1 90 Address delivered before the 



the public, attest the estimation of the privilege to snatch a pass- 

 ing glimpse at nature. 



But the Massachusetts Horticuhural Society is neither exclu- 

 sively pomological nor floricultural. That spirit which dictated, 

 in the words of its constitution, the appointment of " Lecturers 

 on Botany and Vegetable Physiology, on Entomology, so far as 

 it relates to Horticulture, and on Horticultural Chemistry," in- 

 tended a higher and more purely scientific field of operation than 

 the mere production and exhibition of a new fruit or flower. To 

 make these departments useful, a greater and better opportunity 

 for their researches is needed. We speak more particularly now 

 of the first of these. The distribution of the few (often, per- 

 haps, exceedingly rare,) seeds, which the Society receive from 

 distinguished correspondents abroad, among so many individuals, 

 though, perhaps, unavoidable under the present system, is yet an 

 exceedingly bad mode of operation. Should they be some 

 splendid or ornamental production, they appear again at some 

 future exhibition; but be they the rarest botanical gems of the 

 vegetable kingdom, provided they do not dazzle the eye with bril- 

 liancy of color, or perfume the air with a delicious odor, they perish 

 too often an untimely death in the neglected seed beds of the florist. 

 Nor is this any thing wonderful. Any one may be a florist, but 

 few florists are botanists. A botanist's and a florist's flower, 

 too, are very different afFairs; yet horticulture recognizes the one 

 with no less attention than it does the other. With an experi- 

 mental garden this would be otherwise: to it should all seeds be 

 first directed. A perfect specimen of every plant raised, em- 

 bracing as much of its roots, stem, leaves, flowers and seed as 

 are necessary, should be carefully preserved for the herbarium 

 of the Society. Its relative merits should be reported at some 

 proper time. Thus, besides gradually collecting an invaluable 

 herbarium for the cabinets of the Society, the florist or the bota- 

 nist w^ould receive from the Society's gardens whatever seeds, 

 scions, cuttings, or the like, to which they may be justly en- 

 titled. 



Beside the collection of Cape of Good Hope bulbs and seeds, 

 lately received from the Baron Von Ludwig, and which may be 

 found in the green-houses and collections of several members of 

 the Society, and with whom some of which have flowered, we 

 lately noticed the transmission of a package of seeds from that 

 distinguished botanist, Dr. Fischer, of St. Petersburgh. From 

 such a source we may expect whatever is new and rare. To 

 that region of the north, and from the Imperial Gardens, over 

 which Dr. Fischer has been for several years a Professor, we 

 are already indebted for much that is interesting and curious in 

 the floral world. Whoever have received them in their distri- 

 bution, by the " Committee on Flowers," would render a distin- 



