HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 195 



morning and fall off towards night. In low grounds and meadows 

 the Gerardia purpurea — -purple geradia, is found very abun- 

 dantly. The flowers are on short peduncles, scarcely as long as 

 the calyx. Corolla about one inch long. G. aspera is very simi- 

 lar. The peduncles are longer than the calyx, the flowers are 

 larger and the leaves longer. G. ienuifolia, "slender gerardia" 

 has flowers on long peduncles, leaves linear. Calyx teeth very 

 short. G. setacea has bristle-shaped leaves, very rough with little 

 points. G. pediculuria has pinnatifid leaves, the lobes cut and 

 toothed. It does not grow north of the 45th degree, that I am 

 aware of. 



In concluding I will say that there are manv species I have not 

 mentioned, but most of the families have been mentioned. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Barrett. This is a very interesting matter and it concerns 

 us all to save our rare flowers. I wish we could have a little talk 

 on it. We have in our locality — I don't suppose it is peculiar to 

 that locality — what I call the wild pink. It is a beautiful flower 

 and very sweet. I have seen it occasionally on my farm. It is spread- 

 ing itself over the country and I think it would be a nice thing for 

 bees. Can Col. Stevens give us any information regarding it? 



Col, Stevens. You will find it here in the paper. 



President Elliot. We have with us this morning a gentleman 

 who is noted for his industrious work in Horticulture. We would 

 like to listen to a few words from Mr. Wright, of Cobden, 111. 



REMARKS BY MR. WRIGHT. 



Mr. Wright said that his business had not been that of mak- 

 ing speeches. His work had been in fruit. He would simply 

 say that the business of small fruit-growing is not so much 

 depended upon as it was a few years ago. Mississippi, Tennessee, 

 and Louisiana, have got ahead of us. In 1862 we could sell our 

 strawberries in Chicago for $1 a quart, and would cut off timber 

 and burn it up, in order to have strawberries and peaches. The 

 result was, that Chicago was found not to be big enough for the 

 supply. When we sent 25,000 boxes of peaches to Chicago, it 

 could not get away with them ; Minneapolis was not known at that 

 time, and we couldn't get here. Since then, the peach crop has 

 proved nearly a failure; but strawberries are still flourishing, and 

 the President of the Cobden Horticultural Society grows annually 

 about 80 acres of strawberries, and nearly as many raspberries. 

 He ships in refrigerator cars; and makes money, while small grow- 

 ers who depend on Chicago for their market, barely make it pay, 

 because Tennessee, Mississippi and other southern points have 

 the first chance at the market, and strawberries are no rarity when 

 they get them from us. 



