56 



ASSORTED FRUITS AND FLOWERS. 



every evil minded beholder to resolve ou the first dark 

 night thereafter " to shoulder his ladder and show how 

 fruit is won." The one basket was soon disposed of. 

 We awarded it the first premium, and a proposition to 

 award it also the second would have passed unanimously, 

 had not the rules of the Society precluded the idea. 



Second — Flowers, to speak in praise of which, is as 

 useless as to " gild refined gold or paint the lily" They 

 are made to be seen and admired — not idly talked 

 about. In the arrangement of flowers for exhibition, it 

 is too often forgotten that nature — the best guide — 

 produces her grandest effects by ignoring everything 

 like geometrical precision and giving full play to syste- 

 matic irregularity. Striking effects may be produced 

 by placing similar colors in rings, stripes, stars or 

 squares, the whole so arranged as to form an exact cone, 

 pyramid or " flap-jack" in shape, but such can hardly be 

 called bouquets. We hesitated long in deciding between 

 the rival claims of two very fine — and one truly regal — 

 specimens of every variety of flowers, most artistically 

 arranged. On one hand, quantity, number, sprightly 

 arrangement and gorgeous effect; on the other, exquisite 

 taste, shown in the general contour as well as the 

 delicious contrasts and infinite beauty of detail. Long 

 time we wavered, feeling (to quote the idea of a noted 

 politician) that whichever way we decided, we should 

 wish it had been otherwise, till at length we settled it, 

 by each member of the Committee looking in one 

 direction and pointing another, while the half distracted 

 Chairman hastily noted down the result, and as he firmly 

 believes got it wrong after all. In view of the possi- 

 bility of this, he takes this opportunity to beg pardon 



