22 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
Pmrtiiutoral gfcjrartmerit 
FIELD FLOWERS. 
BY PARK BENJAMIN. 
Here are daisies, buttercups, 
Upon which the wild bee sups, 
And from which he steals 
Honey for his winter store— 
Much he takes and comes for more— 
What delicious meals! 
They are undervalued flowers, 
Never grown in garden bowers, 
Seldom culled for wreaths ; 
But each little blossom yields 
Sunny pleasure to the fields 
Where its fragrance breathes. 
They are like those humble hearts 
Never playing mighty parts 
On the world’s wide stage, 
But, with feelings true and warm, 
All life’s duties they perform, 
And its cares assuage. 
Blooming in the summer air 
Here, and there, and every where, 
Careless of renown, 
Quite unnoted in their birth, 
As when in their native earth 
They lie meekly down. 
Naught below is lovelier seen, 
Than amid the common green 
Their contested light, 
White and golden, scattered round, 
Small day stars, as frequent found 
As the stars of night. 
Worthy they, these tender things, 
Of the song the poet sings 
In his happy hours; 
They are his peculiar toys, 
Fresh delights and living joys— 
Nature’s simplest flowers! 
SHOW OF THE BROOKLYN HORTICULTURAL 
SOCIETY. 
The Fall Exhibition of this Society com¬ 
menced yesterday, (Tuesday, 19th,) and con¬ 
tinues three days. As our paper goes to press 
on Monday evening, we can only say that there 
is a prospect of a fine show, one which, like that 
held in May, will add to the credit of this vigor¬ 
ous and growing Society. No one in this vicin¬ 
ity at all interested in the objects of the Society, 
will fail to visit the show to-day or to-morrow. 
NEW-YORK HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
This Society met at their rooms 600 Broad¬ 
way, on Monday evening, the 11th September. 
John Groshon in the chair, and P. B. Mead 
Secretary. 
The Committee of Conference with the State 
Agricultural Society reported that the members 
of this Ifgiety would be entitled to all the ben¬ 
efits of membership in the State Society. 
On motion of Mr. Mead, Messrs. Hogg, Mead, 
and Bridgkman were appointed a Committee to 
canvass the field of their operations, and solicit 
plants to make a creditable display in the Fair 
of the State Agricultural Society. It was also 
resolved that members of the Society who have 
premiums standing in their favor, are at liberty 
to transfer the necessary amount to the pay¬ 
ment of their yearly dues. 
- — » • • - 
CONVENTION OF THE AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL 
SOCIETY. 
We attended the sessions of this body in 
Boston, on the 13th and 14th insts. Delegates 
and members were present from several States 
and Territories, and the meetings were well at¬ 
tended and interesting. 
The Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, of Massa¬ 
chusetts, was unanimously reelected President, 
and most of the Vice Presidents, and other offi¬ 
cers, chosen at the last meeting, in Philadel¬ 
phia, two years ago, were also reelected. The 
address of the President was of a lively charac¬ 
ter, and concluded with a hearty welcome of the 
Society to the hospitality and attentions of the 
Massachusetts Horticultural Society. 
That Society had prepared an exhibition at 
the same time, which was thought to surpass 
all their previous Shows, and it afforded no lit¬ 
tle gratification to the delegates to inspect the 
extensive exhibition of fruits, from the grounds 
of the best growers in the vicinity. 
The Pomological Society devoted all of Wed¬ 
nesday and the forenoon of Thursday, to a dis¬ 
cussion on Pears. In the first place, they re¬ 
jected from the list a large number—probably 
some fifty or sixty kinds, but the names of most 
of them have never come under the notice of 
ordinary cultivators. Three votes in favor of 
any pear prevented its being proscribed. 
The next step was to review the lists, and see 
if any pear could be advanced by a two-thirds 
vote of the Convention to the highest grade,, as 
worthy of general cultivation. The Lawrence 
pear was thus unanimously advanced. Mr. S. 
Walker considered it the greatest acquisition, 
and taken all in all, the best pear for general 
cultivation. Others confirmed the opinion. It 
is always fair, not quite so large as well-grown 
Virgalieus, and ripens in December and January. 
