328 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



remarkable specimens of the older sorts. The season 

 was very favorable for ripening native grapes ; and 

 some of the Rogers hybrids were shown before the 

 Society for the first time. The display of vegetables 

 had rarely if ever been excelled in quality. 



We have spoken of the great number of new and 

 rare plants exhibited at the various shows through the 

 season, which were far too numerous to be specified 

 here ; but a few of the most conspicuous may be men- 

 tioned. There were, from Evers & Comley, Eucharis 

 Amazonica, in full bloom, and Allamanda Schottii; 

 from Edward S. Rand, sen., Latania Borbonica, L. rubra, 

 and Alocasia metallica ; and from Hovey & Co., " a fine 

 specimen of that sparkling little gem of a plant, Cala- 

 dium argyrites." Jonathan French exhibited a bloom 

 of Lapageria rosea. Of garden flowers, Barnes & 

 Washburn exhibited Stokesia cyanea, and James 

 McTear, a spike of gladiolus Calypso, three feet in 

 length, with thirty-two almost perfect flowers. The 

 double hollyhocks had become very popular, and there 

 was shown for the first time " a very fine double zinnia, 

 as large as and fully equal to a dahlia." On the 13th 

 of July, Jackson Dawson exhibited a plant of heather 

 (Calluna vulgaris) found growing wild in Tewksbury, 

 Mass. This excited much interest ; and the locality 

 was visited and carefully examined by the Flower Com- 

 mittee, who came to the conclusion that the plant 

 was probably indigenous there. The committee re- 

 marked, with some severity that, while on prize days 

 the stands were full, when there were no prizes offered 

 the hall presented a long array of empty bottles and 

 bare tables. 



The Fruit Committee reported, that, while the crop of 



