HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 337 



of a foreign country may with propriety. It is like many Americans visit- 

 ing other countries without first making the tour of their own land. It is 

 high time that we should throw off, in this respect the thraldom of fashion, 

 emancipate ourselves from this slavery, and he American in our floriculture 

 as well as in government. I am an American, I love everything that is Amer- 

 ican, we have the largest lakes, the longest rivers, the widest and most fer- 

 tile prairies, and if not the largest the most useful plants. It seems to me 

 that everything which nature has given us, is of a much more practical 

 character, than the productions of other climes, and this may no douht have 

 some influence in causing ours to be the most practical nation on the Earth ; 

 that while the Victoria rcyia only gives pleasure to the sight and calls forth 

 our admiration, the Nelumbium luteum helps to nourish and sustain the 



life of the wandering; Indian, untutored in the arts and schools of civilization. 



• ° * . ... ' 



Our lily, moccasin flower, butter-fly weed, orchis, dogbane, and many 

 others will vie for beauty with any that are found in other parts of the 

 world. I had prepared a list of plants found in this vicinity, which would 

 adorn any garden, but shall not tax your time and patience by reading it 

 upon this occasion. . 



During the past summer in order to call the attention of the members of 

 the Soeiety to the beauty of our native plants, I selected some of them and 

 brought them to their monthly meetings, and if I can in this manner suc- 

 ceed in awakening an interest in them, I shall during next season willing- 

 ly incur the trouble of procuring a number of such plants as may be in 

 bloom at the time of each regular meeting, and as an evidence of the inter- 

 est this Society takes in the cultivation of our indigenous plants, would sug- 

 gest the propriety of offering a premium by it, for the greatest number and 

 finest cultivated. ; 



A NEW PITCHER PLANT. 



To the. Eli tor of the Florist. — I was much gratified with the ac* 

 count of the Sarracenias you have in your last. This interesting 

 tribe has had justice done it by cultivators, and I am pleased to see 

 any notice of them tending to draw attention to their peculiarly 

 pleasing forms. In a recent number of the "Smithsonian contri- 

 butions," I find another new member of the family figured and de* 

 scribed by Dr. Torrey. It is said to have been first discovered in 

 northern California by Mr. Brackenridge in 1842, growing in a 

 43 



