1891.] ADDRESS. 39 



On the state of Chinese Horticultnre and Agricnltnre. 



On the supposed influence of pollen in cross-breeding, upon 

 the color of the seed-coats of plants and the qualities of their 

 fruits. 



On the culture of new hybrid passiflorte. 



On the culture of the African gladioli. 



On the Neapolitan violet. 



Many of the papers were of an intensely practical nature, such 

 as the forcing of asparagus, the forcing of garden rhubarb, the 

 best methods of constructing melon pits or strawberry beds, and 

 the culture of various garden vegetables. 



All this work the Royal Horticultural Society had accom- 

 plished when the Massachusetts and our own Society had their 

 birth. The Koyal Horticultural was the pioneer. It led the 

 way. Under the auspices and prestige of royalty, with the con- 

 tributions of its noble patrons and its army of wealthy members 

 it was able from its very beginning to expend in one line of in- 

 vestigation, or on a single expedition, more perhaps than both 

 our State and County Society combined could expend for the 

 same time for all purposes. It has been able to send its agents 

 to every corner of the earth and to collect and classify the plants, 

 fruits and vegetables of all nations, and has made known and 

 disseminated those worthy of culture, whether for pleasure or 

 profit. 



On the profit side the result has been a great impetus to fruit 

 culture and especially small-fruit culture in England. Land 

 there which formerly could not be made to pay with the ordinary 

 crop cultivation, when turned to small-fruit culture pays for the 

 value of the land in a short time, so that the tenant becomes 

 the owner. And the consumption of fruits has increased to more 

 than double within the past twenty years. 



The tomato, occupying that half-way place between fruit and 

 vegetable and which half a century ago was hardly known as 

 edible, has now become almost as necessary an adjunct of culi- 

 nary processes as the potato, and in the season of 1885, no less 

 than 80,400,000 cans of this esculent were grown in Cornwall, 

 Jersey and Guernsey. 



Hygienic progress, increased longevity, the diminution of lep- 



