AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
purtmtlteitl giprfnmti. 
MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 
[We wrote this report for our paper sev¬ 
eral weeks ago, but having so many Cat¬ 
tle Shows, and fruit and other exhibitions to 
record, we could not give place to it.] 
This Society made one of the largest and 
best display of fruits at its exhibition in Bos¬ 
ton, on the 13th, 14th and 15th of Septem¬ 
ber, that has ever been made in this country. 
Pears, of course, formed the main attrac¬ 
tion, when such growers as Marshall P. Wil¬ 
der, Samuel Walker, Robert Manning, C. M. 
Hovey, Josiah Richardson, B. V. French, 
Josiah Stickney, and a large number of oth¬ 
ers, vied with each other to exhibit to the 
members and delegates of the American 
Pomological Society, the products of their 
orchards. Mr. Wilder had over two hun¬ 
dred dishes of different varieties, and several 
other persons had almost an equal number 
of kinds, and as well grown. 
The two last-named gentlemen, Mr. Stick¬ 
ney and Mr. French, took the first and sec¬ 
ond premiums, of $30 and $20, for the twelve 
best varieties on exhibition. 
We never saw better grown specimens of 
pears in any exhibition, in any part of our 
country. The dish of Flemish Beauty, which 
took the second premium, held fruit of ex¬ 
traordinary size. 
In Apples the display was also very large 
and fine. We have not seen, in the most 
favored districts of western New-York, finer 
or better dishes of all the best varieties of 
apples. 
Mr. B. V. French took the first premium, 
and he had over one hundred varieties that 
were eminently worthy of it. 
Peaches. —A moderate quantity of very 
choice and large peaches on the tables, bore 
testimony to the ability of Boston to vie with 
any part of our country in the production of 
this luscious fruit. 
In Grapes, of course, the exhibition was 
attractive. The Concord grape was on the 
tables in abundance. In appearance it re¬ 
sembles well grown specimens of the Isa¬ 
bella. In flavor and quality, it is not equal 
to either the Isabella or Catawba ; but, on 
account of its being so much earlier, it is an 
acquisition. It has very little pulp, is quite 
juicy, but not of the pleasantest flavor. Al¬ 
though a fair table grape, yet it is a little 
foxy. Several gentlemen of experienced 
taste went to Concord and ate the fruit from 
the vines, and agreed in the above opinion. 
Mr. Philemon Stewart, from New-Lebanon, 
N. Y., had a pleasant seedling grape, resem¬ 
bling the Catawba, on exhibition, which was 
named the Northern Muscadine. A half 
dozen other persons had seedling or native 
grapes, but all proved very foxy, on trial. 
Mr. A. W\ Stetson had a professed cross of 
the Black Hamburg; but it was so foxy and 
indifferent we could discover no indications 
of its having any relationship to that fine 
grape. Mr. Thomas Waterman, of Boston, 
had a black native grape that was “ good.” 
Mrs. Diana Crehore, who originated the Di¬ 
ana grape, had fine specimens of this pleas¬ 
ant table variety, with several others. They 
were much of the quality of the Catawba. 
The new Cogswell apple, and one or two 
other new kinds, were displayed to good ad¬ 
vantage. 
Mr. J. B. Baxter, of Philadelphia, had a 
Beurre Clairgeau pear on the stand, weighing 
fourteen ounces. 
Mr. Geo. W. Willis exhibited fine speci¬ 
mens of the Chelsea nectarine, and Mr. W. 
C. Strong, some very large specimens of Da¬ 
mascus and other foreign grapes. 
Mrs. Field, whose recipe for tomato figs 
was published some time since in the Agri¬ 
culturist, had a box of them on exhibition ; 
and after fairly testing them, they were pro¬ 
nounced “excellent”—very much superior to 
any other substitute for figs, and by many pre¬ 
ferred to the genuine article, as they are not 
so tough, and have a little higher flavor. 
We must delay reference to the flowers to 
another time. 
HORTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT OF THE CON¬ 
NECTICUT STATE AGRICULTURAL SHOW. 
The tent devoted to Horticultural produc¬ 
tions, was under the immediate charge of the 
New-PIaven Horticultural Society. The 
lateness of the season prevented a greatly 
varied display, but the show of apples, pears, 
grapes, and watermelons was very large. 
Of apples, in excellent order the Hon. 
Charles Matthewson, of Woodstock exhib¬ 
ited 34 varieties; P. L. Hart of West 
Cornwall 32 ; John T. Norton of Farmington 
29; Wm. Rogers of Litchfield 25; W. H. 
Chandler of Pomfret 25 ; Robbins Battel of 
Norfolk 15. Good specimens of several va¬ 
rieties were also exhibited by Dr. J. B. 
Whitcomb of Brooklyn, J. McClellan of 
Woodstock ; John E. Wiley of Eew-Haven, 
E. C. Clark and others. We do not remember 
to have ever seen a better display of this 
most valuable of all fruits. 
