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UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
LIBRARY

SB
1

W9
1880-81

TEANSACTIONS

OF THE

WORCESTER COUNTY

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY,

FOR THE YEAR, 1880

COMPEISING ESSAYS AND REMARKS,

AT STATED WEEKLY MEETINGS;

ALSO, THE

ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE LIBRARIAN,

AND OP THE

SECRETARY.

PRESS OF CHAS. HAMILTON,

311 MAIN STREET.

1880.

LIBRARY

UNIVERSITY OF

IViASSACHUSETTS

AMHERST, MASS.

43 !^. 5 4 .

\ %

%:

NOTE.

The Committee on Publication regret that so few of the Essayists
were enabled to furnish the manuscript of their remarks, as delivered.
In a few instances, it is true, none had been prepared. The reports,
in the /Spi/ and Gazette, were so full and accurate, however, that
there is less cause to deplore such deficiency.

Beyond which the Committee doubt if the Society has ever issued
a volume equally fraught with instruction. Facts are clearly stated
and advice is plainly given. It rests with the reader to' profit by the
unusual opportunity.

For the Committee.

EDWARD W. LINCOLN,

Chairman.
Hall of Flora,
December, A. D. 1880.

INDEX.

FAOX.

Exhibiting and Judging Fruits and Flowers, . . 5

Manures and Fertilizers, . . . . .8

Growing and Marketing Small Fruits, . . . 15

Window Gardening and Winter Flowers, . . .20

Out-Door Flowering Plants, . , . . 27

Orchard and Vineyard Fruits, . . . .33

Does Horticulture Pat, and How? ... 36

Trees and Shrubs for Ornamental Purposes, . . .40

Report of the Librarian, . . . .51

Report of the Secretary, . . . • .55

WORCESTER COUNTY

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

A.D. 1880.

FIRST MEETING, JANUARY 29th, P. M.

Subject: Exhibiting and Judging Fkuits and Flowers.

President Salisbury took the chair at 3 o'clock.

Hon. J. F. C. Hyde, of Newton, introduced the subject, answer-
ing questions freely during the course of his remarks. Alluding
to fruits and flowers he spoke of the importance of exhibiting, and
considered the policy of growing, but not exhibiting, a bad one.
He does not believe in going to exhibitions and saying, " I can
beat that at home," as it seldom proves true. The exhibitions, he
considered, benefit the public, and especially the grower, by stimu-
lating him to a renewed effort with better success. In relation to
judging, he said it was impossible to please everybody, and judges
at a iiorticultural or agricultural exhibition must expect abuse, as
must all others who take any prominent position. He urged the
importance of selecting disinterested, competent persons. He
believed that prominent officers of a society should not compete
for premiums, as they should not leave the door open so that any
criticism can be made, as people will say, " Oli, yes ; you will
award a premium to the president, l)ut never to me." Then care
should be taken to select proper persons as the judges, and not
to get on those who know nothing about that whicli is to be
judged. The utmost impartiality sliould be used, and a good
plan is, not to have the names of the exhibitors appear; as there
is sometimes a tendency to strain a point, and give a prize to a
friend. It may not always be practicable, but on the whole, he
thought it would be preferable. Societies should liave their
own dislies, plates, vases and bottles for exhibition purposes, as it
improves the exhibition's appeai'ance. The varieties should also
be classified. Then a standard, embracing color, size, quality
2

6 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

and prodnctiveness should be established, and these elements
should be considered in making the awards ; every specimen being
examined, and the slightest defects, such as a bruise, a worm-
hole, a lack of stem, or a variety not true to name, noted care-
fully, that nothing which does not properly belong should be
considered. He cited cases where whole stands have been dis-
qualified for slight imperfections, but he believed in the adoption
of a rule and living up to it, without tlie slightest deviation.
Deviating from an established rule always makes trouble. One
thing that ought to be done is the exclusion of poor specimens
by those who make up the exhibition, no matter by whom they are
offered, as it injures an exhibition by lowering the standard, and
leads to the depreciation of the exhibits. He considers it a
difficult thing to do, but one which should be done, although it
is beset with difficulties. The result of admitting everything
must lower the standard, and expelling poor specimens, although
for a time it decreases the size of your exhibition, will, eventu-
ally, be most beneficial, and the general standard greatly in-
creased. In regard to judging floral designs he said he was
pretty hard on tiiem, and thought a committee on them a diffi-
cult place to put a person, and he believed in putting on a lady
or two who would say no much more gently than a man.
Baskets and bouquets he believes in, not, howev^er, tliose made
like a great cauliflower and as stiff; and he believed their exhibi-
tion should be encouraged in all ways. In judging them he
would exclude the owner's names and get an impartial commit-
tee. A difficulty is encountered, as tiie style exposes the owner
when he exhibits at successive exhibitions. He spoke of straw-
berries as coming under the same rule for exhibition, and would
have the judges consider quality rather than size, as more should
depend upon this feature. Roses he is much interested in, and
the hybrid perpetuais, he said, would give you roses from June
to frost, with proper attention. J^othing can equal them in all
respects, give as much satisfaction to the eye, or awaken more
enthusiasm among the growers and the public. It furnishes
abundant means of enjoyment, the roses are not expensive, they
need but little care, for by treating with tobacco water or
whale oil soap for a fortnight, you secure strong plants, elegant
flowers and luxuriant foliage. The whale oil soap should be
used from a third to a half pound to a pail of water ; and the
tobacco soap should not be used as strong. Nothing but light-
ning and the fingers will keep the rose bugs away, and they
should be killed by shaking into water with a little kerosene on
top. Last year they were unusually thick, but may not prove as
troublesome another year. In speaking of Pears, the Beurre

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 7

Clairgeau he spoke of a.s an excellent fruit to show, but, like the
Wilson-Albany strawberry, not wortli the growing. For home
use a dozen varieties of pears should be grown. First, should be
the Bartlett for size, quality and productiveness, and second, the
Beurre d' Anjou ; but beyond, the list should be made up accord-
ing to the qualities of the soil on which it is to be grown. Peo-
ple are wofully misled by the appearance of fruit on the stands.
Bartletts and Beurre d' Anjous sliould be grown by professionals
and amateurs, hut beyond this the Society should determine what
can be grown with the best results, all things considered, lie
spoke of the process of keeping fruit by ammonia, as shown on
North street, Boston, where Beurre d' Anjous have been kept a
month longer than usnal, and sold for $6 a bushel, instead of
$1.50 as when sold at the usual time. The process by which the
ammonia is condensed and the cold air forced through the build-
ing was described, the cost being 12^ cents per bushel per month.
In exhibiting he believed that the purpose for wiiich these speci-
mens are intended should be considered, the awards not being
controlled by size or quality wholly, but by all requisites. The
standard should always be a liigh one, although seldom reached.
In judging pears, he did not believe in awarding the premiums
to those which weigh the most, unless, as seldom happens, there
is no other dift'crence.

In judging Vegetables he said the rule should be, — if the larger
specimen of mangolds was symmetrical and round, it should take
the prize, but if the offer is for table beets, the size should be
only medium ; it should be smooth, free from small roots, &c.
In squashes size should not govern, but quality. A mammoth
may deserve a gratuity to pay for lugging it in.

One good object in exhibitions is the elevation of the standard
and the bringing up the public to a higher standard.

President Salisbury expressed the thanks of the Society for
Mr. Hyde's interesting remarks, and they were formally voted.

SECOND MEETING, FEBRUARY 5th, P. M.

Vice-President Hadwen in the chair.

Subject : Manures and Fertilizers.

by john b. moore of concord.

The object sought to be obtained when manure is applied to
land, is to furnish the requisite plant food for the crop then
growing, or to be grown. The only other effects produced would
be the mechanical subdivision and lightening up of the soil by
which the air and water from the rains could more easil}' penetrate
the soil and render the plant food tiierein soluble, and also the
shade produced by the mulching of the surface roots, which is
often benelicial to plant growth. The difference between good
and poor land is in the amount of available plant food contained
in the foot or two of the surface soil and its mechanical condition
of fineness. Suppose two lots of sandy loam with the same ex-
posure ; the ability of each lot to produce a crop would depend
upon the amount of soluble plant food contained in the soil, and
also upon the fineness of the particles of the soil itself; the finer
the better, because the roots can penetrate better in the fine than
in the coarse, and it will retain the water better and hold the
plant by its roots firmer. Tlie same rule would apply also to any
other soils.

Manures and fertilizers, when subjected to a chemical analysis,
are divided into a number of different elements that are found
necessary for plant growth. About the only ones that we need
to concern ourselves about are nitrogen, or ammonia, phosphoric
acid, and potash. Lime, magnesia and other articles are very use-
ful in some instances, but are usually found in sufficient abundance
in our soils to supply all the want of crops. Therefore the three
first named articles are what we must supply. Stable manure is
to-day the great source of supply for fertilization of the soil. It
is, perhaps, the nearest to a perfect manure of anything that we
have, although its actual worth varies very much, — that made from
animals fed upon good hay and grain being much more valuable
than that from ])oor hay, and that from stall-fed animals' being
still more so than that from milch cows ; and the excrements

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 9

from the human race, the sheep and hog, being more valuable
than that from the stable, cord for cord.

