132 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIKTY. 



in wliicli tlioy and otlier guests were entertained, they can only 

 tender to him their special acknowledgment and united thanks. 



A few days after the forementioned examination, your Committee, 

 with some invited guests, paid a visit to the 



NURSERIES OF MR. J. W. MANNING, 



at Reading, Mass. Here they were received and entertained with 

 truly cordial and generous hospitality ; but, unfortunately, an unex- 

 pected and violent rain-storm disturbed their investigations, and 

 prevented them from traversing the extensive plantations, as they 

 otherwise would have done. Enough, however, was seen to satisfy 

 them fully that a man of great energy and enthusiasm was ruling 

 the place, and that his zeal and perseverance entitled him to warm 

 commendation. There was no attempt to gloss over any thing : 

 no extraneous ornamentation of plans to captivate were adopted ; 

 nor did there appear to be any very methodical system of o]iera- 

 tions beyond what was properly connected with the production, 

 care, and sale of plants. There was no attempt at landscape-garden- 

 ing. To grow and sell good evergreens, fruit and forest trees, 

 and ornamental or useful shrubs, seemed to be the one great aim ; 

 and success in these was evidently the engrossing thought. 



The nurseries embrace about ten acres, chiefly of sandy loam, — 

 part of the land being moist, and part elevated, — a small water- 

 course running through them. The plantings are in two divisions ; 

 one the original "Home Nursery," and the other the " New ; "' the 

 first having been commenced in 1854, and the last in 1802. Here 

 were exhibited evergreens of almost every hardy kind, and of all 

 sizes, to the number of nearly two hundred thousand. White and 

 Norway spruces, hemlocks, arborvit;o, Scotch and Austrian pines, 

 American larches, junipers, hollies, and a goodly lot of rock-maplea 

 and elms, so desirable for forest-tree plantings. The whole collec- 

 tion contained, it is said, nearly three hundred thousand plants, 

 large and small. Of all the trees shown to your Committee, the 

 most remarkable was a variety of the arborvita', claimed to be 

 new, which is of low stature, globular or egg-shaj)ed, willi brilliant 

 green foliage, compact habit, au<l very hardy, resembling the 

 Hoveyii, and ailmirably adapted to ornamental gardening. A single 

 seedling was found, about three or iour years ago, in the State of 

 Maine; and, of the jilants started from this parent shrub, ^Iv. 

 Mantling procured five hundred. From these he has j)ropagated 

 four hundred more (about eightv-live Der ecnl of his layers having 



