Massachusetts Horticultural Societij. 31 



so arranged as to allow of the heat being thrown into any part of the house 

 that may be desired. The house was well stocked with choice plants, all 

 in fine condition, and there was every appearance in the management, both 

 of the house and the plants, of scientific skill, combined with neatness and 

 economy. In the construction of his forcing pits Mr. French seems to have 

 adopted the method of McPhail, the manure for heating them being placed 

 outside the walls of the pits, instead of at the bottom, as is the customary 

 mode. In them, even at this early season, the cucumber vines were burst- 

 ing into blow. The grounds about the residence of Mr, French consist of 

 about eight acres, laid out in gardens and pleasure grounds. 



The object of your Committee in their visit to Messrs. Hovey & Co. was 

 mainly to examine their graperies ; these are somewhat extensive, consist- 

 ing of a cold, as well as of a forcing house, neither of them, however, ex- 

 clusively devoted to raising grapes, but used also for other purposes. At 

 the season of the visit of your Committee, in the cold house the vines were 

 not in an active state ; in the forcing house the fruit was setting finely, the 

 vines looked vigorous and thriving, and everything indicated skill and judg- 

 ment in their cultivation. Messrs. Hovey &. Co. have in their grounds a 

 very considerable extent of glass, consisting of 5 houses, 4 of them with 

 span-roofs, requiring in winter the labor of eight men. The greenhouses and 

 stoves were stocked with a choice collection of rare plants, ell apparently in 

 fine condition. In the Camellia house, the plants, though out of bloom, 

 were growing vigorously. The Geraniums were not yet in flower ; of these 

 last, Messrs. Hovey & Co. have many of the new fancy sorts. Messrs. 

 Hovey & Co. had just received from Europe an invoice of new plants, 

 among which were many shrubby Pseonias and several new Roses. Among 

 the other novelties of the collection some very fine Cinerarias attracted at- 

 tention, as Cerulea perfecta, a fine blue; Attila and Annie, both purple; 

 Beauty of Utica, a blue ; Glow Worm, of a fine crimson ; Joan d'Arc and 

 Bessie, of a maroon color. The flowers of all these were large, and the 

 colors brilliant. In the greenhouses Nemophila maculata, witli its beau- 

 tiful flowers, white, spotted with blue, and Azalea Gledstanesii, with white 

 flowers striped Avith pink, were botli conspicuous objects. In the propa- 

 gating house there-was a large stock of healthy young plants. 



On the 22d July your Committee inspected the gardens of Mr. John Gor- 

 don at Brighton. Mr. Gordon devotes his grounds to raising fruits and 

 vegetables, for the supply of the market. Mr. Gordon being one of the 

 most judicious cultivators, doubtless finds this occupancy of his land for a 

 double purpose, economical and advantageous. Everything about the 

 grounds showed good management. From some portions of his land Mr. 

 Gordon obtains two and three crops a year. Tlio fruit trees were thriving, 

 and generally covered with a fine crop of fruit. 



On the same day your Committee visited the gardens and grounds of 

 John P. Gushing, Esq. at Watertown, calling, on the way, at the place of 

 Josiah Stickney, Esq., in the same town. Of the place of Mr. Stickney it 

 is not now the intention of your Committee to speak, — as that gentleman 

 was understood not to be, at the time, a competitor for the prizes of the So- 



