FLOWER COMMITTKE S REPORT. 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON FLOWERS, 



For the Year 1861. 



BY EDWABD S. RAND, JR., CHAIRMAN. 



The past season has, from excessive drought, been most unfavorable to floral 

 beauty. The plants have been so parched as to fail to bloom, or have produced 

 small and unhealthy flowers. We have, however, noticed a greater brilliancy 

 in the colors, and better marked flowers than usual — this is probably owing to 

 the bright sunlight and the constant clear weather. 



The skill most required in the gardener, during the last summer, has been 

 ability to use the watering pot and to shade his specimen blooms from the 

 scorching sun. The dry weather also produced swarms of crickets and grass- 

 hoppers, which devoured the more delicate flowers, and often seriously damaged 

 the plants. These remarks apply more particularly to annuals and late-bloom- 

 ing perennials; the spring-blooming herbaceous plants suifered but little, and 

 were exhibited in great variety. Various bulbs, such as Lilies, Gladiolus and 

 Tiger Flowers, have shown an unusual brilliancy of color, and have more than 

 compensated for the deficiency in annuals. 



Pot plants have been better than ever before, and been shown in greater 

 number and variety. As usual, some have been exhibited which were a dis- 

 grace both to the exhibitor and the Society, and which were only admitted to 

 show the beauty of others, by contrasting illy-grown and elegant specimens; 

 and some would have taken a first prize had a premium been awarded for 

 mealy bug and red spider. 



Despite these exhibitions, pot plants have improved, and we trust the coming 

 year may witness no retrograde movement. 



Bouquets have been, as usual, some very good, some very bad. The usual 

 display of baskets of flowers, pressed and dried flow^ers, has been made, and 

 some well executed floral painting has been exhibited, as will be seen by the 

 weekly reports. Of new and rare plants we have had many, all of which we 

 have described more fully in the weekly reports, to which we will now pass. 



The first exhibition of the year was on the second of February, when plants 

 of Erica propendens tubiflora and suavolens were shown by Barnes & Wash- 

 burn. The plants, though small, were in good condition, in full bloom and 

 well grown. 



Evers & Comley exhibited a fine collection of cut Epacris and Acacias: 

 some of the former were remarkably fine, and comprised many new varieties ; 

 but we are unable to describe them as we were not furnished with specimens. 

 A few tender roses and cut blooms of the prize seedling Camellia were shown 

 by Hovey & Co. 



On Saturday the sixteenth of February the warm spring-like weather was 

 propitious for a fine floral display, and the Hall presented a fine appearance- 



