168 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



to his clevelopmeut of uew and rare forms. He who introduces a 

 new rose, if it has merits not ah'eady possessed by others, and if 

 it be the result of the hibor of his own head and hands, has estab- 

 lished an enviable reputation which is quite as important, in a 

 business way, as the direct profit that will accrue from its intro- 

 duction. There never was a time when wealth contributed so 

 liberallj^ to taste as the present. Any new floral form, of merit, is 

 eagerl}^ sought and liberally paid for ; it matters not whether it be 

 superior to existing forms — if it has distinctive characteristics it 

 will find a place in ever}' garden and add to the fame of the 

 originator. 



But the old should not be neglected for the new. The perpetua- 

 tion of old varieties is quite as important as the development of 

 the new ones and, perhaps, more so. All depends upon the skill 

 of the gardener in getting from the plant all that it is capable of 

 producing. There is, oftentimes, more difference between a 

 variety perfectly developed and the same neglected, than between 

 an old and a new, though similar, variety. The scientific gardener 

 will make the old appear as new because of perfect culture, while 

 the unscientific ga'rdeuer will make the new appear old from care- 

 lessness and neglect. 



System, which carries with it order and neatness, is a good 

 working capital for any gardener. A neat garden is almost 

 invariably a good garden, and the manager of such an one is sure 

 to be successful. The plants he grows will bring twice as much in 

 the market as those from the sloven's hand. All that makes a 

 plant valuable is its beauty, and beauty is never associated with 

 filth. I would, therefore, urge every gardener, amateur or profes- 

 sional, private or commercial, to encourage and stinuilate a love 

 for the beautiful ; it is an antidote for all the asperities of life ; it 

 softens the hours of labor and sweetens the acerbities of our 

 natures. A study of the beautiful, whether in the plant, the tree, 

 or the flower; whether in the conservatory or the vegetable 

 garden ; in field or wood ; in fact wherever found, will have a 

 tendency to elevate and strengthen and refine character and mater- 

 ially assist in promoting happiness. The gardener, more than any 

 other man, is a child of Nature, whose gifts, united with his 

 industry, his experience and observation, will make old age 

 beautiful and pleasant. The love of the beautiful never wearies 

 nor urows old ; on the ct)ntrarv it increases with our vears. 



