MEDALS AS PEIZES. 279 



deemed equal or superior in quality and other charac- 

 teristics to any then extant. These premiums, perhaps 

 suggested by the special awards to Messrs. Wilder, 

 Hovey, and Feast the previous year, have been since 

 increased in number ; and through them the originators 

 of some of our finest flowers and vegetables, and espe- 

 cially of fruits, have been appropriately rewarded. 



The consideration of the expediency of substituting 

 medals for money prizes had been referred to a commit- 

 tee in September, 1845. This committee, after careful 

 examination and correspondence, and obtaining speci- 

 mens of the Banksian, Knightian, and other medals 

 offered by the London Horticultural Society, reported 

 in favor of the measure ; and accordingly dies were pro- 

 cured for the Appleton and Lowell medals, and for 

 another known as the Society's medal. These medals 

 stamped in gold, and also the "Lyman Plate," were 

 offered for the first time in the list of Prospective Pre- 

 miums. Other pieces of plate, and the same medals in 

 silver, or silver gilt, were offered in the list of annual 

 prizes. 



The season being cold and late, the Hall was not 

 opened for the regular shows until the 15th of May, 

 when there was perhaps a better display of greenhouse 

 plants than had ever been made before. The number 

 of new and rare plants exhibited during the season was 

 unusually large. Among them were, from President 

 Wilder, Azalea nudiflora ornata ; from T. H. Perkins, a 

 magnificent specimen of Stephanotis floribunda; from 

 John Lowell, Nepenthes distillatoria, Cattleya inter- 

 media, Maxillaria aromatica, Jatropha pandursefolia, 

 Russelia juncea, and Tabernsemontana coronaria ; from 

 Henry Reed, Cytisus racemosus ; from J. E. Tesche- 



