31 ANNUAL REPORT 



gather some pretty thing which others might not have noticed, 

 and entertained me with its history, its origin, its uses, its time 

 of blossoming, etc. I never so fully realized how lavishly the 

 Creator has scattered beauty, even in unexpected places, all 

 over the world. The old man rides from place to place, preach- 

 ing of the love of Him who used the flowers of the field to illus- 

 trate the care of the All-father over His children and striving 

 to lead his hearers "from nature up to nature's God," and, 

 although his life is a toilsome one and his way sometimes very 

 rough, yet he finds a sweet solace and strength in this beautiful 

 "silent teacher," with whom he holds intimate converse. 



He showed me some beautiful things; a lovely little white 

 bulb, whose name I do not now recall, almost equal in beauty to 

 the lily of the valley, so precious to us all, and told me of many 

 others not then in blossom, and of a variety of easily cultivated 

 shrubs which would be highly ornamental in our public or pri- 

 vate grounds. 



That summer day's ride opened up to me a new and beautiful 

 page in floral lore, and, though always very fond of flowers, I 

 have ever since felt a deeper fondness for them, and have been 

 persuaded in my own mind that it would add much to the grati- 

 fication and real pleasure of those who love them to bring in 

 these beauties, which "seem born to blush unseen and waste 

 their sweetness on the desert air," and domesticate them, if 

 practicable, for our continued enjoyment. 



A vote of thanks was given Mrs. Van Cleve for her interesting 

 and able paper. 



President Elliot said the Society could appreciate the pains 

 taken in the preparation of this paper, and Mrs. Van Cleve had 

 called attention to matters of much interest to all. There are 

 many wild flowers and things about our doors that appear com- 

 mon that are worthy objects for our consideration. 



Mr. J. M. Smith said he had often been surprised that so lit- 

 tle attention was paid to wild flowers, as many of them were 

 more beautiful than some obtained at high prices. Under the 

 microscope a common flower was an object of perfection scarcely 

 to be found elsewhere in the world. 



The following paper was then read; the headlines are inserted 

 by the secretary: 



