REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON GARDENS. 339 



have seen at home, where the facilities for growing them are 

 greater." 



We found a great variety of climbers growing on the posts sup- 

 porting the tent ; several kinds of clematis were particularly 

 noticeable and showy, and added much to the attractiveness of the 

 tent. 



Hardy Azaleas receive a large share of attention. Their beauty 

 during the early spring season is greater than can be imagined. 

 The profuseness of the blossoms and the brilliancy of their color, 

 with not unfrequently a delicate and agreeable fragrance, give 

 them qualifications of great importance for more general cultiva- 

 tion. Of all the hardy flowering shrubs where can be found such a 

 variety of color — pink of almost every shade, scarlet, yellow, 

 orange, and white? Many of the specimens at Wellesley were 

 splendid large plants, showing a mass of bloom and each forming 

 an exhibition of itself. In this connection we must not fail to 

 mention the Azalea mollis, a recent introduction from Japan, the 

 flowers of which are very large, and vary in color from primrose 

 to red. They are very attractive and beautiful, profuse bloomers, 

 and are so highly prized for their forcing qualities that it would 

 be hardly possible to say too much in their favor. 



The Azalea tent was a very attractive feature ; it is of circular 

 form and seventy-five feet in diameter. Here we saw some of the 

 most magnificent specimens of Indian Azaleas ever known. Some 

 of the plants are twenty-five years old and six or seven feet 

 through, and the collection contains the best known varieties. 

 New ones have been added from time to time until it now contains 

 about one hundred varieties. In the centre of this tent fine speci- 

 mens of palms were arranged, plunged in the grass, as were also 

 the Azaleas, the latter being arranged in groups around the sides. 

 Intermingled with the Indian Azaleas were some plants of Azalea 

 mollis with yellow flowers of a very striking appearance, which 

 enlivened the groups very much. As in the rhododendron tent a 

 variety of climbing plants grew on the pillars. It would be 

 an endless task to attempt any detailed account of the different 

 plants in this collection, but it is not too much to say that the dis- 

 play is unequalled on this side of the Atlantic, as the thousands 

 who every year come from far and near can testify. 



It will be interesting to many to know how the plants are treated. 

 We enjoyed a visit to Wellesley the early part of December and 



