Massachusetts Horticultural Society. 467 



grateful enjoyment of the fruits of your honest toil — for myself, wherever 

 my body may repose, I ask but the borrowed epitaph, " Here lies one whose 

 name is writ in water." (Applause.) 



Winthrop, the first Governor of Massachusetts : The good stock, which he planted more than two 

 centuries ago, bears fruit in this generation, whicli speaks for itself. 



Hon. Mr. Winthrop replied as follows : — 



I wish that it could speak for itself, Mr. President ! Most heartily do I 

 wish that the fruit of that old stock to which you have so kindly alluded, 

 could speak for itself, in a manner worthy of this occasion ; — could find lan- 

 guage for the sentiments with which a scene like this has filled all our 

 hearts. It is so long, however, since I was at liberty to speak for myself — 

 I have so long, of late, been a doomed listener to the not always very in- 

 spiring speeches of others — that I am almost afraid that my faculty, if I 

 ever had any, has flown. But with whatever words I can find, I desire to 

 oflfer my congratulations to this Society on the eminent success of the exhi- 

 bition which is now brought to a close. 



I think you will agree with me, ladies and gentlemen, that a richer dis- 

 play of horticultural products has rarely been witnessed by any of us. I 

 have had a recent opportunity of seeing some of the horticultural exhibitions 

 of other climes. It is hardly more than a twelvemonth since it was my 

 good fortune to be present at more than one of the famous flower shows of 

 London and its vicinity. I know not what hidden beauties might have re- 

 vealed themselves on these occasions to a more scientific eye, what prodi- 

 gies of art might have been discovered by those who knew how to look for 

 them ; I can only speak of the impressions produced on a superficial obserj 

 ver. I saw there magnificent collections of plants, such as I never saw be- 

 fore, such as I have never seen since. Not a few of them were pointed out 

 to me as original products of our own soil ; but I confess that they had been 

 so improved by cultivation, that it must have required a very practised eye 

 or an exceedingly patriotic pair of spectacles to have emboldened any one to 

 claim them as Native American productions. But as to fruits, I saw no 

 exhibition of them any where, which, for variety, perfection or profusion, 

 could be compared with what we have seen in this hall during the last two 

 or three days. 



Certainly, Mr. President, we have never beheld the like in these parts 

 before. A few years ago, we all remember that a little room in Tremont 

 street was all too wide for your annual shows. But you have gone on so 

 rapidly, adding triumph to triumph — at one moment producing a new apple, 

 at another a few more pears, at a third " a little more grape" — that your 

 own spacious Horticultural Rooms have now become too small, and old 

 Faneuil Hall itself can hardly stretch its arms wide enough to embrace all 

 the spoils of your victories ! 



And what shall I say of the festival by which your exhibition is now 

 closed and crowned 1 Who does not feel it a privilege to be here 1 Which 

 of us, especially, that have been accustomed to associate at meetings in this 

 place, with subjects of political contention and party strife, can fail to ap- 

 preciate the harmony and beauty of the scene before him ? Never, surely, 