It is economy to save everything from these sources. But in
the practical operations on a farm, or garden, we find that vee do
not have enough manure, after saving as much from these sources
as we can to grow our crops. Certainly I do not find enough,
and have to buy. A cheap and efticient fertilizer is the great
want of the farmer in the New England States to-day. How shall
we get it ?

From the investigations of M. Villa, an eminent chemist in the
employ of the government of France (and it has been verified
somewhat by other experimenters), it appears that the different
varieties of plants require the elements of plant growth in differ-
ent degrees or quantities. One wants ammonia in hirge quantities,
while some other species require but little. Anotlier wants
phosphoric acid, or potash in excess, while another wants but a
very small quantity. Almost every variety of plant that we
cultivate wants one of those three elements in excess of all others.
While stable manure may, and does furnish all these ingredients
required in plant growth to a certain extent, there may be and
usually is a deticieticy of ammonia required by one species of
plants, or of phosphoric acid, or of potash required by others.
Admitting these propositions to be true, and I may say that my
experience confirms them, then the proper combination of the
elements of plant growth becomes of great importance in the
economical production of crops.

This would bring us to the consideration of other fertilizers
and sources of plant food ; and first those that are termed com-
mercial fertilizers. They are prepared articles of different degrees
of value, such as the super-phos])hates of lime ; refuse of slaugliter-
houses, composed of meat, blood, bone and offal, and when dried
and ground, are sometimes called animal meal, ground bone, and
various other articles. They are all good, but their actual value
to the farmer or gardener depends upon three things-, namely, —
how much they cost, how thoroughly they are dissolved in the
manufacture, and how much they are extended or adulterated.
There are many other articles that are valuable for fertilizing
purposes — such as Stassfurt potash salts, refuse of fish, leached
and anleached ashes, horn shavings, and Peruvian guano. The
last is very valuable if not adulterated, and in what is called the
rectified form has o-jven wood satisfaction to those that have used
it. In fact, these last named all have their value, which can be
estimated better than* when they are mixed in the manufactured
article.

What is the best method of fertilizing a piece of land to pro-

10 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

duce a full crop ? This is a hard question to answer, and while I
do not expect many of you to agree with nie in my conclusions,
I shall try and answer as well as I can from my standpoint :
Tirst, a dressing of stable manure, the quantity must depend
upon the crop to be grown ; then apply the other one or two
elements that the crop to be grown requires, in larger quantities
than will be furnished by the stable manure. I can easily imagine
that some good conservative farmer will say — Give my land a good
dressing of barnyard manure and I will risk my corn, I don't
want any of your ammonia or potash. Well ! I have said that just
what he is willing to risk his corn on is a first rate thing to start
with. But then there are nine chances out of ten that the same
farmer has really given them the additional elements that I have
named. Let us see. He has composted the droppings from his hen
house, and put a quantity of that in the hill when he planted his
corn. "Well ! that is only to give the corn a good start. But he has
added ammonia in which hen droppings are particularly rich, the
very thing to give the corn a start, and he has put that in at the
right time, and the right place, and where it will do the mostgood.
Then the corn comes up, and at the first or second hoeing he goes
over the field again and puts a handful of wood ashes about each
hill, because he says that it does make it grow, and also keeps o&
the worms; and then he likes to see it look that dark green color,
which always denotes vigor and health. There is the other ele-
ment, potash ; and these are the very two elements that Indian
corn wants in larger proportions than are found in stable manure.
There may be instances where neither ammonia, bone or potash,
would do any particular good ; for instance, some of the river
bottom land in the west. And here let me again say that the rich-
ness of the land does not depend upon the amount of manure
applied entirely, but upon the amount of soluble plant food in
the soil.

I have said that the value of manufactured fertilizers may
depend very largely upon how well they are dissolved. Ground
bone, although pure, will be so long in decomposing, unless
dissolved with acid or broken down with wood ashes, as to almost
discourage one in its use, while if it has been thoroughly dissolved
with sulphuric acid it is immediately available, and very valuable
for plant food. The substitutes for bone, which are used to a large
extent in the manufacture of fertilizers, such as the South Caro-
lina deposits and the Canada apatite, when thoroughly dissolved,
the phosphoric acid which they contain is just as good as it is
from bone itself ; but if not dissolved, and in its natural state, it
is worth no more than so much sand, while from pure bone un-
dissolved, plants would get the benefit of it after a few years.

1880,] TRANSACTIONS. 11

Dried and finely ground meat, bone, blood and offal are not
soluble until they have undergone decomposition, or have been
broken down with some acid. The same may be said of fish
refuse and various other articles, although they decompose readily
by composting.

All cereals want ammonia as the leading element ; root crops,
phosphoric acid and potash ; clover, phosphoric acid and potash ;
and, altliough the analysis of clover shows a very large amount
of nitrogen or ammonia, the application of that to the soil for
clover does not benefit that crop to any great extent.

It has been said that a chemist can make an artificial soil con-
taining all the elements of plant growth, and that soil may still
be sterile. Its potash may be in feldspar rock, its phosphoric
acid in Canada apatite, its ammonia in some other form and all
of them locked up in insoluble combinations. And an analysis
of it by a chemist with his powerful acids, will show all of these
articles in abundance, and still not a particle available for plant
food. And here another very proper inquiry comes in, and that
is why you cannot analyze the soil itself and find out its wants so
as to doctor it understandingly. The answer is that the cliemist's
acid will truly discover all that there is in the sample tested, and
show an abundance of plant food when there is really nothing
available. It is not sufficient that tlie soil contain all that is
necessary to plant growth but it must be able to give them to the
plant in due quantity and proportion.

Ur. Nichols estimates that a cord of barnyard manure weighs
3000 pounds, divided as follows : Water, 2456 pounds ; sand, 138
pounds ; carbonaceous matter of no more value than straw, 332
pounds ; leaving only 74 pounds of really valuable matter. This is
divided again as follows : Nitrogen, $2.60 ; potash, equal to 1 J bush-
els of wood ashes, $0.35 ; salt, bone and gypsum, $0.50 ; carbona-
ceous matter, $0.10 ; value of the cord of manure of 3000 pounds,
$3.55. Dr. Dana says that a cord of fresh cow manure weighs
9289 pounds, in which there is 7728 pounds of water. I call
your attention to this because men who are canvassing for the
sale of fertilizers, are very likely to, and do call the attention of
farmers and gardeners to the enormous expense to which they are
putting themselves by hauling to their fields this great amount of
water in a cord of manure, 7728 pounds ! and they go on and
tell them that it is no better than ditch water. And that is true
after all the elements that promote plant growth are taken out.
But does not much of the value of manure come from the fact
that it is so finely subdivided by passing through the animal
organism, and being in the finely diluted condition found in the
manure and water ; and then when one says that the water is use-

12 WOKCESTEE COUNTY HORTICULTUKAL SOCIETY. [1880.

less can yon believe it ? I certainly cannot, becanse I know that
in the cnltivation of plants in a greenhouse the perfection of
growth and fertility conjes from the use of liquid manure. Why ?
because the fertilizing matter is so minutely diffused that it
presents itself to the plant in that form that is immediately
available and readily assimilated and taken into its circulation.
How far the use of liquid manure would be practicable in field or
gaiden culture I am not prepared to say, but that it would
accomplisii great results as to the production of crops I have no
doubt whatever ; there may be too much labor and trouble in the
application to be profitable. And now, after showing the uses of
water in plant growth, I should be unwilling to admit that the
water in manure, even divested of all the salts, is of no use.

Our own bodies are made up, chemically speaking, of a large
portion of water. We tind it necessary to our health, growtli
and comfort, and we believe in it as a class, although once in a
while we find a person who, if we jndge by his appearance, does
not approve of it even for washing purposes. There are 92 parts
of water in 100 of turnips, and who thinks it wrong to feed them to
cows at the present prices of milk. The uieats, fruits and vege-
tables, in fact almost everything we consume, is, when divided up
by the chemist, found to be largely made up of water. Without
water we cannot grow anything. With water, by irrigation on
meadows, we can increase the grass very much, even from the
very small amount of plant food contained in it.

In the analysis of manure by Dr. Nichols, three-fourths of the
value was in the nitrogen, $2.60 in the cord. It is an article that
is very volatile, and therefore liable to waste; a small quantity
of plaster of paris, or dry earth, does much towards holding it.
Prof. Johnson's analysis of certain plants from their ashes, and
to ascertain the amount of potash they contain : 10.000 pounds
of turnips and leaves show 56 pounds of potash ; 10,000 pounds of
carrots without leaves, show 35 pounds of potasli ; 10,000 pounds
of parsnips without leaves, show 21 pounds of potash ; 10,000
pounds of potatoes and their tops show 122 pounds of potasli ;
10,000 pounds of potatoes is 166| bushels of 60 pounds, nearly
f to every bushel ; 1000 pounds red clover has 20 pounds potash ;
1000 pounds white clover has 81 pounds potash.

