98 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICTLTURAL SOCIETY. [1892. 



Of the flowers of Yesso I hardly know how to speak. lu 

 preparation for writing this paper, I looked through my collec- 

 tion of dried specimens, with the intention of picking out a 

 few of the most attractive, and I find I have selected no less 

 than sixty-four as worthy at least of mention. Now do not be 

 alarmed — I am not going to detain you so long as this number 

 would imply. I have decided that I must have looked with 

 prejudiced eyes ; and, while I have brought them all and shall 

 be pleased to show and talk about them if any are interested, 

 I have decided to speak formally of as few as possible and of 

 these as briefly as I can. 



In speaking of them I shall follow no definite rule of order. 

 From memory simply, I have thrown those of similar character- 

 istics together ; and shall not, therefore, follow any exact sys- 

 tematic arrangement. 



One of the most attractive of the very early wild flowers of 

 Yesso is the adonis amurensis, a bright yellow flower which 

 might appropriately in that country, be called the "eye of 

 spring," for it peeps up sometimes even in February on sunny 

 banks where the snow has melted away. Often have I seen it 

 looking bravely up in the midst of a sharp snow-storm, and so 

 hardy is it that such exposure scarcely seems to hurt it. It is a 

 special favorite with the Japanese, who, however, seldom phmt 

 it in gardens ; but are satisfied with seeking out the earliest 

 plants and digging them while in bud for forwarding in old tin 

 cans, broken teapots and the like. Regular markets as well as 

 special booths usually olfer such roots for sale in large quantities, 

 and everyone who cannot dig for himself buys this which is the 

 earliest harbinger of spring for the masses. 



More delicately beautiful is the Glaucidium palmatum, a mid- 

 spring flower, with large and particularly beautiful almost trans- 

 lucent leaves and large, delicate, single pink flowers. This is 

 the favorite of cool, shady dells and rich, moist soil. A horti- 

 cultural friend of mine, writing a few years since, said that this 

 very beautiful flower had not been introduced into Europe and 

 America. It would richly repay care, but would undoubtedly 

 be fastidious as to soil and surroundings. 



The gorgeous beauty of the autumn woods, the monkshood 



