120 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



winter, on account of their liability to rot in midwinter ; he had lost 

 a quarter part of his. The best place to keep them is on a com- 

 paratively dr}- shelf in the cellar, at a temperature of about 

 fifty-five degrees. They may be propagated by cuttings, and so 

 perpetuated. The new varieties seem tender, like the new roses. 

 Seedlings raised here from imported seed are hardier than the 

 named varieties imported. The}' are easily raised from seed, which 

 should be sown ab-^nt the first of January, so as to be ready for 

 planting out early in the season for summer decoration. 



Mr. Beard said he should like to see the Narcissus more cul- 

 tivated ; there are man}' new and beautiful kinds. Every one 

 should grow them. They will not do in damp soil, but want a 

 place where the bulbs will mature in July. Another most desirable 

 plant is the Carnation, — not the tree Carnation, but a hardier 

 race, which, though not quite hardy, is susceptible of cold frame 

 cultuie. There are from fifty to seventy-five kinds which are never 

 seen in gardens here. Three years ago he imported thirty or forty 

 varieties, of which he lost but few, and he has propagated from 

 them, and in spring will plant thorn out ; but those who plant them 

 out and let them alone will be disappointed. They might be pro- 

 tected by putting a cold frame over them without lifting, but in 

 this case the bed should be raised one or two feet. Among the 

 best varieties are AY. P. Milner, Mary Morris, Mrs. Simkins, Blush 

 Clove, and The Governor. Cold, stagnant moisture in the ground 

 is deleterious to them ; and it is the same with Lilium auratum and 

 other tender lilies, which should be planted in raised beds. 



Every one who loves a garden should have a cold frame. They 

 are ordinarily dug out about two feet in depth, and lined with 

 plank or brick, and in winter should be banked up with leaves, and 

 the glass should be covered with mats and shutters. 



E. W. Wood was much pleased with the practical value of Mrs. 

 Nelson's essay. Flowers will grow for those who love them, and 

 the exhibition tables both here and at Worcester bear witness to 

 the skill of the writer in the cultivation of flowers. He had hoped 

 that this would prove a field-day (ov the ladies, who have more in- 

 formation in regard to the subject before the Society than most of 

 the male members. It would be for tlie health of ladies to work 

 in gardens more than they now do, and it would afford tliem quite 

 as much opportunity as their dresses and room papers to cultivate 

 their taste for colors and arrangement. The speaker referred to 

 the methods of originating and introducing new varieties of flowers, 