The exhaustion of potash from the soil you will see is quite
large. The same is true of bone or phosplioric acid, more par-
ticularly on farms where the selling of milk is the leading
business, a large quantity being sold in the milk itself. To keep
up the fertility of tlie soil, these two articles must be supplied in
some form sufficient to replace tlie loss. Potash and l)one are
said not to waste to any extent, either by evaporation orleacliing.

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 13

The last part of the question as to the best and most econom-
ical method of applying manure, is a question upon which there
will be a great diversity of opinion, but less, I think, after testing
fully and fairly the different methods.

Once it was all to be composted, two cords of peat or loam and
one cord of manure making three cords, each of the same value
as the manure. Then came barn cellars, and with them the idea
that we could fill them nearly full of peat, loam or sand, and
that it would all come out in the spring, manure. Where these
weak preparations from the cellar were put to the test of a crop,
it did not do the business, and then the cry was, barn cellar ma-
nure wasn't good for much, and it was some time before some of
us found out that if we did put the ten cords of loam or sand
into the cellar, and dropped down only about one cord from the
cattle, we really had only about one cord, after all, and that all
that ten cords of loam except what might be sufficient to soak up
the liquids, had been carried there more as a mistake than for
any practical purpose.

Now as to the application ; I do not propose to say to you that
this or that method is the best. But I shall simply tell you how
I should apply manure for my land, and to produce such crops
as I might wish to grow. The base of the manure that I should
use for almost any lioed crop, would be barnyard or stable
manure. And here let me say that I believe in a good, liberal
dressing, of course adapted to the crop to be grown. Now, what
might be a good dressing for corn or potatoes, might not be
enough for some garden vegetables, particularly where more than
one crop is to be grown without additional manure. Eight cords
of manure, 400 pounds of sulphate of potash, or, instead of that,
35 bushels of wood ashes, is none too much for a crop of onions.

Ten cords of manure, 300 pounds of muriate of potash 80 per
cent., 100 pounds dissolved bone, is none too much for a crop of
cabbages on sod land after a crop' of early cut hay, the land to
be seeded to grass just before winter, and grass follows the cab-
bage better than any other hoed crop.

Six cords of manure, 300 pounds sulphate of potash 57 per
cent., and 100 pounds dissolved bone, does the handsome thing
with me for a crop of potatoes. 250 pounds dissolved bone, 250
pounds muriate of potash 80 per cent., 50 pounds sulphate of
ammonia 24 per cent., 100 pounds plaster of paris, makes m}' grape-
vines grow on a poor gravelly soil as strong as I want to have
them, and they fruit abundantly.

In seeding land to grass, which I always intend to in the
months of August and September, or if I do not have time then,
I leave it until just before winter sets in, I use the manure
3

14 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

made from the cattle, horses, and swine. Of the latter I keep
quite a number, and there is more or less waste material from
the farm put in their pens. The land having been ploughed at
a considerable expense, it is economy to fertilize it well, and I
think there is a better return from the manure applied when
seeding, than as a top dressing. If I desire to top dress grass
land I have found the following articles mixed to be a good
application ; they should be sown broadcast early in the spring :
150 lbs. nitrate of soda, 100 lbs. muriate of potash 80 per cent.,
100 lbs. dissolved bone, the whole costing from $9 to $10 an
acre. Do not sow nitrate of soda in the fall.

I have recommended to some of my friends who are market
gardeners, sulphate of ammonia for the purpose of a quick action
in hurrying up a crop of dandelions in the spring, as one week
makes a large difference in the price which they can be sold for.
This has been attended with very good results in most instances.
In one experiment in its use, the person who used it on one half
of the piece without any appreciable increase in the product, 1
asked him what manure he had applied before sowing the crop.
The answer was 15 to 18 cords of stable manure to the acre.
With the large amount of nitrogen in the stable manure — more
than the crop can possibly utilize, thete was no wonder that the
additional amount of ammonia did not produce any effect.

The best preparation for plants in pots is to start right in the
first place ; two or three inches deep of the top of an old pasture
of rather stiff loam, piled up with the sod downward, and allowed
to rot six or more months, makes the best potting soil. This can
be varied by adding sand or leaf mold from the woods, or peat,
as the plants may require. Do not sift it, but use it coarse, and
in all pots over three inches give good drainage. This may be
enriched by old rotten manure to suit the plant. Do not over-
pot the plants ; repot when the roots are in action, if necessary,
and afterwards give liquid manure if the plants need stimulating,
just as buds are swelling to increase the size of the flowers.

All the manures that I have mentioned are spread broadcast
and worked in with a Randall or other harrow thoroughly. I
have applied manure directly from the stable in the fall and
winter as a top dressing to land to be planted the following year,
and am unable to perceive any loss on my land, which is tolera-
bly level. If there is no loss it would be an economical method
of application.

I have stated to you my theory and practice. My theory is
that the different varieties of plants that I cultivate want ammo-
nia, bone, and potash in different quantities. My practice is to
study tlie wants of the plants themselves, and endeavor to furnish
them those articles in a soluble state amply sufficient for their wants.

THIRD MEETING, FEBRUARY 12th, P. M.
Yice-Pres'ident O. B. Hadwen in the chair.

Subject : Growing and Marketing Small Fruits.
The subject was introduced by Mr. William H. Earle.

He said he wouhl speak only of such varieties of fruit as will
repay cultivation. After a general allusion to the pleasures of
fruit culture, he suggested that a currant bush or a grapevine
take no more room than a burdock, and a strawberry plant no
more room than a small weed. A small area of ground properly
handled will supply a large family with fruit throughout the
season. Ten square rods will give $100 worth of good fruit, and
it is a much better investment than to buy the wilted stock found
in the markets.

The first essential is a properly prepared and fertilized soil.
There is as much difference in ground as in people, and an ac-
quaintance with one is as essential as the other, if pleasure or
profit is the object of cultivation. As the speaker is to read a
paper on " Does Horticulture pay, and how," he withheld a further
statement, and asked general questioning.

He recommended for general growth. Blackberries, in which
there is increasing interest ; Kittatinny being the best, if fairly
protected, very prolific, free from briers, a free bearer. The
Wachnsett and the Snyder are also good. They require little
fertilizino; ; o-ood corn ground with mulchino: is all. They should
be pruned when growing, nipping the main stem and taking oil
laterals when eight inches long. Four feet high is enough.

A listener said his Kittatinnys cost him $1 per quart; Mr.
Earle said 21 rods of rows, in '77 gave 509 quarts at 25 cents per
quart, or $1400 per acre. He did not fear glutting the market ;
really good blackberries will sell ; they will pay at 15 cents per
quart. New Jersey growers are delighted with a return of 6
cents per quart over expenses. He would cut out the old wood
in the spring, rather than in the fall, as the old wood supports
the new against the snow.' He would grow the three named
varieties, to have a succession, as they ripen at different times.
He would not prolong the season too much with any berry.

He had been disappointed in Raspberry culture. He thought

16 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

they all need winter protection. Tlie black-caps are not attractive
nor desirable ; the red berries are next to strawberries in value ;
the market can not be glutted. [Mr. Midgeley — Oh yes, yes,
I've done it.] I think it would be safe to pledge 12^ cents per
quart for all Worcester will grow for three years. The Clarke is
the most desirable variety. The " Thwack," a new variety, is
highly commended.

Strawberries are pre-eminent. They need well-rotted manure,
unless applied in the autumn as a nnilch. He would plant so
that the crown will come just even with the soil, and would press
the soil very closely ; be sure to set them firm ; and they will live
almost always ; don't let soil get upon the crown. Plants from a
distance should be opened and laid in a cool, dark place until
ready to set ; the leaves should not be wet in shipping ; shipped
plants will shrink 50 per cent, with almost any care ; trim the
roots so as to remove all injured or decayed parts. Of varieties
he said the Charles Downing is at the head of the list ; for market
but few varieties are needed. Next to the Downing, the Jucunda
is desirable on a strong, rich soil ; the Monarch of the West is
good ; dries off well and is firmer than the Downing ; a good
shipping berry. The Downer's Prolific is the earliest, fine flavor-
ed and prolific and hardy. He recommended among the new
berries the Sharpless as worthy of further trial ; Crescent Seed-
ling is fourth rate, about like the Wilson but more prolific. Wilson
has become run out in this vicinity. [Strong opposition to the. de-
nunciation of the Wilson was shown.] Crescent Seedling is not
a good shipper. He said the Wilson is a deceiver; it looks ripe
two days before it is ripe ; if picked early it will ship safely and
keep on a stand, relieving a retailer from loss : but Horticul-
turists ought to repudiate it except when perfectly ripened, and
then it is as tender as the other varieties. Crescent is a pistillate
and needs a companion.- The Sharpless has a bad form but good
quality, and is very productive. In place of the Wilson as an acid
berry, he recommended the Capt. Jack ; it has a strong stem,
holding the fruit up from the ground. The Glendale, as a new
late variety is valuable. Of early berries the Duchess is desirable,
but it makes but few runners ; tiie Duncan is of a similar habit.
He thought the Sharpless will do well on sandy soil, with plenty
of manure. Another berry, the Pioneer, is also likely to be
popular. The Sharpless is about as early as the Charles Downing.

