FLOWER committee's KEPORT. 11 



encourage this growing taste it might be expedient for the Society to offer 

 a prize for these plants at some future time. 



Though the weather was favorable for the blooming of Hyacinths in the 

 open ground, for some unexplained reason there were none exhibited for 

 premium, and the Committee were obliged to withhold the prize. 



Pansies were very poor ; this flower is by no means as frequently exhib- 

 ited as a few years ago. 



The same may be said of Tulips; — the tulipomania, as it was called, 

 seems to have entirely died out. Probably the two best collections of this 

 flower in the vicinity of Boston are those of Samuel Walker at Roxbury, 

 and of Joseph S. Cabot at Salem. 



Hawthorns never are displayed in any quantity ; it is a pretty flower, but 

 the number of varieties is small; the best have been exhibited by E. A. 

 Story. 



Hardy Azaleas are much neglected. There is no flower which so well 

 repays the little care needed for its culture; the endless variety of colors 

 and shades, the early period of blooming, and many other desirable quali- 

 ties, should certainly recommend it to general cultivation. The chief con- 

 tributors have been Gustave Evers, J. A. Kenrick and Edward S. Rand. 



Of Shrubby Pseonies, we can say nothing new ; the same old varieties 

 year after year; but all good and beautiful. Can it be there is no farther 

 room for improvement, or is the flower, (however undeservedly), becoming 

 •' old-fashioned ?" Seedlings are produced, but they differ so little from the 

 parents that they afford no variety. Can we have a neiv, distinct tree prpony^ 



Herbaceous Pieonies have been shown in great variety, but very few of 

 the new varieties are superior to our old and long cultivated favorites; the 

 best have been shown by Messrs. Hovey (new varieties) and Marshall P. 

 Wilder, (very fine specimens of the older kinds.) 



Aquilegias have been hardly exh bited ; a fine new variety, evidently a 

 hybrid from our own A. canadense, and very novel and ornamental, has 

 been shown in single blooms by Joseph Breck. 



Pinks have been better than for a number of ye^rs past ; the display was 

 not very large, but creditable to the exhibitors ; could a more marked dif- 

 ference be obtained between varieties, it would be an improvement. 



Herbaceous Plants have suffered very much from the variable season ; 

 the display has been good, but not such as we hope to see ; we notice little 

 new. The largest and choicest display has been made by Joseph Breck ; 

 fine collections have been shown by Antane Apple, Barnes & Washburn 

 and Edward S. Rand. 



The display of Roses has been magnificent. Early in the season green- 

 house roses were shown in great variety by Messrs. Bowditch. The fol- 

 lowing is a list of the contributors to the rose show whose displays were 

 remarkable for beauty or rarity : — 



Hardy Perpetuals. Warren Heustis, Francis Parkman, (by far the finest 

 collection of this class of roses,) Gustave Evers, Antane Apple, Thomas G. 

 Whytal, M. P. Wilder, Hovey & Co., Chas. Copeland, and Wm. J. Under- 

 wood. 



