318 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



in consequence of the heavy draft on the treasury, 

 caused by the exhibition of 1857. All designs were 

 excluded, and the number of pot plants was necessarily 

 limited ; but we notice the first indications of the taste 

 for ferns and lycopods, the beautiful forms of which are 

 now found in every greenhouse. The prize collections 

 of apples and pears were reduced from thirty (which 

 had been the number for the last four years) to ten 

 varieties ; and all specimens other than those offered 

 for competition were excluded, except a limited number 

 of such as were new or rare. Consequently, almost all 

 those exhibited were extremely large and handsome, 

 and together made a magnificent display. The vegeta- 

 bles were exhibited in the store under the hall, as in 

 1850 and 1851. The most interesting feature was a 

 collection of sixty varieties of beans, from various parts 

 of the United States and Europe, especially France, 

 cultivated by M. & F. Burr, for the purpose of deter- 

 mining their relative value, as well as their synonymes, 

 and all neatly exhibited, and correctly labelled. 

 No entries were made this year in competition for 

 the prizes for gardens, etc. ; but the committee visited 

 several places, the first of which was that of John D. 

 Bates in Swampscott, which they found had improved 

 with surprising rapidity since their visit in 1853. A 

 gratuity was awarded to Mr. Bates for the excellent 

 taste and the neatness everywhere displayed, and the 

 thrifty growth and beauty of his ornamental trees, espe- 

 cially the pines. The Norway maples and Scotch pines 

 were noticed as particularly adapted to sea-shore cultiva- 

 tion. Gratuities were also awarded to William Bacon 

 of Roxbury for his pear garden, which he had reclaimed 

 from a salt marsh, and to Samuel Walker of Roxbury, 



