THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 103 



novelty of a double lilac. The flowers seemed to be compound — one 

 issuing out of the other. In truth, all were beautiful and worthy of 

 their royal names : Prince of Wales, Princess Alexandria, Albert the 

 Good, Princess Beatrice, Princess Louise, Marquis of Lome, and Queen 

 Victoria. We hope these new lilacs will be very extensively planted 

 for the adornment of our Canadian homes. Mr. Dougall deserves the 

 thanks of every Canadian for his enterprising efforts to introduce 

 Canadian grown varieties of such hardy, beautiful and popular 

 ornamental shrubs, aud we hope his labors will be appreciated. 



THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY. 



BY JAJIES MACPHERSON. 



I have noticed some sixteen names of ladies and gentlemen 

 announced in your November number for 1879 as being interested in 

 the formation of a Botanical Society. Since I have known anything 

 of Canada I have often wondered how it happens that it is the only 

 British possession of any importance which fails to figure botanically. 

 I cannot to-day offer myself a better explanation than the supposition 

 that the Americans have not led tlie way in any very striking 

 manner. It is a fact that no complete flora of North America is 

 extant to-day ; the flora of tjie States can only be had in a fragmentary 

 condition. The Americans are a "practical people," and do not 

 concern themselves about abstract sciences very much. It may, 

 however, be pointed out to Canadians that Australia, Cape Colony, 

 India, New Zealand, Hong Kong, (Feijee even has a published flora,) 

 have all established from one to five or six Botanical Gardens within 

 their limits, and their Governments have arranged with the authorities- 

 at the Royal Gardens at Kew for the publication of their approxi- 

 mately complete floras. Why British North America alone is without, 

 a Botanical establishment it is hard to tell, or without a published, 

 flora more complete than Hooker's " Boreale Americana." 



Now, I would suggest that the sixteen persons who are interested 

 i-nfluence sixteen M. P.'s, and secure their action in the very next 

 session of the Dominion Parliament towards establishing a Botanical 

 Garden on the ground which the Government may acquire at Niagara 

 Falls. 



