90 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 



others are all hybrids between the annual species which is a weed 

 in the English fields and gardens, and the perennial kinds from 

 Tartary, Switzerland, and the natives of Great Britain and 

 France and this country. 



The first attention paid to the cultivation of the pansy and that 

 which resulted in making it a florist's flower, was given by Mary 

 Bennett, who had a small flower garden in the grounds of her 

 father, the Earl of Zankerville at Walton-on-Thames, England. 

 She had prepared a little bed in which were placed all the varie- 

 ties of pansies which she accidentally discovered in this garden. 



Aided by the industry and zeal of the gardener, several new 

 varieties were raised from seed and transplanted to this bed. 

 From this small beginning in the year 1810 may be traced the 

 rage which has since prevailed in the cultivation of this popular 

 flower. The English, French and German horticultural socie- 

 ties offered great inducements to the florist in the way of pre- 

 miums for the finest flowers, and as the race was free to all, the 

 interest awakened was of a most lively character, one which any 

 gardener of importance helped to keep alive. The result has 

 been the pansy of to-day in contrast with the little violets of our 

 woods and fields. So much for the pansy. 



I read in a "Tour Round my Garden," translated from the 

 French, that the wood anemone is a pretty "little white flower 

 tinged with violet." This is the original anemone which was 

 brought into France from the East Indies more than two centu- 

 ries ago by Mr. Bachellier, who grew them more than ten years 

 before he would give a single one to anybody. A magistrate 

 went to see him in his robes and purposely making their folds 

 drag over the anemones in seed, contrived to carry away a few 

 of them which adhered to his garment. The improved varieties 

 form a beautiful rich green turf from which spring simple rose- 

 shaped anemones, red, scarlet, purple, violet, white, or streaked 

 with all these colors, forming a rich bed of beautiful coloring. 

 Our gladiolus comes from South Africa, the name meaning small 

 lily. The Tiger lily comes from Asia, the Easter lily from 

 Bermuda, or Japan. Our white stock or gilliflowers are Italians. 



Asters came from China more than a hundred years ago. The 

 horsechestnut tree is from Constantinople ; it was sent into Aus- 

 tria in the year 1594 and carried to Paris in 1610 by the same 

 man who had the anemones. 