He considered the growing of Plums desirable; a little gas tar
burned under the tree every other day, from blossoming till the
fruit has a thick skin, alid the curculio can be successfully fought.

Mr. Thomas A. Dawson said the Sharpless, with one year's
experience, is very productive, but as late as the Jucunda. He had

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 17

•grown Wachnsett Blackberries several years, and gave them pre-
ference, for flavor and productiveness. He believed in high
manuring ; it gives more and larger berries ; full top dressing of
hen manure gives big results. From 400 plants he picked 1255
boxes of Wachusetts the second year and got $215 for them. He
thought there was danger of glutting the market with blackberries
as there are many other fruits in the season, but he had never
had enough ; his crop averaged 20 cents last season.

He had grown Kittatinny ; got great growth but they winter-
killed ; he had 300 plants but in three years he got less than a
dozen boxes, while Wachusetts will stand anything.

The Chair called attention to the fact that Mr. Earle endorsed
Kittatinny on rich, warm, sheltered soil, while Mr. Dawson con-
demns it on an exposed site. Both are probably right.

Mr. MiDGELEY said if his Wachusetts do no better tlian here-
tofore, he will plough them up ; Kittatinnys with him are as with
Mr. Dawson, no crop at all ; he did not manure heavily. He had
manured Snyders heavily, with good success.

Mr. F. J. Kinney said green manure will make vines ; it is best
at the start, but to keep a crop going well rotted manure, or
commercial manures, are probably best. He said the Pride of the
Hudson Raspberry is a failure only by not being hardy ; it is half-
hardy ; no raspberries are hardy ; it is one of the very best, and
only needs little protection. He commended the Brandywine
as the only really hardy raspberry, and it is an excellent one.

He had grown Blackberries, — Wachnsett and Kittatinny, — but
the latter winter-killed ; it is a better fruiter than the Wachnsett ;
the Wachnsett is not thornless ; the Snyder suckers but slightly,
which is an advantage.

He endorsed the Downing and the Jucunda as best among
Strawberries. He approved the Crescent; it proves most desira-
ble on his ground ; very liardy, prolific and good size ; the
flavor is deficient, but it sells readilj' ; it comes to market looking
exceedingly well. He was morally certain that berries have been
shown here as Crescents which were not true. Crescent is far
better than Capt. Jack with him ; the latter blast easily ; they
require a Jucunda soil, but are not half so good. Sharpless and
Monarch of the West want strong soils ; Sliarpless has proved
undesirable with him ; Glendale is a nice berry, but its thin
foliage allows too much sun. He also objected to the Duncan as
useless ; of the new kinds. Centennial, and the Great Republic,
prove among the best.

Of Grapes he said he had two tons last year ; wherever high
manuring was practiced he had mildew, but with plain culture
they did not mildew.

18 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTTJRAL SOCIETY. [1880.

Mr. Earle said the Crescent strawberry had generally been'
condemned by his patrons ; they said they didn't want any more
of that kind.

Mr, James Draper said the Kittatinny blackberry'- did well with
him two years, and then it went back on everybody. Wilson's
Early was similar in his experience ; but Waclmsett has stood
the racket for ten years, and is far ahead. He believed in high
manuring for blackberries. It should be applied green in the
fall, close to the roots. In raspberries he said the market glut-
ted easily, in his experience, until he advertised them for canning.
He did not like the Brandywine ; it had gone " way out of sight."
The Fhiladelpliia is the only reliable berry.

Mr. Midgeley said his raspberries last year averaged 19 cents
per quart.

Mr. Edmund Hersey, President of the Hingham Agricultural
Society, was introduced. He said the Worcester of 35 years ago,
when he last saw it, was quite different from what he saw to day ;
but the interested audience indicated that green fields are not far
away ; he was glad to be among those who could teach him. He
began as a grower of Peaches at four years of age, and at six
was in the Nursery business as a grafter of trees ; he has kept up
his practice, but did not pretend to extended experience, although
he began over fifty years ago.

He said of all the small fruits the Cranberry is especially im-
portant. Almost every farm has a favorable spot for its culture,
but there are few farmers who realize how much importance it
deserves. He thought it easier to make $100 on cranberries than
$50 on strawberries. He thought this crop more susceptible to
rule than the strawberry crop, Tlie proper location is a good
porous peat bottom, with water to flood the ground at any sea-
son, and to keep it covered a foot or two deep in winter; a sand
bank near by is essential. Such a spot is worth $500 per acre,
and can often be bought for $10, So much the better. The
top of the land should be removed down to the peat ; the soil re-
moved goes to the barnyard. The peat should be covered with
sand, three inches deep, in winter, when the soil is hard ; vines
should be set in this sand. In selecting varieties, quality and
productiveness are important. He exhibited cranberries as sold
from natural meadows, and otliers from cultivated ground,
between which there was a decided difit'erence in size and appear-
ance. The cultivated variety shown, he said, will produce four
bushels to the rod, but it is too light colored; if a dark berry

1880.] TKANSACTIONS. ' 19

could be secured it would be most fortunate. A solid meat and
thick firm skin should be preferred.

He would not set vines in rows, but in irregular shape, not
leaving a spot six inches square without a plant. The bare sand
gets hot in the sun, and scorches the young runners. If prop-
erly set the ground will cover in two years. The cranberry will
grow on 3^ feet of clear sand without fertilization, and give a
good crop for twenty years. He thought the use of the peat to
be to draw off the water ; the cranberry wants water in excess
for eight months, and extremely drj' hot soil for the other four.
He couldn't raise cranberries on cold, springy land, wet all the
year round, but could grow good ones, but not to a profit, on a
sand bank. There is but little cultivation required, beyond pull-
ing the few weeds for the first year or two. They will yield
$300 per acre with no expense, except gathering. He would
pick only with the fingers ; a rake will destroy the keeping quali-
ties of the fruit ; he keeps them from one picking to another, in
a basket in the cellar, covered only with a paper. He thought
the soil should drain a foot and a half below the fruit, or less if
there is a scarcity of water for flowing. The flowing is to keep
the frost off" the fruit-buds in the spring and the fruit in the
autumn. There is a worm also which attacks the vines; it win-
ters in the grass, and winter flowing kills it. Fine gi'avel may
be used, but sand is best for a bed. Cranberries can be grown
on high land, good corn ground, but it is hard to keep the grass
out on sucli land.

The Chair expressed the pleasure of the Society in the infor-
mation from the last speaker, and in regard to the varied state-
ments in the general discussions of the meeting, he said they only
represent the result of experience with various forms of culture,
various soils, &g. He tliought all raspberries should be covered ;
after a rain, when the vines are supple, turn two rows together
and throw on a little loam. Even the so-called hardy kinds will
repay this care, in better crops and more and larger berries.

FOUETH MEETING, FEBRUAEY 19th, P. M.
Y ice- President Hadwen in the chair.

Subject: Window Gardening and Winter Flowers.

The subject was introduced by Mr. William G. Strong,* of
Newton, who declared that Window Gardening should never be
carried on to the exclusion of light and air from a house. He
considers, however, that every one needs a pet to avoid the evils
resulting from selfishness, and believes that under the head of
pets plants are to be properly classed, he believing in small
doses, an intimate personal acquaintance, that the full benefits of
them may be derived and a full knowledge of them be obtained ;
as it can be done only by drawing near to them by watching for
the recognition of our care. He believes in the daily infiuence
of plants, to obtain which thej^ must be brouglit into the house,
but he counselled against carrying window gardening to that
extent which shall shut out the light and air and make the home
dark and gloomy. In this connection the essayist said :

But in our sunny clime, and with our modern skill in construc-
tion, and considering the cheapness and admirable non-conducting
qualities of glass, it would seem that every one might freely
indulge in household plants, and yet have no lack of sunlight.
If we were to plan the building of a house, the wise course would
be to construct a corner, or a bow-window, with special reference
to plants, devoted mainly to this use, and so well arrajiged tliat
the plants shall flourish in all the luxuriance of a tropical home.
To do this only three conditions are requisite, namely, proper
heat, moisture and sunlight. Surely you can provide for all
these, if you will but plan beforehand. For the majority of
flowering plants you want an average temperature of 50 to 60
degrees at night. Hence the register must be near enough to do
the work. But even in sunlight it is not well to go above 80
degrees. Shades may therefore be necessary to some extent.
A discussion has been going on recently in one of our popular
periodicals as to the fact whether plants received nourishment
from the air. I am one of the number who believe that the
vigor of trees and plants depends very largely upon tlie condi-

* Ex-President of the Massachusetts Plorticultural Society.