Of Pears, Hovey & Co. of Boston exhibited 
some 175 varieties; Chas. Dickermanof New- 
Haven 49, C. B. Lines 17 ; Dr. Totten 17 ; 
John E. Wiley 13. Among a number of other 
exhibitors of this fruit we noticed Charles 
Beers, Eli Ives, W. B, Ives, Jonathan Stod¬ 
dard, Misses Gerry, &c.. 
The show of grapes was very large and the 
specimens truly fine. Among the growers 
of these were Hovey & Co. of Boston, (the 
Concord) ; Joseph Eldridge of Norfolk; E. 
C. Clark, Dr. W. B. Ives, Jas. Craig, C. B. 
Lines, A. Holford (gardener to E. C. Read), 
George Gabriel, and many others of New- 
Haven; J. T. Norton of Farmington ; Dr. 
Gold of West Cornwall (a bunch of Syrian 
Grapes weighing 4 lbs. and another of Black 
Hamburgs near by as large). These are but 
a part of the names of the exhibitors. 
The Watermelons were in larger numbes 
than we have ever seen outof the New-York 
Market ; and we doubt if a single collection 
ever presented a greater display of varieties. 
Julius & Gorham of Hamden alone exhibi¬ 
ted 26 varieties. There were also some 
specimens of quinces, peaches &c. The two 
most attracted objects in this tent were a 
large Pomegranate tree in full bearing, ex¬ 
hibited by Dr. E. H. Bishop of New-Haven, 
and a large cornucopia, several feet high, 
and formed of 100 varieties of grasses, chief¬ 
ly native, collected and arranged by Dr. A. 
P. Munson of the same place. 
VERBENA SOUVENIR DE JANE HANSON. 
“ This beauteous family to cares unknown, 
Were born for pleasure and delight alone, 
Gay without toil, and lovely wdthout art, 
They spring to cheer the sense and glad the heart.” 
This very lovely Verbena was raised by 
Mr. P. F. Croft, of Philadelphia, in the 
United States of America, from whence a 
figure of it has been sent. It is of first-rate 
excellence. Its form is nearly a complete 
circle, edges without notch, and surface 
nearly even, slightly cupping to the outside. 
Of the light-colored Verbenas, it far ex¬ 
ceeds all others, nor do we know any other 
Verbena equal to it for form and beauty. It 
merits a place in every flower garden. We 
understand it is one of the most charm¬ 
ing varieties for bedding purposes, and pro¬ 
duces a beautiful contrast with the high- 
colored ones. 
Every successive season we have addi¬ 
tional beauties, as well as a closer approx¬ 
imation to perfection in form, in this most 
valuable and lovely genus. So universally, 
are our gardens ornamented with Verbenas, 
that were they now to become extinct, we 
should have a vacancy that no other plant 
we possess could adequately make up for 
such a deficiency. We feel rather more than 
a usual interest in admiration of this lovely 
section of Verbenas, from the circumstance 
of a member of our own family having ob¬ 
tained the first Verbena melindres brought to 
this country, and under whose care it first 
bloomed. Beautiful as it was, we did not 
anticipate that it was the first of an almost 
numberless family of varieties, which 
should not only surpass it in magnificence 
but in superiority of size and shape, and be 
the object of universal admiration ; for who 
is there that sees the lovely Verbenas, which 
add so much to the beauty and ornament of 
our flower gardens at the present day, that 
is not pleased with them. It is not, how¬ 
ever, generally known that the Verbena was 
held in high estimation and venerated by the 
ancients of our own and other countries. 
The very name of the Vervain (Verbena) 
carries our thoughts back to the darkest 
ages of superstition, and to the religious 
customs of the ancient heathens; and al¬ 
though they were in almost all particulars 
rediculously absurd, yet their antiquity and 
intimate connection with our own fore¬ 
fathers, invest them with a claim upon our 
particular attention. While it was held in 
reverential regard by them, and we so much 
admire the beauties of the improved race, 
we are taught the lesson, that it becomes us 
to feel grateful that we live in a brighter 
day, illumined by the mild rays of Christi¬ 
anity. 
The derivation of the name Verbena is 
somewhat uncertain; it originally signified 
any herb used to decorate altars for relig¬ 
ious purposes; and this being so universally 
employed, received the appellation of The 
Verbena. 
The Verbena sustained a considerable part 
in the impositions which were practised upon 
the credulous in ancient times, and hence it 
is so frequently mentioned in profane his¬ 
tory. The Magi (termed Wise Men) of the 
ancient Elamites or Persians, made great 
use of this plant in their worship or adora¬ 
tion of the sun, always carrying branches of 
it in their hands when they approached the 
altar. The magicians also employed the 
Vervain in their pretended divinations, and 
affirmed that, by smearing the body over 
with the juice of this plant, the person would 
obtain whatever he set his heart upon; and 
