BOSTON AND VICINITY. 39 



mund Perkins, who was Edna Frothingham, of Charles- 

 town. Col. Perkins' residence in France and other for- 

 eign lands, where he had seen fine fruits and flowers, 

 stimulated his natural taste, and induced him to purchase 

 this estate in 1800, when he commenced the building of 

 his house, the laying out of his grounds, and the erec- 

 tion of greenhouses and glass structures for the cultiva- 

 tion of fruits and flowers, and until the establishment 

 of the magnificent conservatories and fruit houses of 

 his nephew, John Perkins Gushing, at Watertown (now 

 the residence of Samuel R. Payson, which still exists 

 in the highest state of improvement), his place was 

 considered the most advanced in horticultural science 

 of any in New England. For fifty years Col. Perkins' 

 estate was kept in the best manner by experienced for- 

 eign gardeners, and at an expense of more than ten 

 thousand dollars annually. He frequently received 

 trees and plants from Europe, the products of which 

 were prominent at the exhibitions of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society. In 1840 he introduced the Vic- 

 toria Hamburg, West's St. Peter's, and Cannon Hall 

 Muscat grape vines, which were presented to him by 

 Sir Joseph Paxton, gardener to the Duke of Devon- 

 shire. Col. P. gave a description of the conservatory 

 of the Duke : 275 feet long by 130 wide, and 65 feet 

 high, costing two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, 

 or fifty thousand pounds sterling. 



Next to be named were the garden and fruit houses 

 of Samuel G. Perkins, which were presented to him 

 by his brother, Col. Perkins. They were selected on 

 account of being situated between the Colonel's and 

 James Perkins' beautiful estate at Pine Bank, an elder 

 brother, and where now resides his grandson, E. N. 

 Perkins, as a favorable location for Samuel to indulge 

 his natural taste, and the skill which he had acquired 



