1862. 



THE ILLINOIS FAHMER. 



331 



boquets and a co lection of Balsams. John 

 Blair, one of the best landscape gardeners in 

 the west, and gardener to Mrs. Manny, shows 

 several specimens of rustic work, including vases 

 and chairs, which attra-cted marked attention. 

 His collection B of asters is very large, exceedidg 

 anything of 'he kind in the hall. 



Kimball & Strachan have a fine show of asters, 

 cut fiowers, a table boquet over two feet high, 

 one of the largest and most tasty display of flow- 

 ers in that form, a Lirge collection of verbenas 

 and dahlias. The soU of Rockford must be well 

 adapted to the verbeua, as we have never seen 

 better flowers. 



Mr. Dickerman shows a large and well selec- 

 ted lot of dahlias. 



H. P. Kimball has in his collection, a choice 

 lot of pansies, the only lot that we have seen in 

 the hall. The largest plant in the hall is a Can- 

 na Indica in this collection. The plant is of 

 this year's growth and full seven feet high. This 

 plant is grown from bulbs, the same as dahlia?, 

 and would add to the attraction of any of our 

 large or ; mall yards and gardens. The cost is a 

 mere trifle. 



J. S. Sherman, of the Rockford nursery, shows 

 a magnificent collection of eighty-four varieties 

 of dahlias. These are all of different colors — a 

 most superb collection. His collection of ver- 

 benas, both in color and arrangement, are of the 

 highest merit. ThisEockfrrd collection of itself 

 is well worth a visit to the hall. 



John C. lire, the popular superintendent of 

 the city grounds, has a fine show of plants from 

 his grounds at "Grapeton," consisting of Bigo- 

 nis, hand boquets, and Norway spruce. 



F. K. Phenix of Bloomington, has on exhibi- 

 tion a large display of cut roses and dahlias. 



H. M. Thompson, of Lake Forest, by Frank 

 Calvert, gardener. Last spring M. Stuart of 

 New York, exhibited at the Brooklyn Horticultu- 

 ral Society a coffee tree said to be the only one 

 then in the United States in a bearing state. 

 That may all be true of that date, but in the col- 

 lection of Mr. T. is another now in bearing, and 

 is attracting no small amount of attention. Those 

 wishing to see it will call in the day time, as the 

 plant is too valuable and rare to run the risk of 

 the gas light. 



The collection of Mr. T. is rich in tropical 

 plants. Among them the sago banana, date, 

 olive, fig, pomegranate, cocoa nut. tea tree In- 

 dia rubber, cotton plant, cinnamon, allspice, 

 black pepper, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, and 

 two pine applea, one of them in a CliamplaiQ 



basket. This plant is in fruit. The basket it- 

 self is a novelty, and it is claimed that a large 

 fruit tree can be grown and fi'uited in one of these 

 small baskets. Mr T. has in addition a large 

 collection of other plants. Also a Wardian case 

 of the largest s:ze, containing twenty-foor beau- 

 tiful leaved pUnts. Among the dahlias Mr. T. 

 has one of rare merit. 



A. T. Sherman, of Rose Hill Cemetery Green- 

 house, exhibited a most superb sbow of olean- 

 ders in bloom. 



F. Sulzer of Graceland Nursery shows a large 

 collection of fuchia bigonias and other greenhouse 

 plants. Also boquets of dahlias and cut roses. 



Among the collection of flowers is a large libra- 

 ry of hortieultural books owcel by Mr. H. M. 

 Thompson, whose large collection of plants we 

 have noticed above. Tiiis library is especially 

 valuable, being the largest library of the kind in 

 the Northwest. Most of these books are very 

 expensive. The Garden of England cost $75. 



Mrs. D. M. P. Davis, of Winnteka, shows a col- 

 lection of cut flowers. 



C. E. Peck, of the same piace, shows asters, 

 ornamental grasses and everlasting flowers. 



Lewis Pantlen, of Chicago, shows phlox dru- 

 mondi, dahlias, Japan pinks, verbenas,, balsams, 

 and altheas, all very fine. 



THE TOOLS WE WOKK WITH. 



A. H. Hovy of 73 Lake street, makes a fine 

 show of things needed by tree planters and gar- 

 deners of all classes. lu addition to tools of all 

 varieties and forms, is a display of vases, cups, 

 paper weights, etc., made of the plaster rock 

 from the beds at Grand Rapids, Michigan. These 

 plaster beds are among the most valuable in the 

 world. The purity of the rock can be seen not 

 only in these works of art, but in the specimens 

 of the crude rock on exhibition. 



Mr. H. is also a large dealer in seed, as his 

 numerous specimens show. We are glad to wel- 

 come to the Northwest an establishment of this 

 kind, the want of which has long been felt. 



Some person wishing to add the useful to the 

 beautiful has deposited several clothes -wringers 

 made by the Boston Wringer Company. Here is 

 also a bee-hive, called Metcalfe Artificial Swarm- 

 ing and Equalizing Hive, in charge of Mr. D. 

 R Williams, of Chicago, the agent for this and 

 other Western States. This is among the best of 

 the artificial swarming hives, and will be found 

 valuable in villages and cities, where the swarms 

 would be lost at the time of swarming by leaving 

 the grounds, it being impossible to follow them 



