ON FRUITS AND FLOWERS. 63 



There were as usual a number of mammoth 

 squashes, from the following contributors : Jona. 

 Buxton, Samuel Balch, Erastus Ware, Samuel C. 

 Hodgdon, J. Emerson, and Samuel Jenkins. 



There was a larger collection of Flowers, particu- 

 larly the dahlia, than at any former exhibition. 

 They were from Wm. Oakes, of Ipswich, George 

 Spofford, of Georgetown, and Francis Putnam and 

 Henry Wheatland, of Salem. The two last mention- 

 ed numbered seventy five varieties. Your commit- 

 tee were highly gratified in witnessing this rare dis- 

 play of beauty ; it is surprising to see the endless 

 varieties which have taken place in this beautiful 

 flower since its introduction from Mexico. We 

 have now all the shades of red, yellow, purple, 

 and from pure white to almost black, but as yet no 

 blue, a color which will probably never be found, 

 because blue and yellow being the primitive colors 

 of flowers, and always exclusive of each other, no 

 blue flowers can change to yellow, nor yellow to 

 blue. 



The following gratuities are recommended by your 

 committee: — To Francis Putnam, two dollars; J. M. 

 Ives, three dollars; Samuel Balch, Humphrey Nelson, 

 Andrew Dodge, G. B. Perry, Ephraim Emmerton, 

 A. L. Peirson, Ellen B. Dodge, Samuel Jenkins, 

 Josiah New hall, Erastus Ware, Jonathan Buxton, 

 Samuel Putnam, and Edward Lander, one dollar 

 each; Robert Manning, William Williams, and John 

 Preston, one dollar and fifty cents each; Moses Pet- 

 tingel, two dollars. 



At no previous time were there such facilities for 

 the disposal of good winter apples and pears. There 

 is no danger of overstocking the market. Railroads 

 and steamboats have opened the way for the disposal 

 of large quantities in the cities of our own country, 

 and also in Europe. Our apples bring good prices 

 in England. The question is often asked, why do 

 not our farmers attend more to orcharding? We 

 apprehend one cause to be in the difliculty of raising 