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 21

tion of the atmosphere. We all know how rich and luxuriant is
the vegetation in a low and |3rotected valley. Now the richness
of tlve soil is not the only reason for the strong contrast with the
growth of the windy hill-top. The dewy breath of the vale
bathes the foliage with moisture, wliile the dry breezes of the
hill cause a constant and excessive evaporation from the leaves.
Is it any wonder tliat in the latter case the growth is pinched
and dwarfed ? Now, if we want vigor, we must imitate the condi-
tions of the dale. The air of our living-rooms is generally too
dry for the best development of plants. We waTit to devise
waj's by which we can shower the foliage once or twice each day.
If we could shut off the bow-window by means of glass doors or
even curtains, so as to retain a close moisture for a considerable
time, it would greatly invigorate the plants. Every gardener'
knows, or ought to know, the benefit of shutting up his green-
house early and then showering and steaming his plants under a
higli temperature. Just this we should like to do witii our house-
plants if we could plan for drainage and to shut off from the
living-room. Of course we can do this to perfection, on a small
scale, in Wardian cases, and with complete success in the produc-
tion of flowers as well as foliage, if we attend to the conditions.
Wardian cases have been principally used for the culture of ferns
and foliage plants, whicli do not require a full exposure to the
sun. But by providing for free ventilation they are admirably
adapted for the culture of flowering plants, so that the most difii-
cult may be brought to the perfection of bloom even in your
parlors. To .obtain the best results for plants which require a
uniform and high temperature it may be necessary to provide a
slight bottom heat for the case. But this may be done so per-
fectly by means of a kerosene lamp, with a chimney leading any
smoke or gas into the open air, and at such trifling cost, tiiat it
is a plan well worthy of adoption by tliose who wish to cultivate
the most delicate exotics to perfection. The plan is simply a
house within a house, where the conditions of heat and moisture
may be under perfect control. You may in this way so regulate
your apparatus as to obtain the higliest possible degree of excel-
lence in culture, either in richness and profusion of bloom, or in
varied effect in miniature landscape, with sunny side and shade,
with rocks and waterfall and lakes and grottoes. But notwith-
standing the perfection which may thus be obtained in a limited
way, I, for one, should prefer that the plant-room itself should
be so well appointed as to secure the full and natural develop-
ment of the plants, with fi*ee and open access, so that we may
actually sit under the shade of orange trees in full fruit, and find
a grateful shelter from the too direct rays of the sun, as I have
4

22 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

done during the most stinging days of winter. Let me tell you
how I have altered a cottage-like home in Newton. When I
bought it, it had a veranda running almost entirely around it,
with cornice, or coping, which came down to within eight feet of
the floor. However pleasant this might be during the summer
season, it was apparent that the house must be dark and shaded
during the winter. As a simple and complete i-emedy for this I
enclosed the veranda on the south side witli upright sashes, and,
presto, the whole south side of our house is changed into a glass
conservatory, which is flooded with light. Our very next prob-
lem, but of course an eas}^ one, was that of regulating this blaze
of light by means of shades. Heat was provided by means of
an additional hot-air pipe from the furnace. A temporary double
roof is previded, 8^ feet above the floor, to prevent the heat from
rising to the roof of the veranda. The entire structure is tem-
porary and of the simplest form, costing but $80. We remove
it in April, and put it up again in November of each year at a
trifling cost of time. The result is that we throw open our front
doors and windows, not again to be closed during the entire
winter. We close our furnace in tlie morning of every bright
day, however cold it may be, and yet the whole house is radiant
with the light and warmth and fragrance from the veranda.
Considering its heating capacity in bright days it is a question
whether we ought to debit anything to the account for fuel for
cold nights. At any rate, tlie item is very small. I do not say
that in so large a room, which is kept so open and from which
we are continually passing out of doors, we coul^ obtain luxu-
riant growth except by means of cases and a more confined tem-
perature than 1 have provided. But we have no ditiiculty in
keeping oranges, palms, acacias and kindred plants in perfect
health, while camellias, azaleas, cytisus, carnations, and all the
Dutch bulbs develop their blooms to perfection.

So great is our success, attained so easilj' and with so little
cost, that it is a surprise to me that more do not adopt this plan
of glass protection from the wintfer-cold, this trap to catch the
sunbeams, this annexation of a bit of the tropics to our northern
homes. Can you not plan, my friend, how you can enclose your
porch, or your piazza, or some projection of your house, or build
out a bow-window or an annex, so as to secure all the advantages
of sunlight in your dwellings, and also give you all the enjoy-
ments which come from an intimate daily study and care of
plants?

Considering the care of plants, he said love of them is the first
requisite, and definite rules cannot be laid down. I will admit,
however, that there are a few general laws of health which it is

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 23

well to follow. There is clanger of over-watering plants in the
winter time. A cold, wet and stagnant condition of the roots is
very injurious. On the other hand, the air of living-rooms is apt to
be dry and hence the draft of sap from the leaves is severe, there-
fore the plants must not be allowed to get too dry. S6e that your
pots have thorough drainage with crocks, and water only when
the pots look dry ; a good soaking with water about as warm as
the blood. The leaves of plants will sometimes become dusty in
the house, and may be benefited by being washed witii a soft
sponge. Better by far is a strong stream of water to remove
dust and also insects, wherever it can be applied. Oftentimes a
hot bath is the easiest way to be rid of aphis and red spider.
The water should be in a wooden pail or tub to hold the heat at
120°. The plant is to be plunged head foremost into the hot
water and withdrawn within five seconds. A second and shorter
plunge will wash off all remaining insects, if followed immediately.
This is a short and effectual process for most insects, and is not
injurious to plants except in rare cases of tender and succulent
growth.

In regard to feeding plants, let me say 1 know of nothing that
will compare with the liquid from the stable. Let it be dipped
from a barrel and as free as possible from sediment. There is
not raucli danger of using too strong liquid from cow manure ;
from the horse the liquid is stronger and better, but should be
much weaker. When plants are in vigorous growth and are
needing nourishment, this food ma}' be applied once a week. By
watching you can detect wiiether the plant will bear more, or is
over-fed. Guano water, used with great care, is the next best
food, in my judgment. Weak potash water is excellent to correct
acidity and destroy worms, as well as to fertilize. Preparations
known as plant-food are expensive, and have not given me such
results as I anticipated.

Now as to varieties, what can I say to you, but — take your
choice ? If you will but treat them well, there is an army of can-
didates willing to enlist. You can manage almost anything
which does not require close stove heat and moisture. Even this
3'ou can have in the Waltonian, or modified Wardian case. But un-
doubtedl}'^ there are some classes of plants better adapted to house-
culture, and more effective than others. Geraniums, especially
in the horse-shoe and tri-colored varieties, are alwa3's attractive by
their tine foliage and bright colors, and they do remarkably well.
Cytisus racemosus, the common broom of Europe, is an excep-
tionally good variety for house-culture. Its delicate foliage is
pleasing; it is very floriferous, and the bright canary color is
sunny and cheerful, while the delicious lemon-like fragrance is

24 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

pervading, but never overpowering. Probably no class of plants
is more profuse in gay flowers of nearly all shades of color than
the Azalea Indica. In the summer time it is best kept in pots in
peaty soil in the open air, where it sets and matures its flower
buds for wititer use. Hence all the strength is stored away be-
forehand, as is the case with hyacinths and other Dutch bulbs.
You have only to develop the flowers in winter by a gradual
process and the result is certain, complete and superb. The
same is true of camellias, only they are a little more difficult to
manage and are more sensitive to the heat and dryness of a room.
The effect of an orange tree, well loaded with fruit, is very
striking. The fruit begins to ripen in the fall and will hold until
March, when the tree throws its blossoms and fills the air witli
its delicious fragrance. It is of easiest culture and well adapted
to the house. I might wander on and weary your patience with
an almost endless list of plants, but to what profit ? Let me
rather turn upon one of my hobbies, and saj' a few words in
conclusion upon the winter culture of the Rose.

Why is it that there is such poor success in forcing roses in pots ?
Perhaps I have asked a very foolish question in this audience.
Perhaps you can produce tine specimens of Safrano and Bon
Silene, and Isabella Sprunt and Niplietos, or possibly the more
diflficult Devoniensis or Souvenir de la Malmaison, or even the
MarechalNeil. Well, I am glad if you can. I should like to come
and see hoM'^ you do it. Still I think it is true in the experience
of most, that the house-culture of these varieties is not usually
satisfactory in its results. The plants are generally weak in
growth, and give few and feeble blooms. It is true that the air
of our rooms is not favorable for the vigorous growth of the rose.
It is so warm that the growth starts too quickly ; it is so dry that
red spider is likely to draw all the life from the leaves. These
difficulties you who love and watch your plants can and will
overcome. And yet the}'' do not bloom as you feel sure they
would if all their wants were satisfied. This experience of yours
in the house-culture of the ever-blooming varieties, the Teas and
Noisettes, is precisely the same as the gardeners are passing
through in the winter-forcing of tlie hardy perpetual varieties in
the greenhouses. Ever-blooming kinds they know how to force,
but why is it, they ask, that when they start their hardy kinds,
they break weak, and the young shoots, though they grow rapidly,
do not show flowers ? The reasons are probably the same in both
cases and are two-fold. First of all, the plants have been started
too rapidly and have developed at the top before the roots have
become sufficiently active to sustain and iinpel the growth.

