2i6 Notes and Gleaninos 



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Premiums of Horticultural Societies. — One of the most flourishing 

 societies in this country is the Worcester County (Mass.) Horticultural Society. 

 We have just received the list of premiums offered at their annual exhibition on 

 the 19th, 20th, 2 1st, and 22d of September, which is extremely liberal, amount- 

 ing to about one thousand dollars. Among the " single dishes " of pears for 

 which premiums are offered, we notice, besides the standard varieties, the Duran- 

 deau, which is not even mentioned by Downing, but which has no doubt been 

 found valuable by the Worcester pear growers. 



We noticed in our May number the offer by the Pennsylvania Horticultural 

 Society of a premium of one hundred dollars for the best collection of fruit, 

 from the proceeds of Hon. M. P. Wilder's lecture before the society, on Califor- 

 nia. Besides this, W. L. Schaffer, president of the society, offers a premium of 

 thirty dollars for a display of apples ; Charles Downing, two volumes of his 

 great work on fruits as premiums for pears ; Robert Cornelius, of Philadelphia, 

 fifty dollars for a new hardy native grape for table use ; J. E. Mitchell, of Phila- 

 delphia, ten dollars for the best bunch of foreign grapes ; Thomas J. Pullen, of 

 Hightstown, N. J., fifteen dollars for the best six varieties of peaches ; George 

 E. Waring, Jr., of Newport, R. I., ten dollars for the best twelve Trophy To- 

 matoes, and five dollars for every perfect specimen of two and one half pounds 

 weight ; Peter Henderson, Jersey City, N. J., three sets of Practical Horticul- 

 ture and Gardening for Profit, for the best displays, by practical gardeners, of 

 flowers, fruit, and vegetables ; J. S. Houghton, Philadelphia, ten dollars for the 

 best dish of twelve specimens of pears, to include any number of varieties, and 

 Samuel Loag, Philadelphia, ten dollars for the best display of canned fruit and 

 vegetables. 



These are all in addition to the regular list of premiums, from the society's 

 funds, which is very full, especisflly for plants and flowers at the monthly exhi- 

 bitions in the early part of the season. The whole amount offered by the society 

 is more than fourteen hundred dollars. From the nature of the case there is 

 much of sameness in schedules of premiums from year to year, but we notice in 

 that of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society a prize, a little out of the com- 

 mon course, of five dollars for the best fifty strawberries of any variety, to be 

 shown in a single layer on the society's dishes. We shall be disappointed if this 

 does not bring out some big berries. The funds of this society enable it to offer 

 liberal premiums, and the amount appropriated this year for Gardens, Green- 

 houses, &c., is $400 ; Fruits, $1650 ; Plants and Flowers, $2,000, and Vegetables 

 $700; total, $4,750. This does not include the "Prospective Prizes" for new 

 fruits, flowers, and vegetables, amounting to $740, in premiums of from $30 to 

 $60 each, nor those offered by H. H. Hunnewell, Esq., for Hardy Azaleas, Hardy 

 Rhododendrons, Roses, and Evergreens, and for the estates which shall be best 

 laid out and planted and best kept for three years, amounting in all to between 

 five and six hundred dollars. Nor does it include the " Whitcomb Premium " 

 of $200 for the best seedling potato, which we have before mentioned. 



