62 ON FLOWERS. 



on the part of the farmers — a few days occupied by them in the 

 spring to put the grounds in a suitable condition, and a small ex- 

 penditure for the seeds, plants, &c. are the only necessary outlay ' 

 the principal part of the labor afterwards will be cheerfully borne by 

 that portion of the family who are not occupied with the more labori. 

 ous duties of the farm. This will not only tend to make home pleas- 

 ant and agreeable — thereby cultivating a more social feeling among 

 the several members, but often can be made a source of profit. A 

 few dollars and a little time spent occasionally in this manner, will 

 greatly enhance the value of the estate, and render the same more 

 desirable to purchasers. 



Every one in selecting a place of residence in the country, would 

 prefer to procure one that has a neatly arranged garden, with its 

 patches of green, borders of flowers, clumps of shrubbery, shade 

 trees — and last, though not least, thrifty orchards — than one of those 

 neglected and cheerless spots, that too often greet us as we journey 

 throughout the country. 



This season, the Essex Institute omitted their annual exhibition of 

 Fruits and Flowers, and directed their influence towards rendering 

 the one held under the auspices of this society the more attractive 

 and interesting. 



The lovely flowers of spring — the more fragrant and attractive 

 ones of summer — have passed and gone ; and they are replaced by 

 the more sombre, yet in some respects, more showy flowers of 

 autumn — these, with a few exceptions, are all that remain to grace 

 our stands and to decorate our tables at these annual exhibitions. 

 Of these, the most conspicuous is the Dahlia. This flower, so infin- < 

 ite in its variety, is a great favorite with our gardeners and amateurs, 

 on account of its furnishing in abundance at this season of the year 

 a lon<^ succession of blooms. Fine specimens were exhibited by Abiel ' 

 Wales of Beverly ; Hazen Messer of Methuen ; Miss Susan H. 

 Ropes, F. Putnam, John W. Downing, Thorp Fisher, Eben Buswell, 

 George Driver and S. Webb — all of Salem. 



Francis Putnam of Salem, exhibited many and choice varieties of 

 those beautiful Roses, the Noisettes, Teas, China, Bourbons and Hy- 

 brid Perpetuals. This last class of Roses are perfectly hardy, and 

 are obtained by hpbridiration between the common June and China 

 Roses. They are deserving of a more general cultivation, in conse- 

 (lucnce of being perpetual bloomers, and ornamenting the gardens 



