VOL. Xv. NO. 13. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



99 



MASSACHUSETTS HORTlClIL.Ti:RAIi SOCIETY 



Saturday, Sept. 24, 1836. 

 F.XHIBITTON OF FLOWERS. 



This day the Massachusetts Horticultural So- 

 ciety held their Annual meeting at the Artists' 

 Gallery, Sum mer-street, and notwithstanding the 

 season has heen unusually cold and unprosperous 

 for the cultivation of flowers, yet, by the generous 

 contributions of our friends, and the aid and assis- 

 tance given by ninny of our members, the com- 

 mittee were enabled to decorate their exhibition 

 room with much that was choic ; and rare. '1 he 

 flowers generally, particularly the Dahlias, were in 

 the highest state of perfection ; and what was 

 lacking in quanlily compared with former seasons, 

 was in a great measure, made up in quality. The 

 contribution of J. P. Cusliing, Esq. of Water- 

 town, by his gardener Mr David Haggerston, was 

 magnificent, 'i he pot of Black Hamburg Gr.-ipes 

 richly decorated with Dahlias and other f.ovvers, 

 thus blending and uniting the handmaids of Flora 

 and Pomona was happily conceived and iinely 

 executed by Mr Haggerston. The specimens of 

 Combretum purpureuni, Crinum amabella, Phase- 

 olus corocolla, Nerium splendens and Amaryllis 

 Belladonna were very splendid. 



Thomas Lee, E.sq. presented three vases of cut 

 flowers, some of which were fine specimens. 



A fine bouquet Iroin William Pratt, Esq. of 

 Watertown. 



Handsome bouquets of «ut flowers from the 

 garden of the President of the Society, and from 

 the garden of the Orator of the day. 



By Col. Marshal P. Wilder, of Dorchester, 

 twenty six specimens of seedling Pansies of great 

 beauty. Also, Gloxinia maculata and other green 

 house i)lants, and eiglitysix specimens of the Dah- 

 lia, among which we noticed a plant of Angelina 

 transferred into a pot with sixteen fine flowers 

 growing thereon ; this specimen made a very im- 

 posing appearance. We also noticed in Mr Wil- 

 der's collection, Widnall's Rising Sun, Bride of 

 Abydos, Jupiter, Young's Black Ajax, Cross's 

 yellow Hermione, Inwood's Ariel, Douglass's Glo- 

 ry, Erecta, Wells' Paragon, Young's fine Crimson 

 and Dennissi. 



By Mr Samuel R. Johnson, of Charlestown, a 

 fine collection of Dahlias, including extra fine 

 flowers of CediNulli, Guido.and Lady Fordwich. 

 From the garden of Mr S. Sweetser of Cam- 

 bridgeport, bouipiets and one hundred and three 

 specimens of the Dahlias, contaning most of the 

 choice varieties. We were much pleased with 

 his specimens of Granta, Springfield Rival, Queen 

 of Dahlias, Duke of Devonshire and Exeter. 



Messrs Hovey cfc Co. presented seveial splendid 

 bouquets and sixtyeight fine specimens of Dahlias. 

 In their collection we noticed Hermione, Zarah, 

 Bride of Abydos, Urania, Widnall's Venus, do. 

 Paris and beauty of Camberwcll. 



By Mr William E. Carter, of the Botanic Gar- 

 den, Cambridge, several bouquets and one hun- 

 dred and five specimens of the Dahlia. Mr Car- 

 ter shew his Dahlias on a new plan, they met the 

 eye at once and with great force. We noticed 

 fine specimens of Satropa, Granta, Miss Pelham, 

 Ophelia and the Dutchess of Bedford. 



By Mr Mason, of Charlestown, eightysix speci- 

 mens of Dahlias and several fine bouquets. Mr 

 Mason shew two seedling Dahlias, together with 

 some fine specimens of Granta, Village Maid, 

 Deunissi and Transcendent. 



Messrs John Richardson of Dorchester, Wil- 

 liam and John A. Kenrick of Newton, William 

 Wales, of Dorchester, and S. Walker of Roxhury, 

 each presented cut flowers, bouquets, &c. 

 For the Committee, 



S. WALKER, Chairman. 



Note. — A box roniaining some fine Seedling 

 Dahlias, among which the Beauty of Portland 

 and Miss Neil appeared most beautiful, China 

 Asters, double, from single ones last year, and Pan- 

 sies were received from Robert Milne, Gardener 

 to M. P. Sawyer, Esq. of Portland, Me. bul too 

 late for exhibition. We regret that our Portland 

 friend could not have forwarded Ids flowers in sea- 

 son to have taken a stand with some of Boston 

 ctdlivation ; tliey might not have suSered in com- 

 parison. 



Salsift. — 1 hough the sal.-ify, or as it is com- 

 monly called on account of its assiuulation in taste 

 to the oyster, the "vegetable oyster," is one of 

 the most delicious of our garden roots, yet its 

 uses are not generally known or its culture at- 

 tended to. It is a biennial plant of English ori- 

 gin, ai^d in appearance resembles a small parsnip. 

