 in the society's history. The increase in paid ad- 

 missions was particularly gratifying, the total 

 being S281 5.05, a greater sum than the total for 



the five years previous to 1881, when the Ameri- 

 can Pomological Society held its meeting in Bos- 

 ton. The receipts at the annual exhibition in 

 1884 were about equal to the total of all the large 

 exhibitions in 1883. While a part of this increase 

 may have been due to the extension of the time 

 during which the exhibitions were held, it also in- 

 dicates that the public is quick to appreciate the 

 efforts to add to the beauty and brilliancy of the 

 exhibitions. 



The schedule of prizes for 1885 came up for 

 final action, and it was voted to add to the general 

 rules and regulations a rule that no premium shall 

 be awarded at any exhibition, except those 

 authorized by the society. 



We do not feel sure that this is wise, while it is 

 undoubtedly true that a free discretion in the scat- 

 tering of money everywhere on special premiums, 

 would tend to ruin financially the strongest society 

 in time. There must necessarily be many 

 superior objects of Horticultural interest con- 

 tinually coming up, deserving of reward and 

 commendation, which no care or foresight in ar- 

 ranging a schedule, can provide for. It seems to 

 us that the rule adopted by the Germantown 

 Horticultural Society is a better one. This pro- 

 vides a specific sum each month for the dis- 

 cretionary use of the committee ; the unused 

 balance of which goes with the life subscriptions, 

 to the permanent fund. 



At the meeting of January 2d, Mr. J. B. Moore, 

 the newly elected President, took the chair. His 

 inaugural address dwelt chiefly on the good work 

 the Society had done ; gave a just tribute to the 

 unselfish work of a number of his predecessors, 

 and detailed many of the advantages for future 

 usefulness which the Society now possessed. He 

 particularly spoke of the value of the library of 

 the Society as far greater than the whole cost of 

 membership, to all who love rural life and ad- 

 mire beautiful plants and flowers and noble trees. 

 The library is growing faster than ever before, 

 and the necessity of more room for the accom- 

 modation of the many rare and valuable books 

 which it contains was enforced. 



Mr. Robert Manning was re-elected Librarian 

 and Secretary, and Mr. Geo. W. Fowle Treasurer. 



The appropriations for prizes, viz., for flowers 

 $2,600, fruits 51,500, vegetables JSoo, and gardens 

 J200 : and the appropriations for the library com- 

 mittee, $400; committee on publication and discus- 

 sion S200 ; and committee of arrangements S300, 

 previously recommended by the executive commit- 

 tee, were voted by the society. 



Charles H. B. Breck, William J. Underwood 

 and John C. Hovey were appointed a committee 

 to prepare a memorial of F. Lyman Winship. 



Arthur Blake, of Brookline, was proposed by 

 Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, as a member of the 

 society. John L. Gardner and Miss Annie C. Put- 

 nam, Ijoth of Boston, were electetl members. A 

 motion to appropriate $20 (or the deficiency in the 

 subscription for vases for prizes at the rose show 

 was referred to the executive committee; and the 

 meeting adjourned to Saturday, January loth. 



The prizes offered for forced vegetables brought 

 out a grand display. 



