FLOWERS AND FRUITS, 1858. 317 



fruits either had not arrived, or had passed, on the day 

 fixed for the award of prizes. The reports of the season 

 show that many interesting exhibitions were made on 

 the Saturdays intervening between the monthly shows, 

 as well, as before the opening of the hall. This oc- 

 curred on the 15th of May, and was unexpectedly fine ; 

 the specimen plants of azaleas, fuchsias, cissus, etc., 

 being more numerous and better grown than ever 

 before. Attention was awakened to the rhododendron ; 

 and on the 12th of June H. H. Hunnewell made the 

 first of those beautiful displays which he has continued 

 every year until the present time. But the great 

 feature of the season was the rose show, on the 25th 

 and 26th of June, when every part of the hall was 

 occupied by stands or bouquets of roses, both of the 

 choicer and more common varieties ; and, both days 

 being fine, the hall was thronged with visitors. The 

 Gloire de Dijon rose bloomed profusely with several 

 amateurs, and was pronounced the best Tea rose. 

 Hollyhocks were very fine, and bid fair to become a 

 popular flower. September 4, Hovey & Co. showed 

 one hundred and twenty-five varieties of verbenas. Lili- 

 putian dahlias from M. Trautman were thought worthy 

 of special mention. A very fine display of fruit was 

 made on the 21st of August, including twenty-five varie- 

 ties of summer pears from Hovey & Co., besides foreign 

 grapes, blackberries, apples, and plums. October 16, 

 there was a dish of very remarkable Beurre Diel pears, 

 from J. Gooding, the largest measuring sixteen and one 

 half inches in circumference, and weighing twenty-two 

 ounces. 



The annual exhibition was this year confined to the 

 Society's hall, this course having probably been adopted 



