No. 6. 



Hoi'ticidtural Report. 



183 



covered its lid. An Urn with the plants and 

 flowers gracefully arranged, was a beautiful 

 object. Stands of Dahlias and Roses, Bask- 

 ets and Bouquets, were to be seen in various 

 parts of this Saloon. 



Facing the entrance to the vestibule, was 

 suspended a design, very appropriately pre- 

 senting in flowers, etc., the words: "Penn- 

 sylvania Horticultural Society's Sixteenth 

 Exhibition." 



In the Upper or Grand Saloon, which was 

 made of easy access from the rear of the 

 lower, was displayed on a table with an 

 elevated centre, which extended through the 

 middle, nearly tiie entire length of the Sa- 

 loon, the great profusion of the various fruits 

 and vegetables, honey an^ small designs, and 

 bouquets. Of fruits there wexQ about an 

 liundred varieties of apples, very fine and 

 free from blemish, many of large size, weigh- 

 ing from one to one and three-quarter pounds: 

 upwards of sixty varieties of foreign and 

 native grapes; one collection alone contained 

 thirty-three kinds: twenty varieties of peach- 

 es, one half of which were seedlings: as many 

 varieties of pears; and a number of kinds of 

 plums: there were also displayed quinces, 

 nectarines, strawberries, figs, oranges, lem- 

 ons, citrons, cranberries, almonds, filberts, 

 chesnuts, English walnuts, etc. 



Of culinary vegetables, there was a pro- 

 fusion of all kinds and in the finest condi- 

 tion. 



Of honey, there was one contribution con- 

 sisting of seventeen glass v.ases of the purest 

 — a beautiful sight. One contributor exhib- 

 ited a hive with the bees, which v/ere hived 

 on the iOth of May last; it contained one 

 hundred and thirty-tour pounds of honey, the 

 largest yield as yet presented : he also had 

 another yield of this season's collection, in 

 four boxes, which contained ninety-three 

 pounds; another contributor exhibited four 

 boxes containing one hundred pounds, col- 

 lected by one swarm this season. 



At the eastern extremity of this Saloon 

 was erected a grape arbour, seven feet in 

 height and si.x feet in length, having sus- 

 pended from all parts of it two thousand 

 bunches of grapes; a tempting display, and 

 around it were cut specimens of select roses 

 and dahlias; over the exit door was suspended 

 a festoon with various fruits interwoven; 

 and upon tiie long table, interspersed with 

 the fruits," were seen the many beautiful 

 vases, cones, baskets and bouquets. 



This exliibition has proved a most success- 

 ful test of the existing state of horticulture 

 in this community, discovering no lack in 

 filling two of the most extensive saloons in 

 ihe country with the finest specimens of the 

 various products of the green-house, garden, 



'orchard and field. These autumnal shows, 

 together with the interesting monthly dis- 

 plays, and the great amount of awards given 

 by the Society tor the best cultivated objects, 

 tend to advance the science of iiorticulture 

 to an eminent and envied position. 



The products exhibited from time to time 

 before the Society, appear to be brougiit 

 almost to a state of perfection, and while 

 incentives should still be held out for their 

 growth, it now becomes the Society to di- 

 vert some of its energies into other chan- 

 nels. It has in some measure done so, but 

 seemingly with little success. Nearly three 

 years ago, there was originated the project 

 of holding out inducements for the introduc- 

 tion and propagation of new plants, flowers, 

 fruits and vegetables; and a committee with 

 ample funds at its disposal for meritorious 

 awards appointed ; but irom some inexplica- 

 ble cause the results have not met expecta- 

 i tions. It is still to be hoped, however, that 

 [propagators and amateurs will appreciate 

 the advantages to themselves, and to the 

 I advancement of the science of horticulture, 

 and b}' the means of introducing such new 

 objects foster the taste for tlie rare, the cu- 

 rious, beautiful, scientific and useful. 



And further, tlie Society offers induce- 

 ments also for the originating of new fruits 

 and vegetables, and doubtless will offer 

 stronger. Of late there have been pre- 

 sented many very fine seedling peaches, 

 strawberries and some gooseberries; but 

 there are other species to which attention 

 should be directed : grapes — cannot our na- 

 tive varieties be improved by hybridizing 

 with the finer foreign to advantage "J Also 

 pears — cannot others, equal to the Sickel 

 or the Pennsylvania be produced 1 And so 

 of plums, apples, cherries and other fruits. 

 And culinary vegetables — a new potatoe is 

 much wanted ; the old Mercer is in its de- 

 cline; and many other products of the soil 

 better known to the cultivator, might be im- 

 proved, and will meet, in all probability, 

 with due encouragement from the Society. 



Aboriginal Fruits. — It is a fact in the 

 history of vegetables, to which I remember 

 no exceptions, that, where the wild stock 

 flourishes naturally, there the improved va- 

 rieties succeed best. Examples occur in the 

 Engiish apples and the French pears; for in 

 no country does tlie crab abound more than 

 in England, nor the wild pear than ia 

 France. — G. W. Johnson. 



Some one has said that the first ingredi- 

 ent in conversation is truth, the next is good 

 sense, the third good humor, and the last, 



wit. 



