34: AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND 



Brooklyn, asking me to let them have a copy of the 

 by-laws of our horticultural society of Albany, and 

 soliciting also my co-operation toward organizing or 

 reviving their horticultural society. The New York 

 Horticultural Society was then in a state of catalepsy ', 

 that with time became a chronic disease, with intermis- 

 sions of a quasi life, just enough to show it was not dead. 

 I with enthusiasm sent them the documents wanted and 

 the promise of my co-operation as far as I could, and as 

 I was wont to, I made the remark that I wished them 

 success, that they had materials for but that they must 

 try to control the " element-gardener " and prevent 

 them from predominating their position, not let them 

 transgress, trespass its limits. I then thought of a fair 

 exhibition that took place in 1840, in Brooklyn, which 

 never had an echo until May, 1854. From that year 

 until 1861 all the exhibitions two or three every 

 year were successful, partly thanks to the president, 

 Mr. Degraw, a very liberal man, ready to put his hand 

 in his pocket when the funds were short. It was at 

 those exhibitions in Brooklyn that were seen the hand- 

 somest specimens of New Holland and Cape of Good 

 Hope plants ever exhibited in America, besides many 

 other plants such as Ixoras coccinea, javanica, Colei 

 (white),' etc., etc. I do not remember all, except some 

 fine plants, much appreciated then, that would make 

 people laugh to-day, not because they were inferior, 



