XS62. 



THE ILLINOIS FARMEB. 



303 



The Horticultural Pair. 



The Annual Fair of the Illinois Horticultural 

 Society, at Brjan Rail during the past week, 

 has been a complete success so far as the display 

 of fruit, flowers and plants is concerned ; but 

 the attendance has not been as large as this 

 splendid exhititioa deserved ; especially when 

 it is understood that the entire profits derived 

 from the exhibition is contributed to our sick 

 and wounded soldiers. No exhibition of fruit 

 west of the mountains, (if anywhere on this 

 continent) has ever equaled this, and the display 

 of plants, shrubs, and flowers is also very ex- 

 tensive in variety, and many of the varieties 

 exceedingly rare and beautiful. 



The view from the gallery into the body of the 

 Hall presents one of the finest rural scenes im- 

 aginable. The whole interio? is decked with 

 evergreens hanging in graceful* festoons, &c. 

 The stand is a miniature grove of evergreen 

 trees, large, tropical, and rare native plants, in- 

 terspersed here and there with rustic seats and 

 chairs, with an arbor in the background, .man- 

 tled by the American flag. A circular table 

 some twenty feet in diameter occupies the cpn- 

 tre of the Hall covered with boquets of flowers 

 an ionumerable variety of dahlies, roses, verbe- 

 nas, &c.. all surrounding that exquisitely con- 

 ceived "T<mple of Flora," designed by Louis 

 Pantian. In the very extensive collection of H. 

 M. Thompson, of Lake Forest, we noticed the 

 cocoa nut, cinamoD, ginger, tea, cofi'ee, sago, 

 date, banana, olive, fig, pomegranite, indiarub- 

 ber, allspice, b)ack pepper, lemon, lime, orange, 

 pine-apple, and cotton plant — several of them 

 now in bearing. Mr. C. B. MoCagy, of North 

 Clark street, exhibits a very rare collection, em- 

 bracing some thirty varieties of plants from 

 Brazil and the West India Islands. The car- 

 ruaindica, of the numerous water plants, is the 

 largest, standing some eight feet in height. The 

 Btanhapea sigrina (or basket plant} is exceed- 

 ingly rare and fragrant, and has a sixteenth 

 flowering now for this season, a flag shaped 

 blossom of brilliant colors and delicate tints. 



The gillery is entire'y devoted to the exhibi- 

 tion of fruits, embracing an extensive assort- 

 ment of every variety — some of each kind be- 

 ing immense in size, and others of very super- 

 ior quality. As before stated, this is one of the 

 grandest exhibitions of fruit ever held in this 

 country, and will result in great good, from the 

 mutual interchaage of knowledge and exper- 

 ience among the various fruit-growers, and the 

 visible proof of the superior character of our 

 prairie State for fruit growing, will inspire oth- 

 ers to embark m horticulture. 



We were agreeably surprised to «ee a Tery 

 fair representation of the agricultural branch, 

 in the shape of numerous choice samples of veg- 

 «tables, seeds, grain, &c. ' " 



The society deserve the success they are en-^ 

 joying, and we hope and believe that the Annual 

 Fair of this State Horticultural Society will 

 hereafter staod high among the most important 

 exhibitions of the kind in the country. — Rail 

 Road Gazette. 



*•>- 



English, vs. American Strawberries. 



Editor Illinois Farmer, Champaign Illinois : 



Flushing N. Y., Oct. 3d, 1362, 

 Dear Sir : — I have received the September 

 number of your Illinois Farmer. I notice the 

 Triumph de Gand is miss spelt "grand." It re- 

 ceived its name from having been originated at 

 the town of Gand, in Belgium, It has not been 

 installed in the Belgic catalogue for several 

 years, on account of its inferiority in sweetness 

 and perfume, and in Rivers catalogue is only 

 placed among the supernumearies. I regret to 

 notice that you say " we are out with the big 

 strawberries for home use, but they will do for 

 market for some time yet." As I deem you one 

 of those who seldom make mistakes ; but in the 

 present progressive state of (he strawberry 

 culture, arrival of new and transendent varie- 

 ties, I may say with confidence, the right of 

 which all can attest by a trial, that it is the 

 "big strawberries" of the pine and Chili fami- 

 lies, whose delicious sweetness and exquisite per- 

 fume, render them preferable for "home use." 

 Both these very large and spirited species are 

 natives of South America, and are found from 

 4 ® north of the equator in Surinam, tc 57 ° south 

 in Patagonia, along the straits of Magellan. I 

 find four varieties of these two species in the 

 catalogues issued by my father Wm. Prince in 

 1790, since which date, thousands of seedling 

 varieties have been produced in our own country 

 — England. France and Belgium ; from which 

 above 100 of the finest have been selected and 

 named, and are now under culture in Europe. 

 From all that have been produced, I have selec- 

 ted sixty varieties, which you will find described 

 in the catalogue (48th edition) recently sent you 

 and in the Patent Office Agiicultural Report. 

 Touching all seminal reproductions in climates 

 differing from the original and natural ones, it 

 ma^ be taken as an axiom that every plant and 

 every animal partakes, in a degree, of the char- 

 acter of the climate and soil where it is genera- 

 ted. It thence follows, as a consequence that the 

 pine and Chili varieties produced in England, 

 where their seminal reproduction was first 

 commenced, were, by the influence of their 

 mild winter climate; lees hardy than the 



