1892.] FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY. 43 



nished by Mr. J. A. Howland of Worcester. It might perhaps be 

 questioned whether honey is a vegetable and within the jurisdic- 

 tion of this committee, but until the Committees on Fruits, or 

 Flowers or other articles can show that they have a better claim 

 we may treat it as our own. • * * 



" Cabbages, Carrots, Beets and Turnips are so usually found on 

 the table together that the committee think they may as well 

 make one good dish of them * * * they were offered by Abi- 

 jah Bigelow, John W. Lincoln, John A. Kenrick and the Lunatic 

 Hospital." 



I quote also from the report of the committee on flowers. 



" And then the flowers, 

 Oh ! what a wilderness of flowers ; 

 It seemed as though from all the bowers, 

 And fairest fields of all the year, 

 The mingled spoil were gathered here. 



"All around the eye was delighted — enchanted with the gayest, 

 richest and most magnificent profusion of the choicest specimens 

 of Flora's handy workmanship. Truly here were the emblems 

 of youth, beauty and innocence. Ah ! indeed, not only the em- 

 blems but the actual personifications of these graces were here. 

 Who could behold such an array of magnificent beauty and not 

 feel that he or she had been transported to 



" That city of delight in fairy land 

 Whose streets and towers are made of gems of light and flowers." 



When we come, however, to inquire further into the occasion of 

 this rliapsody — this lavish use of the superlative — we find that it is 

 all about dahlias. "The dahlia," say the committee, "justly styled 

 the Queen of Autumnal flowers " — " the dahlias were the most 

 numerous and constituted the most important portion of the ex- 

 hibition of the flowers." Oh most lame and impotent conclu- 

 sion ! " From the sublime to the ridiculous," said the great 

 Napoleon, " there's but a step." Imagine the florist of to-day 

 styling the dahlia "Queen of Autumnal flowers!" Or imagine a 

 grand annual floral exhibition of to-day in which the dahlia 

 should figure as the most important factoi- ! 



And so for many succeeding years the exhibitions were of a 

 like character. They were immense affairs. There was plenty of 



