268 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



as had never before been witnessed in this part of the 

 country. From these exhibitions there not only grew 

 a taste for the cultivation of such flowers ; but the moral 

 effect upon the minds of the spectators was salutary and 

 improving. Every new variety of the dahlia announced 

 in European catalogues was immediately imported, 

 sometimes at very great cost, and the most perfect 

 selected for cultivation. The enthusiasm in the culti- 

 vation of the dahlia eclipsed even the love for the rose ; 

 but its popularity was short lived, and the rose has 

 now regained the pre-eminence justly belonging to it. 

 Even at the time of which we are speaking, it had no 

 rival but the dahlia ; and members of the Society who 

 could remember when but from six to ten varieties, 

 limited in their time of flowering to the month of 

 June, were all that were known, could count them by 

 hundreds ; and some of them were in bloom nearly the 

 whole year. The tulip was then grown much more 

 largely than now ; and beds containing thousands of 

 bulbs, protected by houses from the sun and bad 

 weather, were shown in all their perfection and glory. 

 Other flowers to which special attention had been 

 successfully given, either in introducing new varieties, 

 or in their cultivation, were the fuchsia, Japan lilies, 

 camellia, verbena, gladiolus, achimenes, gloxinia, phlox, 

 tree pseony, ranunculus, and, of annuals, balsams, lark- 

 spurs, ten weeks stocks, German asters, etc. Though 

 little had been done in originating new varieties, a 

 beginning had at least been made ; the dahlia, pansy, 

 phlox, carnation, and pelargonium being the favorite 

 subjects of experiment at the hands of Messrs. Breck, 

 Carter, Walker, Wilder, Meller, and others. 



In vegetables the advance was not commensurate 



