ANNUAL EXHIBITION, 1847. 281 



artificially provided for them, they flourished in an 

 unsurpassed degree. The Onondaga or Swan's Orange 

 pear was first exhibited this year, by Ellwanger & Barry 

 of Rochester, N.Y., and excited much interest. Among 

 vegetables there are recorded thirteen stalks of rhubarb 

 forty-three inches in length, and weighing twenty-one 

 pounds, from Josiah Lovett. 



The annual exhibition, on the 22d, 23d, and 24th of 

 September, differed in its general features from former 

 ones, but was as a whole very good. The prizes for 

 large designs, such as temples, pagodas, etc., had been 

 abolished by vote of the Society, early in the year, *as 

 not in good taste, but calculated to display the skill of 

 the architect, rather than that of the florist. There 

 were but few plants in pots; but the dahlias and asters 

 were excellent. The display of fruits was decidedly 

 the best and most abundant ever made. In grapes the 

 varieties were more numerous, and the quality more 

 delicious, than on any former occasion. The highest 

 prize was taken by the Cannon Hall Muscats, exhibited 

 by Thomas Needham, gardener to O. H. Mather. The 

 great feature of the exhibition was the array of pears, 

 which was undoubtedly the most valuable ever shown 

 in this country. The majority of specimens were above 

 the average in size, fair, and highly colored. The 

 Society was honored by the attendance of delegates 

 from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Philadel- 

 phia ; American Institute, New York ; New York 

 State Agricultural Society ; Albany and Rensselaer Hor- 

 ticultural Society ; New Haven County Horticultural 

 Society ; New Haven Pomological Society ; Rhode 

 Island Horticultural Society ; Long Island Horticultural 

 Society ; Worcester County Horticultural Society, and a 



