EXHIBITIONS IN 1854. 303 



crop of plums, which was exceedingly abundant in 

 1852, was reported by the committee to be an almost 

 entire failure this year. This was the beginning of that 

 scarcity of plums, which, owing to the destruction of the 

 trees by the black knot, has continued to the present 

 day. 



The Garden Committee visited the grapehouse of M. 

 H. Simpson at Saxonville ; the garden of Benjamin V. 

 French at Braintree, where they found a great variety 

 of strawberries under experimental cultivation; the 

 grounds of John D. Bates at Swampscott, the nurse- 

 ries of Winship & Co. at Brighton, those of Hovey & 

 Co. at Cambridge, and the extensive graperies of W. 

 C. Strong at Brighton ; for all of which premiums were 

 awarded. 



The spring of 1854 was cold and backward, and the 

 drought in the months of July and August extremely 

 severe, producing an unfavorable effect upon the exhi- 

 bitions through the season. The display at the opening 

 exhibition was quite meagre ; and the only object worthy 

 of note here was a fine specimen of Cattleya Mossise, 

 in flower, from John Fisk Allen. July 22, Ignatius 

 Sargent exhibited bunches of Black Hamburg grapes, 

 several of which weighed upwards of four pounds each, 

 and the largest, seven and one half pounds. This was 

 probably the largest bunch of this variety ever shown 

 at any exhibition of the Society. September 9, John 

 Fisk Allen presented specimens of the Allen's Hybrid 

 grape, the first cross between the native and foreign 

 species, the Rogers hybrids having first fruited in 1856. 



The arrangements for the annual exhibition, which 

 opened on the 12th of September, and continued through 

 the 16th, were similar to those of the preceding year; 



