RECOLLECTIONS, 1855-61. 33 



had only several Ixora coccinea in bloom and one Eu- 

 phorbia splendens. I forget what were the other 

 plants. I wanted six. I took twolxoras if not three. 

 At that time I had never seen an exhibition, but I was 

 reading the Gardeners' Chronicle and I knew the 

 theory of the arrangements for exhibitions, and my two 

 or three Ixoras forbade me of being disqualified from 

 competition. I knew that the plants were to be dis- 

 similar. However, I took the first prize for 6 plants 

 the prize of honor notwithstanding the duplicate 

 ixoras, but they were fine and had never been seen in 

 New York. So I at once became a hero ! Not one of 

 Homer's heroes, though I drank water with my wine as 

 they did ; that was my only affinity with them. 



That exhibition was, according to what I heard at 

 the time, the most remunerative, they ever had in New 

 York ; but the receiver or treasurer forgot to give up 

 the money received and ran away. And that u Dutch- 

 man from Albany," as I heard some people designat- 

 ing me, came back home covered with platonic laurels ! 



But then, I could fan myself with I won't tell. 



If you are sagacious, as I suppose you are, you may 

 guess at it. 



As a bisextile year I am going to leap over to Feb- 

 ruary 14, 1854, to receive a communication from a 

 committee of gentlemen, lovers of horticulture, of 



