18 



Compare this with the recent exhibitions of our Society, 

 and say, if 'we cannot exclaim with Mr. Lowell, "Horticul- 

 ture never has made such rapid progress ! " 



From this period the exhibitions were held weekly in 

 summer, and various fruits — many of them new — flowers 

 and vegetables were shown. At nearly every meeting 

 donations of books, seeds, plants, &c., were announced by 

 the President, and a hbrary of considerable extent was 

 soon established, which at that time was exceedingly valu- 

 able to many members, such works being expensive as well 

 as difficult to procure. ' 



On Saturday, the 19th of September, the first annual 

 -exhibition was held in the dining room of the Exchange 

 Coffee House. I shall not detain you with an account of 

 this, other than to state that it was every way creditable to 

 the members, and embraced in round numbers about thirty 

 varieties of fruits and a fair show of flowers and vegetables. 

 An address was delivered by the President, Gen. Dearborn, 

 in the picture gallery of the Athenaeum. In the evening 

 the members sat down to a dinner, and toasts and senti- 

 ments were drank, songs were sung, and the whole passed 

 off to the delight and satisfaction of all. Gen. Dearborn's 

 address was an elaborate eulogy upon the pursuit of gar- 

 dening, recording its triumphs, and rekindled anew the 

 enthusiasm of the members. 



An Experimental Garden was a favorite project of Gen. 

 Dearborn, as an indispensable object in connection with 

 the Society, and to the furtherance of this he gave his 