 It is of easy cultivation, and when parboiled, cnt 

 in slices length wise and fried in butter, possesses 

 a flavor so nearly allied to the oyster, that even 

 epicures sometimes find it difficult to distinguish 

 between them. In cultivating this root, the 

 ground should be manured and pre|)ared in the 

 same maimer as for beets, carrots or parsnips, and 

 the seed sown in drills at the same distances. — 

 Tlie seed should then be covered about half an 

 inch deep, and the surface of the ground rolled 

 down to bring it in contact with the seed and en- 

 able it to germinate. When the plants are up 

 they should be thiimed and kept free of weeds. 

 Late in the fall the roots may be dug, and if 

 packed in sand and deposited in the cellar will 

 keep fresh till the following spring. The root is 

 smaller than the parsnip, and consequently the 

 product from the same quantity of land is not as 

 great; yet from good land, weil cultivated, a lib- 

 eral crop nuiy be obtained. 



We think gardeners in the vicinity of large 

 towns would find their account in cultivating this 

 root for the supply of their markets, as most per- 

 sons acquainted with it are extravagantly fond of 

 it. It is said to be in much demand in the Boston 

 nuirket. 



Enrageo Bkes. — On Tuesday, says the Alex- 

 andria Gazette, the bees in a gentleman's garden 

 became enraged at the near approach to their 

 hives of horses au<l carts which were backed up 

 for the purpose of unloading «vood. They sallied 

 out at once and attacked with vigor the horses 

 and drivers. In a few minutes the drivers were 

 put to flight, but the horses not being able to dis- 

 engage themselves, had to bear the brunt of the 

 onset as they best coidd, and that was but feebly 

 imieed. One of the poor animals was stung so 

 severely that he actually died in a short time, 

 and the other was rescued by the servants wrap- 

 ping themselves in blankets and going with deter- 

 mination to his a.ssistance. 'Ibis accomplished, 

 all hands we believe, precipitately retired from the 

 vengeance of the winged warriors. '1 he liees, 

 finding that their enemies had ' inglorious'y fled' 

 from the field of battle, resolved to carry the war 

 to Africa. Mustering their forces they invaded 

 the village, scattering themselves abroad, stinging 

 pigs, <logs and cows, and chasing men, women 

 aiid children. They absolutely held entire pos- 

 session of the enemies' country for some time, 

 driving back seveial pedlars who attempted to 

 cross the Stone Bridge with their wagons. The 

 approacli of night (uit an end to the contest. 



A traveller in the western part of New York, in 

 speaking of the town of Syracuse, says that the 

 quantity of fine salt made at that place, during the 

 last year, amounted to 3,000,000 bushels, indepen- 

 dently of large quantities of that article in a coarse 

 state. The business this year, he says, yields a 

 nett profit of about nine cents jier bushel, and one 

 company alone will make .$200:000. A few years 

 since, the site of the present town of Syracuse was 

 a wilderness; now, besides being a place where 

 the products of the rich county of Onondaga are 

 embarked upon the canal, it is the point where five 

 rail roads will terminate. So much for internal 

 improvements. — Bait. Jlmer. 



Stonington Rah, Road. — The rail road lead- 

 ing from this city to Stoninglon, it is expected 

 will be completed in the ensuing Spring. More 

 than two thirds ol the whole route is now prepar- 

 ed for the rails and ui about five weeks the entire 

 line will be jiraded. The contractors are now en- 

 gaged in laying the rails at Pavvtucket, where the 

 road first enters this State. The bridges and ne- 

 cessary buildings lor the cars, &c. near the Pavil- 

 ion are in a stale of forwardness and the locomo- 

 tives will be underway in the Spring. — Provi- 

 dtnce Journal.. 



The Mulberry. — II is said that the worm fed 

 on the black mulberry makes the best and strong- 

 est sewing silk; on the white mulberry finer 

 thread and preferable for fabrics and the Chinese 

 mulberry sill finer and more delicate, 'i he first 

 is a native ol the United States, and abounds in 

 the State of New York. 



A very rich mine, yielding alum in the propor- 

 tion of two thirds ami copperas in the proportio i 

 of one third has been discovered in Chatauque 

 county, New York. 



It is sai.l that a vein of good anthracite coal has 

 heen discovered in another (art of Mansfield. It 

 is near the Railroad from this town to Mansfield, 

 nine miles from the Green, and about three miles 

 East of the mines now working in Mansfield. 1 his 

 article of Coal has become such a necessary addi- 

 tion to comlbrt, that it would really be a matter 

 of universal joy should these mines turn out well. 

 — Taunton H kig. 



It is said there are 400,000 feathers upon the 

 wing of a silk worm moth, and that any one 

 doubting the truth of the statement, can 'easily 

 satisfy himself by counting them. 



It was stated at the late centennial celebration 

 at Dcdiiam that there were 19 original settlers, and 

 one of them was a Dwight, a progenitor of Pres- 

 ident Dwight. 



Mr Isaac French ofNorth Bridgewater killed a 

 stray bird (supposed to be an eagle) that measur- 

 ed fron. the tip of each w\ng,sixtt, ifeet and three 

 inches. ■' 



