STATE HORTICULTCKAL SOCIETY. 51 



increase of size and brilliancy ot the blooms. We planted last spring 

 a double set of Salzers '"Diamond Four," the Jacquiminot, the 

 La France, the Coquette des Alps and the Capt. Christy— the latter 

 the favorite rose of Mr. Bancroft, the historian, out of five hundred 

 sorts, as his gardener at Washington once told me. All have made a 

 good growth, and the La France and the Coquette put out a few nice 

 blooms the latter part of the summer. We lay down and cover all 

 our roses with sod spaded from the grass near by; and shall uncover 

 the Diamond Four in the spring with some anxiety for their life; but 

 Salzer says they will stand out doors. I cannot report in detail on 

 the annual flowers except that there was an abundnnce of the com, 

 mon favorites and some of the new sorts, and that they looked pretty 

 and smelt nice, and were in much request amoug our guests and pic- 

 nic parties, and somehow one carries nothing more agreeable to a 

 friend in town than a nice bouquet. Their names, at least the 

 newer sorts, are not kuowu only to the superintendent of that depart- 

 ment, who uses my envelope too freely to save the seeds and write 

 their stuck-up names on, and crams the drawers and pigeon holes of 

 my desk with the packages. But I get acquainted with the perren- 

 nials. The one year's growth that rewarded us with rose blooms on 

 the roots we brought from the old garden, also brought out the flow- 

 ering of the lilacs, the graudiflora, the spireas, the uigalias, the cle- 

 matis, the nisterias and the peonas, and here also reminding us of the 

 kindness of our soil. The buffalo berry, Argentea Shepenlu, I 

 found growing in my pasture and transplanted half a dozen small 

 trees to the garden last year. It is a dainty little ornamental tree, in 

 all respects — form of tree, leaves, blossoms and fruits. It holds its 

 leaves undimmed by frost till the last hard freeze-up just as winter 

 sets in. 



But this report is too lengthy. Slash it till it fits into the program 

 and the time allotted to other things. 



Would be glad to attend your annual meeting; but although I 

 amuse myself a little in horticulture, the farm business is my employ- 

 ment, even in winter, and obliges me to keep closely at home, at least 

 not to go far away. Have not set foot in a railroad car since Novem- 

 ber, '85, when we came here. But don't weep for me on that account. 

 [t had come to be a relief not to be obliged to ride on them or go 

 anywhere away from home, for that matter — and is so still. G. 



The next on the program was a paper by Mr. Dartt. 



