12. 



arrest and retain it. The Rose has been long 

 denominated, by the consent of the civilized world, 

 the queen of flowers, and far be it from me to dis- 

 parage her pretensions ; but if the choice were now 

 to be made, we might call upon her to divide, at 

 least, her rojal honors, with this splendid nymph of 

 these western waters. 



In these remarks, I have confined myself to the 

 culture of flowers, because this is a branch of horti- 

 culture accessible to all. From the raising of trees, 

 most of the inhabitants of this city are altogether 

 debarred. Our few remaining gardens are rapidly 

 vanishing before the spirit of improvement. In a 

 short period, their places will be supplied by massive 

 structures of brick or stone, and our magnificent 

 Common may be the only green spot in our penin- 

 sula. Those of you who enjoy facilities for the pro- 

 pagation of fruit-trees, need no admonitions from me 

 to improve them. Few of us can hope to render 

 greater service to the community, than those who 

 are thus occupied. If he, who makes two spires of 

 grass grow, where one grew before, is a public bene- 

 factor, what shall we say of him, who introduces, or 

 who disseminates a new and delicious variety of 

 fruit, and thus contributes to the innocent and salu- 

 tary pleasures, not only of his cotemporaries, but of 

 multitudes yet unborn ? The gratification thus min- 

 istered to each individual, singly, may be deemed 

 trifling ; but when we consider the number so grati- 

 fied, how immense is the aggregate of human enjoy- 

 ment. 



How long and how gratefully must such a gift be 