It is an American pear. Manning’s Elizabeth 
was also advanced to the same honor. Beurre 
Superfine and the Howell Pear were unani¬ 
mously placed on the list of those which pro¬ 
mise well. Of the Beurre Superfine, Mr. Wil¬ 
der thinks it a pear of great excellence, ripens 
in November and December, has all the good 
qualities of the Brown Beurre, and is larger and 
fairer. Mr. Hovey has fruited it three years, 
and thinks it very fine. Mr. Saul has fruited it 
six years, and thinks highly of it. Mr. Barry 
and Mr. Prince decidedly approved of it. 
Doyenne Boussock and Steven’s Genessee, 
had warm advocates, while others were dis¬ 
posed to think less of them, as not of suffi¬ 
cient high rank in flavor and quality. Mr. 
Hovey thinks the former one of the best mar¬ 
ket pears we have, and a gentleman present 
from Belgium, said it was the great market 
pear of that country. 
The list of apples that promise well, adopted 
by the last Convention, was taken up, and the 
merits of each fully discussed, but the Melon 
apple was the only variety promoted to the list 
for general cultivation. Some specimens of that 
apple on the tables of the Mass. Hort. Society, 
surpassed in size, beauty and fairness, any we 
have seen, even in Western New-York, where 
it originated. 
These discussions of the Pomological Society 
are interesting and valuable. They call out the 
views, observations and experiences of careful 
observers and cultivators in different localities. 
Some varieties prove to be fair in one location 
and worthless in others. The whole subject of 
pears, is yet almost in its infancy, and the ex¬ 
periments on most kinds are limited and unsat¬ 
isfactory. 
While many important decisions are arrived 
at in these Conventions, yet enthusiastic per¬ 
sons are sometimes led into indiscretions, as 
at present indicated by the fact that Brande 
St. Germain, Limon, and Striped Madaleine 
pears were, two years ago, unanimously put on 
the list “ which promise well,” while this year, 
on mature deliberation, they were as unani¬ 
mously degraded. Perhaps a careful vote by 
ballot, on varieties which any person objects to, 
might remedy the difficulty. 
The delightful reunion at the Revere House, 
to which, on Thursday evening, all the dele¬ 
gates were invited by President Wilder, we 
were unavoidably prevented from attending. 
The trip by the Empire State, of the Fall 
River Line, was as pleasant as could be desired. 
A good night’s rest on a steady, staunch steam¬ 
er, without disturbance till 5 or 6 o’clock in the 
morning, is a luxury to the traveler. During 
our stay in Boston, we found admirable quar¬ 
ters at the old favorite Tremont House, than 
which there are few or no better-conducted 
first-class hotels in the country. 
FOREIGN GARDENERS IN THIS COUNTRY. 
The following letter was received sometime 
since, and would have appeared before, had we 
not been too much occupied to look it over care¬ 
fully. The writer mistakes the design of the 
paragraph to which he takes exception. We 
are far from condemning foreign gardeners as a 
class; on the contrary, we highly appreciated 
their labors, and trust that many others will yet 
come over, bringing with them the experience of 
other lands. We think, however, that as a 
class, they are often too set in their attachment 
to foreign customs and technicalities, and that 
they will find it to their advantage to throw aside 
their conservative notions, and fall into the spirit 
and go-ahead tendencies of the new world. 
Nothing chafes a native-born Yankee more, than 
to come in contact with one who claims that 
this or that is just the course to pursue, because 
it is the plan followed in some foreign domain 
with the term “ royal” prefixed. In the article 
alluded to, the writer aimed a blow at the obse¬ 
quiousness which attaches value to any thing, 
simply because it is foreign or far fetched. 
Look over a long list of advertisements for gar¬ 
deners, and in the majority of cases we shall 
find that it is not a good gardener simply that 
is wanted, but a Scotch or an English or a Ger¬ 
man gardener is sought after, just as we see a 
French broadcloth or silk, bringing a much 
higher price than an equally good or better do¬ 
mestic manufacture. We repeat, give us all the 
foreign skill and experience we can get, but in¬ 
fuse into it as much as possible of Yankee 
spirit; and let no one feel that foreign aid is es¬ 
sential or always the best, even in the matter of 
gardening. 
We shall be glad to hear from our correspond¬ 
ent as often as may be, and trust he will from 
time to time give our readers plain practical 