This quick starting is sure to cause the bust prepared plants of

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 25

Hardy Roses to go blind of flowers. It is of the greatest import-
ance that the roots of all varieties should become active in ad-
vance of the tops, so as to become the impelling power. Beware
lest you invert the process and cause the leaves to become the
pumping power. It is well to treat your pot roses as you do
Dutch Hyacintlis ; plunge them in a cold frame in the fall, or in
the cellar, anywhere that you can keep the roots warm and com-
fortable while the tops are cold. See that the young and white
roots are pushing strongly before you bring the plants into the
house. Let them start slowly, as in the case of a lingering
spring, and you will have shoots and foliage, as well as bloom,
which will delight the eye. But no, this is not all ; one more
condition back of this we must have, if we would avoid all dis-
appointment. In the case of many plants it is obvious that the
bloom is developed and matured by the growth of the previous
season. The Camellia and the Azalea, as you may have noticed,
set their buds large and plump in the fall, and only await expan-
sion in the warmth of spring, or earlier if they are forced. Now
it is evident that in those plants the main part of the work is
already accomplished, the strength is stored up, a genial atmos-
phere will expand the buds and do the rest. JSTow we may not
as plainly discern in all plants this economy of nature in accumu-
lating force for future use, but experience is certainly indicating
that it is none the less true with roses and with all our most
valuable plants. Nature makes careful preparation l)oforehand ;
she lays sure foundations before she entertains the thought of
ornament. Surely the knowledge of this law is a great advan-
tage to us who propose to obtain all the beauties of the seasons
in mid-winter. For if we can store up a reserve force in the
plants in the summer previous, with all the help of a genial sun,
so that we have only to develop these accumulated stores, why
then the winter work is largely done before it is begun. Yes,
this is really so. We can produce rose plants of such vigor and
with such ripened wood in the summer previous that little is left
to be done except to give a gradual development. If you will
do this, if you can so encourage your plants during the summer
that the pots shall be well tilled with strong roots in the fall, and
the wood is hard and firm and the eyes are prominent and large,
then you may say that nine-tenths of your work is done, and the
rest is easily accomplished. No potting on or shifting is to be
allowed ; only cutting back the wood to a few prominent eyes and
starting them slowlj' after a short rest. By giving heed to the
proverb of the wise man, and following the example of the little
ant, which having no guide, overseer or ruler, provideth her
meat in the summer and gathereth her food in the harvest, we

26 WORCESTEK COUNTY HOETICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

also may lay up store of strength sufficient for all the exigencies
of winter. Kightly managed there is no reason why the hardy
roses may not be forced in our dwellings. They will not give
the profusion of bloom throughout the season of the ever-bloom-
ing class, but they will give one abundant crop, and of such
fragrance and richness of color, as will far outweigh any possible
lack. So highly prized are these superb varieties that the blooms
will always bring extravagant prices in the winter season, 75
cents each being the rate to the producer for the past six weeks
for the best specimens. The blooms of General Jacqueminot
have been worth $6 per dozen for the same time, while such
varieties as Bon Silene, Safrano and Niphetos have been rated at
about $6 per 100. But, horrors ! what am I doing ! I began
by warning you against the sin of selfishness, and invoking the
sweet influences of plants to eradicate the evil. I pray you to
forget what I have last said, and never allow yourself to estimate
the beauty and the value of a rose according to the money the
sweet tiling will bring in the market. Is it not a sin and a shame
that such " a thing of beauty, such a joy forever," should be an
article of merchandise to be bought and sold at any price ?
Heaven forbid that we should ever become keen to discern the
scent of money in our plants!

In answer to various questions, Mr. Strong recommended
tobacco for plant insects in general, hot water for the red spider,
kerosene oil for the mealy bug. In regard to the English Ivy, he
would water freely when growing strongly, sparingly when feebly.
The Calla should not be over-potted, and should be given plenty
of water. One trouble in growing roses is that they are gen-
erally over-potted ; and the use of such peat as Elm Park is said
to afford he pronounced injurious to the plants until after it has
been exposed two or three years.

FIFTH MEETING, FEBRUARY 26th, P. M.
President Salisbury in the chair. ,

Subject : Out-Door P'lowering Plants.
By Mrs. Thomas L. Nelson.

In talking this subject over we must remember that we are
talking of the climate in which we live, and not wander away to
other lands : our object being to Und out, if we can, what flowers
will bloom and give the greatest satisfaction in our changeable
New England climate. Our summers are hot and trying, our
winters are cold and warm alternately, and we are at our wits'
ends how to grow anything and how to keep it after it is grown.
The bane of our American people is haste. Almost everything
we do is done in a hurry. Now nature will not be driven beyond
a certain extent, but although we may not drive we may coax a
great deal out of her. Patience, however, not haste, must be our
motto. One trouble with us is, there is a certain class of plants
that are raised in the o;i"eenhouse and in our own liomes that are
called bedding plants; not a very, large list all counted ; gerani-
ums, heliotropes, verbenas, pinks, salvias, feverfews, and some
others, which people run eagerly after, and think they must have.
In fact, I heard a loading florist say, that for summer these were
all it would pay for him to raise for the market. Look for in-
stance at the sales by auction in the spring. The class I have men-
tioned with a few basket plants and pansies (especially if they are
in the last stages of bloomj, will sell for prices oftentimes beyond
what they could be bouglit for at tlie greenhouse, and delivered
when wanted, while a plant of twice its value goes for almost
nothing, simply because it is not known. If people would in-
form themselves a little on the subject of flowers — how they grow,
what soil they need, and what kind of fertilizer tlieir particular
soil needs — there would be a great change in out-door bloom ;
because bedding plants can be bought for little, and bloom well,
they care for nothing beyond. I would not discourage growing
bedding plants, but want them to be used as filling-up material ;
in fact, to cover up the places made vacant by the winter.

I often hear of the deep interest which the old residents of
Worcester had in this Society, fclie funds they have given to carry

28 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

it on, and the contribntions they made to its exhibitions, and I
wonder wh^^ the interest is not kept up by their children. Do
they not feel that it is left with them to carry on the work that
their fathers and mothers began ? Young ladies don't like to don
the garden hat and gloves, and, trowel in hand, raise flowers to
decorate their homes and themselves, because it is dirty work,
and they are afraid they don't look as well as they would in fresh
muslins, reading a novel, or doing some fancy work. And young
gentlemen think it more elevating to go fishing or boating, or
something of the kind. I say to botli, don't be afraid of digging,
there are treasures to be found in garden work, which will soon
make you forget the dirt and only look for the results. Mothers !
remember it is better to take your little ones out with you, and,
if too young to have a garden of their own, give them a pile of
sand. Don't be afraid of soiling their clothes. Teach them to
dig, and however young they are, you will soon find them watch-
ing you and trying to imitate. After a season of this, you will
find their strength and muscle in a much more healthy condition
than if thej were left to their nurse girl to be trundled through
the noisy, crowded streets.

I am glad that at last the "queen of flowers" is asserting her
rights. The rose fever is in its first stages, and the pulse runs
higher and higher each succeeding year. When it will reach its
highest may not be in our day, but it is truly wonderful the pro-
gress that has been made in the last twenty years. Now let us devote
a little time to our best loved, much abused flower, the Rose ;
abused, because with the attention we pay to even the commonest
annual, we may have the rose in its perfection. Too many people
think because some kinds of plants will grow and bloom in poor
soil, all will. No greater mistake was ever made. The rose is a
gross feeder, and demands a rich, close soil, well drained and
enriched at least once a year by old well decomposed dressing
from the farmyard or stable, left on the surface if applied in the
fall, and dug in in the spring ; or if in the spring forked in, so
the roots may derive immediate benefit. In growing the hybrid
perpetual roses (I think remontant is a better name), rose grow-
ers dififer on the point of budded roses, or grown on their own
roots. One half the people don't know, or seem to care, which
they have. One firm sends out budded roses, unless otherwise
ordered, and another sends on their own roots, unless otherwise
ordered. Now what is the result in the case of the budded rose
unless care is taken in setting ? Sometimes the bud is well above
ground, sometimes below. Everybody who would grow the h}--
brid perpetuals should know that they are a cross between some
of our finest June roses and the ever-blooming class, — Bourbons,

1880.] TEANSA0TI0N8.

29

Bengals, &c., — and of course can not be as hardy as June roses.
So if the bud is above ground, and not properly protected from
the weather, the best part of the rose is liable to be killed, leaving
nothing but wilcT stock. The best authorities say, take budded
roses by all means. The roses are finer and the growth far be-
yond what we can get on roses on their own roots. It is advanced
as an argument in favor of roses on their own roots, that the
stock on which they are budded is so much more vigorous than
the bud, that the suckers overgrow the bud. It is no hard matter
to detect the sucker. If the bud is above ground surely you can
detect the difference, and if below, if you have any doubts, dig a
little below the surface, and set them at rest. As far as ray ex-
perience goes I raucli prefer budded roses. Budded roses that I
purchased of Elwanger & Barry in the autumn of 1878 bloomed
in tlie following season three and four times during the summer
and autumn, each time perfect in form and color, while I have
growing in precisely the same soil and location roses on their own
roots set out the previous year which have never shown bloom.
I believe I set in 1877 ten on their own roots, and at least four
out of tliat number, strong, vigorous plants, have never bloomed,
while out of 17 budded roses set in 1878 all, with the exception
of four, bloomed last season, and those that did not bloom had
not got established and strong enough to bloom. Mad. Victor
Verdier, Mdlle. Eugenie Verdier, Louis Van Houtte, Alfred Co-
lomb and Marguerite de St. Auiande were among the budded
roses. So you can readily see why I prefer budded roses. I
need not tell you how to keep off the enemies of the rose, as
Mr. Hyde told you all about that a few weeks ago.

