36 THE HOKTICULTURE OF 



great crops of fruits in addition to two hundred tons 

 of hay a year. 



In Roxbury, too, is the splendid estate of William 

 Gray, Jr., on the borders of Dorchester, ex-president 

 of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. This was 

 formerly a portion of the celebrated estate of Col. Swan, 

 long imprisoned in France for debt not of his own con- 

 tracting, and one of those who helped throw the tea 

 into the harbor. 1 Here Mr. Gray has offered the public 

 fine illustrations of landscape gardening by the laying 

 out of his beautiful grounds. From his conservatories 

 and grounds our exhibitions have been constantly 

 enriched with rare and costly plants, and his enterprise 

 keep up with the progress of the age, having for the 

 last three years won the $150 Silver Cup for his roses. 



Roxbury, from the early part of this century, was 

 distinguished for its greenhouses. We have alluded to 

 the Lowells and others reaching back to that time. 

 Among those of the present century was that of John 

 Lemist, who was lost on the ill-fated steamboat Lex- 

 ington on the route from Boston to Providence in 1840. 

 This place was formerly the residence of Judge 

 Auchmuty. He being a tory his property was con- 

 fiscated. Gov. Increase Sumner was afterwards the 

 owner, then Beza Tucker, and in 1824 it passed io Mr. 

 Lemist* His greenhouses and grapery, under the care 

 of a Scotch gardener, John R. Russell, became quite 

 noted. His collection of plants, especially camellias, 

 gardenias and roses, was considered as remarkable, 

 and he often obtained one dollar or more for a cut 

 flower of the Double White Camellia. 



The gardens and nurseries of Samuel Walker, fifth 

 president of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, 



i Hon. Thomas C. Amory's letter. 



* See Boston Memorial, Vol. II , p. 343. 



