No. 244.] 36 



bouquets were composed of the choicest flowers, made up with great 

 good taste, frequently renewed during the fair, and placed at the feet 

 of Flora as a fit offering to the goddess of flowers ; as were also se- 

 veral baskets of splendid roses tastefully arranged, the whole forming 

 a rare and beautiful sight. A variety of other floral attractions must 

 be passed over, but mention must be made of a couple of baskets of 

 ■wild flowers, real " natives" of our woods and fields, which were ar- 

 ranged with considerable taste, and did not appear to disadvantage in 

 the select company in which they were found. Altogether, the dis- 

 play of flowers was very creditable, and, indeed, much better than 

 was anticipated. A failure here would have been greatly to be de- 

 plored, for the fair would thus have been deprived of some of its 

 greatest attractions. A display of flowers has peculiar charms for the 

 ladies, perhaps because there are so many points of resemblance be- 

 tween them, both being alike the emblems of purity and the objects 

 of love, and both exercising a humanizing and soothing influence, 

 without which the world would be far less beautiful than it is. It 

 is the grateful presence of the ladies which gives to our fairs such pe- 

 culiar charms of attraction, and without their cheering presence w© 

 should certainly lose more than half our visitors, for it may be safely 

 said that it is owing to their influence that we are indebted for a very 

 large proportion of the other sex who visit our fairs. In all the great 

 movements of the age, woman has exercised a more or less command- 

 ing influence within her legitimate sphere, and it is very proper that 

 it should be so. Let her be made to feel an interest in any great un- 

 dertaking coming v^rithin the sphere of her action, and she speedily 

 imparts a kindred feeling to the other sex, and the work goes bravely 

 on. To this same influence the American Institute is in no small mea- 

 sure indebted for the success which has hitherto attended its efforts, or 

 at least for the means of making those efforts available for the public 

 good. For the presence of the ladies we are greatly indebted to the 

 flowers, and so we say, Heaven preserve the ladies and the flowers ! 



The display of fruit next demands attention ; but the field here is 

 so vast that nothing more than a brief outline view can be attempted, 

 and reference must be made to the list accompanying this report. 

 Aside from the fruit brought from the Pomological convention near 

 the close of the fair, the undersigned venture to affirm, that at no for- 

 mer fair of the American Institute was there ever seen such a splendid 

 variety as was exhibited on the present occasion. ■ In one respect it 