Now let us glance at the ever-blooming roses. I leave mine
in the ground, year after year, and save almost all of them, cer-
tainly more tlian when I used to take tliem up in the fall and
plant them out again in the spring. First grow them well during
the summer. Give them plenty to live on. Then in the early
autumn give them a dressing of well-rotted compost. Then late,
after quite severe frosts, pin them down and put leaves over and
around them, and cover with boards. Quite early in the spring
take off some of the boards and give them a little air. After,
remove both boards and leaves and dig in the compost. Some
of tliem will die to the root, but a good vigorous root, ready to
start, is worth two greenhouse plants. I have, however, wintered
just as successfully by covering with sods instead of boards. In
both cases be careful not to open them too suddenly after their
long winter's rest. In a former paper I told you there, was little
difference between the hardiness of the liybrid perpetuals and
the tender roses, and after two more years I repeat the assertion,
5

30 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

that as far as my experience goes that is tlie fact. Last winter a
tea-rose, Bon Silene, standing in a slieltered spot, was forgotten
and remained uncovered during the winter, witli only a slight
protection of leaves about the root, and last summer it gave as
line blooms as I have ever seen. What 1 have said may be old
to many of you, but I hope to get some information from those
that are much farther advanced in the art of raising roses. I do
not wonder that amateur rose-growers stand appalled at the
elaborate directions given b}^ writers on roses, notably the Eng-
lish. I do not think that we Americans, as a nation, love flowers
as the English do. I am told (I have never been there) that the
cottagers vie with each other in their small gardens, and produce
flowers that practical gardeners might well be proud of. It
cannot be that they have great resources, but one thing is cer-
tain, they do not say, as I have been told recently by a friend, " I
have no time to grow flowers." It is easy to find time for what-
ever we want to do, especially when the heart is in the work. I
drift almost without a thought from the rose to the lily. In my
mind they are always associated, and, although I have little to
say about the culture of the lily, I will speak of some of the
difiiirent varieties. All of the lilies wdiich we cultivate are not
entirely hardy. Liliura longiflorum must be protected with a
light compost. Auratum is very particular where it grows, and
sometimes, under what seem to us favorable circumstances, dis-
appears entirely. I wish we could be as sure of it as we are of
the lancifoliums. Lilivnn Humboldtii and Lilium Parryii, two
fine varieties from California, are coming into market, and
promise to be acquisitions. Perhaps the new lily Parkmani, a
cross between auratum and rubrum, will prove more hardy and
reliable from the fact that rubrum is so robust in its growth.
Benj. T. Wells, of Boston, is importing some very fine varieties
from Japan. Amaryllis formosissima is fine for bedding pur-
poses, and gives general satisfaction ; also, Zephyranthes rosea, a
beautiful pink lily-like flower. There is a white variety of the
latter, but it is not common, and I do not know iiow it would be
as a bedder. The Zephyranthes is also called the Atamasco
Lily. The Gladiolus is one of the leading flowers now, and
there is an almost endless list of them, and when we think
of the time when there were only two or three varieties,
how strange it seems. If given the soil it needs, it is rampant.
I have found a rich, clayey loam produced exceedingly fine
flowers, and the roots raised on that soil were the finest I have
ever seen. One ought to make successive plantings; about three,
two weeks apart, will give early and late blossoms.

The Tuberose is easily grown — at least I find it so; whereas I

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 31

used to think some years ago it was difficult. I start some in
pots for early bloom, and plunge in the border when it is warm
enough to trust them out of doors. Others I plant in the ground
after it is thoroughly warmed, and they soon start. If in the fall
there is danger of frosts, no plant is more easily lifted. I never
saw that it made the slightest difference with the bloom. It is
very important that we have strong northern-grown bulbs. The
Clematis is of great value for summer bloom. I think it thrives
in almost any soil and location, and is especially adapted to cov-
ering stumps, making screens, and covering unsightly places with
'masses of beautiful bloom. The foliage is almost evergreen,
thus making it doubly valuable, and their growth is so vigorous
they are getting more in favor each succeeding year. Another
fact ought not to be forgotten, they bloom almost constantly
during the season. It would be useless for me to speak of the
deutzias, spireas, liydrangeas, and otiier hardy, flowering shrubs,
as they are so sure to live when once established ; they form,
with pseonies, hardy phloxes, perennial delphiniums, and other
hardy herbaceous plants, a class to be depended on year after
year. Anemone Japonica, alba and rubra, are beautiful fall
flowering plants, entirely hardy, and very strong growing. I
must touch lightly on the aquilegia family, as I consider them of
very great value. Aquilegia chrysantha, the beautiful yellow
variety, cosrulea, blue and white, and a hybrid between the two,
which our Secretary introduced into this city three years ago —
blue and yellow — I believe he calls it Cerulea hybrida.

The varieties raised from the last named are numerous, as
sliown in some gardens in this city, and on Elm Park. I noticed
an article in the Gardener's Monthly for December 1879, entitled
" Hybrid Columbine." " The Garden gives a colored plate of an
aquilegia, in which the sepals are bright blue, and the petals yel-
low, a hybrid between the American Aquilegia chrysantha and the
A. coerulea." Now this is the aquilegia that many of us have grown,
but the worst feature al)out it is, it scarcely ever comes true from
seed. There are a great many nice varieties older than these
that are well worth cultivating. The only difficulty in growing
them is the liability to damp off, and there is a worm that eats
into the centre of the stalk and causes it to droop without any
apparent cause. I am told the only way to destroy it is to cut
the stalk open and destroy the intruder. I have found lime water
would make the plant revive, by which I inferred that the worm
was dead. One of my especial favorites is the Pansy. How
beautiful the many varieties are, has been demonstrated time and
again in this hall. So easily grown, and requiring so little care, I
suppose if some of our florists were to show baskets of plants in

32 W0KCE8TEK COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

full flower, side bj side with plants ready to bloom, the bloom-
ing plants would all be sold before a customer was foundfor the
nice little plants, worth three times as much, which would give
some summer bloom and an abundance of blossoms all through
the autumn. The mania for over-grown plants in full flower
extends even to this modest flower. I should buy of reliable
parties, small plants, and not have the dissatisfaction of seeing them
droop and die in warm weather, as the large plants almost always
will. Then comes the glory of the late summer, the Asters.
Unlike many of the annuals, light frosts do not affect them, and
they give us varied and beautiful bloom after summer flowers are
gone. And, latest of all, comes the Chrysanthemum, the pride of
the autumn. All of us have grown them, more or less, still we
do not grow them and grow the new varieties as we ought. And
now the winter has come, and we must leave our summer flowers
to take their rest.

I sometimes wish our climate were always summer, and then
the question comes up should we prize our out-door flowers as we
do now if it were always summer? I should like one thing, how-
ever, and that is a little more length at both ends of our summer.
As it is, everything takes us by surprise. The spring is late, and
warm weather finds us unprepared for it, simply because we have
waited so long. Then, wliile in the midst of summer weather, a
killing frost, like the one we had last September, comes, and we
awake to find our choicest flowers drooping and dying. There is
no other way if we stick to our rugged rocks and bleak winter
winds, but to be watchful and beware, knowing well that when
we least think it, the enemy of our friends the flowers, cometh.

SIXTH MEETING, MAECH 4th, P. M,
Vice-President Hadwen in the chair.

Subject : Orchard and Vineyard Fruits.

The sul)ject was introduced by Dr. Jabez Fisher, of Fitchburg,
wlio reinai'ked that the theme was too extensive for one after-
noon, and he felt obh'ged to contine liiniself to some one of its
branches. He suggested that as his name was synonymous with
Grapes, if the audience desired, he woukl talk of the cultivation
of that fruit.

