Mr. Gray's Address. 23 



if he can; the results tlicnist'lves arc not the less real, nor the less manifest. It 

 is on tliis princij)le, that the fine arts liave been so carefully cherished by the 

 ablest statesmen of older conununities. No one, acquainted with the history or 

 condition of those communities, can doubt that those arts have done much to 

 counteract the evils of defective systems of oovernment, and to supply the want 

 of general education. With us, their progress nuist be for a long tin»e, for obvi- 

 ous and cogent reasons, extremely limited, — at least, this must bi; said of those 

 two most delicate arts, painting uiid sculpture. 



'• If, however, the productions of the gardener's labors are not to be placed in the 

 same rank vv'ith the works of the painter or sculptor, they possess what in our 

 country is a most important advantage over them, viz. that they are within the 

 reach of the great mass of our community. Pictures and statues are, even iu 

 older nations, confined to the precincts of cities, or the villas of the opulent. Not 

 so with fine flowers. The proprietor of the smallest farm in the country, or the 

 inhabitant of the humblest tenement in the city, may decorate his house with or- 

 naments, surpassing in richness and delicacy, the most costly produ';tions of the 

 upholsterer. The furnishing of a single apartment in a style of very moderate 

 splendor, involves a greater expense tlian many florists incur at seed-stores and 

 nurseries during the whole course of their lives. Well, tiien, does this art deserve 

 encouragement in our republican and economical country." 



Mr. Gray thus alludes to the too frequent practice of many of our farmers and 

 agriculturists, in cultivating large tracts of land: — 



"In our country, where land is cheap and labor high, our farmers are strongly 

 induced to spread their eftbrts over a large surface, to cultivate a great extent of 

 ground superficially, rather than a snriller portion thoroughly. This practice, if 

 justified to some degree by the circumstances of the country, has been carried 

 quite too far for good taste, or even good economy. Nothmg would tend more to 

 check the evils consequent on such a system than the general practice of gardtn- 

 ing. It is in a garden that we should learn those principles of neatness and order, 

 that thoroughness in subdividing and enriching the soil, that war of extermina- 

 tion against weeds and insects, and, above all, that vigilance in embracing pre- 

 cious and fleeting opportunities, which are the prominent characteristics of the 

 thriving farmer. It is by this cultivation in miniature, so to speak, that we should 

 be kept from despising those little things which, in agriculture as in every thing 

 else, must ever be duly regarded by all who aspire to great results. If every far- 

 mer among us were, also, a florist, — and every farmer may be one to a consider- 

 able degree, — the neatness and precision of his gardening operations would soon 

 extend itself, — if not already existing there, — to his field cultivation, and our vil- 

 lages would exhibit much of that exa(;tness and elegance, so conspicuous and so 

 pleasing in our Shaker settlements." 



The following just tribute is given to the excellent and venerable president of 

 the London Horticultural Society : — 



"How ^evf can hope for a reputation so extensive, so enduring, and so enviable 

 as that which will be awarded, both in his country and ours, to Thomas Andrew 

 Knight. How long and how highly shall we honor this high-minded Englishman, 

 as the disinterested and unwearied benefactor of our infimt horticulture.^ How 

 nobly has he exemplified the great truths, that the firmest loyalty to our own 

 country is compatible with the utmost liberality towards others; and, that when 

 the culture of the soil is in question, our views should know no other bounds than 

 those of the great family of man. A k\v years, I trust, will show that there are 

 those among us who emulate his achievements, as I am sure there are many who 

 partake of his spirit. I speak from high authority, when I say that tlie friends of 

 horticulture in Europe are turning their eyes anxiously to our country. They 

 are looking to our bright skies and fresh soil for new varieties of delicious fruits, 

 to supply the place of those which, after centuries of existence, are at last passing 

 away. Hopes so just and reasonable, are surely not destined to return void." 



To the valuable and important labors of the late president of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society, Mr. Gray thus, very justly, alhides: — 



"Of most of those individuals to whom \ refer, I am forbidden to speak as I 

 could wish, by the delicacy we owe to all within the circle of our personal inter- 

 course. I must be permitted, liowevcr, to allude particularly to one, who has 

 lately retired from that circle; I mean the gentleman who has pri'sided over our 

 society ever since its formation, but who for many years previous, had devoted 

 much of his time and tlioughts to agriculture and horticulture. You well know, 

 my friends, how he has labored in our cause. You are all aware of the aid which 



