30 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



attention was also called to a bed of dwarf varieties not over 

 fifteen inches liigh, which Mr. Parkman hopes by further experi- 

 ments to reduce to even less height. We hope he may be 

 successful, as there can be nothing finer than an edging of these 

 beautiful flowers for a herbaceous border. Later in the season we 

 visited the garden of John B. Moore, who has a superb collection 

 of named varieties. No more satisfactory plants can be placed in 

 our gardens ; give them a rich, moist soil, and they will soon 

 reward the efibrts of the grower with large, handsome clumps of 

 rich flowers. 



Petunias. — Several collections were placed upon exhibition, the 

 best were those from Mrs. A. D. Wood and W. G. McTear, each 

 collection containing fine flowers of self-colored and striped varie- 

 ties. 



Gladioli. — The principal exhibitors were J. S. Richards, George 

 Praft, Herbert Gleason, A. McLaren, and J. B. Moore. Gladioli 

 have been a very attractive feature of the exhibitions. In addition 

 to the named varieties and the general displays which have been 

 shown, various contributors have from time to time shown very 

 good seedlings, but although many of them were very fine and 

 worthy of cultivation, there were none which in the judgment of 

 your Committee possessed qualifications so superior to the many 

 well-known standard varieties as to warrant a special award. The 

 number of varieties is simply legion, and they have been brought 

 to such a high standard of perfection that it would be very diffi- 

 cult to improve on what we already have. 



Native Ferns. — On the 20th of June, George E. Davenport 

 exhibited a collection of forty species and six varieties of hardy na- 

 tive ferns, grown outside, in his garden. Of this collection, 

 Adiantum Capillus- Veneris , L., is deserving of special mention on 

 account of its having survived a long winter so far north, with no 

 other protection than a slight covering of brush and in a southern 

 exposure. The collection included, also, Asplenium Filix-foemina, 

 var. laciniata, Moore (an English variety discovered in New Jersey 

 in 1875), and Woodsia glabella, R. Br., from Vermont, of both 

 which it is believed that cultivated specimens have never been ex- 

 hibited before. 



August 4th, E. H. Hitchings showed an interesting collection of 

 thirty-four species and varieties of ferns, collected in the towns of 

 Chelsea, Stoneham, Melrose, Maiden, Hyde Park, Milton, Ded- 



