FLOWER committee's REPORT. 7 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON FLOWERS, 



For the Year 1860. 

 BY ED-WAED S. RAND, JB., CHAIRMAN. 



The past season has been remarkably favorable for the production of 

 flowers, and never have the exhibitions of the Society been of so high a 

 character, or so well maintained. 



]n reviewing the progress we have made, there is much to lead us to 

 high hopes for the future, and to incite us to more earnest effort. In size 

 our weekly exhibitions have often only been limited by the capacity of our 

 hall ; and in the quality and rarity of the displays, no year has been superior 

 to that just past. The first exhibitions of the season were very small, and 

 during the months previous to the first of May, we had little worthy of 

 special notice. After the sale of our old hall, and before we removed to 

 our new and very commodious quarters, we had no place where flowers 

 could be displayed to advantage, consequently the shows of winter blooming 

 plants were smaller than on previous years. The number of contributors 

 during the past season has increased ; while some have fallen off, new ex- 

 hibitors have come forward, so that the places left vacant are more than filled. 



The first exhibition was on Saturday, February 18th. 



William Wales, Dorchester: Fine azaleajs, in profuse bloom and good 

 specimens. 



Gustave Evers, Brighton: A fine show of cut flowers, and some good 

 camellias; also a new tender rose, unnamed. 



Saturday, March 3d. A ntane Apple, Cambridge: A fine new azalea — 

 General Baumgarcher — and a good specimen of Erica caffra alba. 



Gustave Evers: A plant of variegated leaved daisy; quite a novelty, and 

 very pretty. 



Saturday, May 5th. William C. Strong, Brighton: A seedling pelargo- 

 nium, very pretty, of bushy habit, and good bloomer. 



The annual spring exhibition began on Tuesday, May 22d, and continued 

 till Saturday, the 26th instant. Never have we had a finer display of choice 

 greenhouse plants, and never have the plants been more tastefully arranged. 

 The new variegated plants were conspicuous, and very numerous in all of 

 the prize collections. Though many of our largest cultivators did not con- 

 tribute to the exhibition, the hall was well filled, and all the displays were 

 creditable. 



By far the finest display of rare plants, and the greatest variety, was in 

 the collection of William T. Merrifield, of Worcester. This collection 

 consisted almost entirely of variegated leaved plants and lycopodiums. We 

 especially noticed Begonias rex. Madam Wagner, Zanthina, Zanthina 

 Reichenhaimii, splendida argentea, Plectranthus concolor pictus, Croton 

 tricolor and variegatum, Dieffenbachia maculata, Caladium bicolor, pic- 

 turatum, atropurpurea, poecile, pictum, and Chantinii, Maranta alba 



