288 ]\IASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



are constantly presenting themselves for this class of prizes, and 

 by the displays in this branch of horticnltnre, the exhibitions 

 during the earlier portion of the year are rendered interesting and 

 attractive. Competition for the prizes offered by the Society has 

 been as active as usual the past year, and the exhibitions during 

 the season have been well sustained. 



Our first exhibition of Peas was on the 16th of June, when 

 Walter Russell showed Maud S., and Cephas H. Brackett Alaska 

 peas. This crop, except in a few instances, where water was at 

 command and freely used, was badly affected by the drought, and 

 some of the specimens shown were not equal to those of more 

 favorable seasons, on this account. The leading varieties, besides 

 those already named, have been American Wonder, Advancer, 

 Stratagem, Heroine, and Champion of E-ngland. 



Tomatoes of open culture were shown for the first time July 14, 

 Varnum Frost taking the first prize with Comrade, and Samuel J. 

 Trepess the second, with May's Favorite. The Comrade is fast 

 taking the place of the Emery with market gardeners about 

 Boston, as they find it more uniform in size, a better cropper, and 

 etjually early. May's Favorite, exhibited at the same time, 

 received the second prize, but at the following show, July 21, was 

 first. This variety was favorably noticed in our report of last 

 year, and a somewhat extended and more general cultivation of 

 it, the past season, seems to justify the favorable opinion formed 

 in regard to it at that time. It forces well, and was shown by 

 several contributors during the winter. At the Annual Exhibition 

 Hon. Aaron Low was the largest exhibitor, showing twenty 

 different varieties, some of which were placed on our tables for 

 the first time. On the long-established and well-known favorite 

 sorts no remarks at this time are necessary, l^pwards of fifty 

 dishes were shown by different contributors at this exhibition. 



From the opening, or May Show, the exhibits increased in 

 excellence from week to week until the closing one, September 15, 

 which was decidedly the largest and best of the season. Nearly 

 every prize was competed for and taken. No claimants appeared 

 for any of the prizes for Melons, of any variety, until this last 

 mentioned show, when the premiums in all the different classes 

 were awarded. The contributors of some of the finest specimens 

 were E. C. Lewis, Nathaniel T. Kidder, Hon. Aaron Low, Samuel 

 Hartwell, Charles p]. Grant, and John Parker. 