In choosing a location for a vineyard, he would select One as
far north as ])ossible where he could succeed, as insuring the best
results, but would not go furtlier than his present location. Yow
must choose a gentle southern slope, tending a little to the east,
to get the advantage of a tropical sun, which the grape loves, the
hotter the better in this region. The soil should be lighter the
further north you go, but you cannot get the best results from
a light soil. Any ordinar}^ preparation is good enough, cultiva-
tion a year or two previous not being required, and highly culti-
vated land being avoided, as it gives too much wood growth, while
a proper balance of all the powers of the vine is necessary. If the
ground is in sward, plough ; not deei)ly, however, as deep plough-
ing tempts the roots to run out of the influence of the sun. Plough
just enough to kill out the sward. The best vines are those
not over a year old. Properly treated two-year-old vines are a
little better than those one year old, but not enough better to pay
for the trouble, and those just ready to bear are wortli little more
than brush, and not wortii saving, unless to preserve a variety.
Planting is a simple matter, and 600 vines can be set with one
helper in an afternoon. Shorten in the vines to six or eiglit inches
of root in a system like a cart-wheel, scoop out the soil four or five
inches deep, set the plant in. and tread on the soil to compact it,
taking care to have the soil friable in the beginning, to bring the
mellow soil against the roots. The first year the vineyard can be
used for growing anything else. Set the plants six feet apart,
in rows eight feet apart, although this may be altered to suit the soil,
the rule beino- the one he follows. Have the trellises run north and

34 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

south, to get the sun's rays on both sides of the trellis and on the
soil near tlie roots, so that it will be wanned up and kept warm
through the night, and because it is less liable to wash. The plants
can be let alone the iirst year, as training to a single stem produces
asingle root, while allowing it to spread produces spreading surfa(;e
roots, which are preferable. In the fall prune otf everything that
is grown, leaving only two or three buds -to start from. The
second season train to a single stem, and at the close cut oft' all
that has grown as l)efore. The third year build a light trellis,
coating the posts, which have been well seasoned, with gas tar
boiled with dry slaked lime to preserve them from decay. Well
seasoned posts thus treated will last 15 to 20 years, but a green
post thus treated will decay sooner than if not coated. He would
use No. 15 galvanized wire, with four strands to a trellis. The
third year train with a single stem to the iirst wire, then horizon-
tally six feet, pinch oft" and allow to grow at random, pinching the
laterals to one leaf . The next vine can*}' to the tliird wire, and
then train along as before, treating the vines in this manner al-
ternately, as it makes cultivation much easier. At the close of
the third season your vines have a strong cane, and six feet of hori-
zontal wood. They are not allowed to bear, as they are not able
to do it, and cannot recover in less than three seasons, if they
ever do, if overloaded then. Then cut the horizontal cane back
one-half, leaving only three feet for the next year, when about
ten upright shoots will start to grow, and out of them you should
select say the best six. Rub oft' the smaller ones, and from each
shoot you will get from one to four clusters. If four, cut oft' the
two upper ones at once, leaving only two to a shoot. Wait till
they blossom and set their fruit. Then cut off one of them and
the six clusters will bring you as good a return as a greater num-
ber, and more than twenty-four will. The ftftli year al^out the
same programme, l)ut if the vines have done well yon ma}' leave all
the horizontal wood and get twelve clusters. If the clusters
threaten to weigh twelve pounds some of them should be taken
off, as a vine can carry but six or eight pounds in a season and
repeat it. The care during the fourth and fifth years, and after-
wards is to pinch out the shoots after tying them to the wires,
and all the clusters but one ; continue pinching out all the lat-
erals, leaving one leaf each time, as good fruit and much wood
can not be made at the same time, and the little new leaves must
not be allowed to cover up the older larger leaves which are the
lungs of the vine. He has had leaves from fourteen to seventeen
inches in diameter, and those twelve inches are common. With
such foliage there is no difticulty in growing grapes. While
doing this, preparation has to be made for the next j'ear's crop, as

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 35

it is determined the season previous how many clusters there will
be and how many berries on a cluster, and how many buds
will open. It takes two years to make a grape crop, and nothing
can be done between now and next July to alter the one now
in embryo, therefoi-e in the spring preparation must be made for
the next season. Overloaded vines will not mature either wood
or fruit, and the crop is not wortii half as mucli, and the next
year's crop will be onlj' half a one. On light soil he would use
barnyard manure, but on strong soil he would not, as it would
destroy the balance of the vines. He uses chemical fertilizers, as
his soil is heavy, but just what a soil needs can be determined only
by experiment, and he is engaged in making experiments whicli
will have to be repeated time after time. Being asked the remedy
for a vine which has grown luxuriantly for twenty 3'ears without
fruiting, he said dig it up. Dooi'yard vines, as a rule, are too
highly manured. There is a good deal of work about growing
g-rapes as well as everything else, and the vines must be looked
after closely or you will not succeed, as they must be attended to
at just the right time. The shoots should not be tied till after
they have become a little woody and reached the wire, and all
should be tied up at once, usually about the 10th to the 20tli of
June. Never had seen the thrips out-of-doors. The only grape
to cultivate for market he believes to be the Concord, as ensuring
a crop nine years in ten, while with others a crop cannot be got
more than seven years in ten, and some not more than two or
three. . With him the Delaware sometimes mildews, and then
the grapes don't ripen. The Rogers either give a valuable or a
worthless crop, and are inclined to mildew, and you must have
a vine healthy two years in succession to get a crop, and this is
the trouble with many varieties. The Worden he had grown till
it produced two excellent crops of Concords, and the Bi'ighton
he had found to mildew badly ; the Concord is thin-skinned
and will not keep long. To keep at all they must be put into a
cool, dry, uniform atmosphere, and the same is true of any fruit.
He never handles the fruit, laying it as sooti as picked on boards
and carrj'ing to his cellar, where they remain till ready for the
market. Grapevines bleeding to death is an old woman's whim,
and he prunes at any time though preferring the autumn. After
the buds swell lie would prefer to rub them oif instead of pruning,
but would not hesitate to prune if he wanted to.

SEVENTH MEETING, MARCH 11th, P. M.
Ylce- President Hadwen in the chair.

Subject : Does Horticulture Pat, and How ?

The subject was introduced b}' Mr. William H. Earle, who
commenced with a tribute to nature, and treated the class
engaged in the cultivation of the soil as that in whose success the
interests of mankind are so mucli involved that every 'question
concerning the production of food, fruit, flowers and plants,
deserves serious attention. In speaking of Horticulture he said
that whether pursued as a recreation, or as an avocation, it has a
peculiar interest in training us to habits of quick observation, in
ennobling and elevating the heart and life ; for the more we com-
prehend design and purpose in the works of nature, the more we
shall learn to understand the fitness of means to end, in human
conduct. Speaking of the manner in which the work is gen-
erally done, he said : —

But few seek to comprehend those laws, in accordance with
which individual effort is alone able to secure the best results.
It is the right understanding and application of the laws and
conditions which govern and control the application of human
industry to the original materials that the Creaior has spread
around us, which largely determines tlie profitableness of our
labor, which gives us abundance, health and contentment, or
brings to us unrest, privation and want. The life of tlie farmer
siiould invito to something more than ploughing and sowing, and
sweating in the harvest, and gathering into barns. This body is
not our real life, but only the covering of the man. More than
the body the mind needs food and growth, and we should care
for the body for the sake of the mind and soul, the real man.
Now the surroundings of our earthly homes affect beyond all
recognition the higher development. Whenever I pass a farm-
house with the garden all gone to weeds, fences down, and every-
thing all "out of fix" every way, in these outer surroundings I
see a copy of the inner life of the owner ; even where the sur-
.roundings show thrift, if the well-kept buildings have about
them ncitlier tree, liedge, nor plot of flowers or grass, T cannot
reconcile such a life with any sound philosophy. From such

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 37

liomes let ns not be surprised to find that the yonng men and
maidens will continue to go away. The sons of such farmers are
rushing to the cities, glad to get away from the work-work-work
and drudgery of the farm.

The farmers around such a city as this are the proper class to
take the lead in the knowledge and practice of Horticulture ; in
the making of homes beautiful and valuable ; something to love
and be proud of; and it is gratifying to see that many are doing
this. Every farmer should, in connection with the other uses
and productions of his lands, devote a liberal portion of his time
to orchards, gardens, small fruits, plants and flowers. And
farmers who will spend a portion of their time in this way will
never have cause to regret it. They will find their example fol-
lowed by scores of others, thereby raising the standard of refine-
ment in their own neighborhood, while in a pecuniary view the
investment will pay three-fold in increased health, wealth and
pleasure. Their children, too, will many more of them cheer-
fully remain at home to join in such, no longer irksome, labor;
while their shiftless or stingy neighbors' children will be likely
to show themselves at the old homestead only at the annual
Thanksgiving, or, perhaps, from a sense of duty as well as relief,
" to attend the old man's funeral."

Every farm should have an orchard, garden, vineyard and
small-fruit plantation, for luxuries and health as well as profit.
There is naturally implanted in every human breast, when not
extinguished by the cold, selfish reasoning of the world, an ad-
miration and love for the good and beautiful, M'hich, properly
improved and cultivated, seeks and finds exquisite pleasure in all
that is exalting in the works of Creative Power. An example of
this we have in the life and character of the late John Milton
Earle, who for so many years devoted so much of his time and
thought to the interests of this Society. How much we are in-
debted to him for the benefits we have derived from his accom-
plished mind, his unwearied industry and elevated character.
His services will be long and gratefully remembered. May the
reflection of his genial face from yonder painting long continue
to shine upon us as an inspiration and a benediction.

The adornment of our homes has a moral influence. The love
of the beautiful never becomes extinct in the human soul. It
may be crushed by selfishness and avarice, blurred and stained
by sin and crime ; but deep in every heart the latent spark re-
mains, and needs but some purifying influence to bring it into
healthy action. Even the convicts in our prisons, it is said,
rejoice to get at the sight of flowers — sweet flowers ;
6

38 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

" They blossom in every nook and place,
In tins beautiful world of ours;
And like the sight of an old friend's face *

Is the smile of bright, bright flowers."

In horticultural pursuits practice should be guided by science.
We should learn the name of different kinds of plants and
flowers so that as we read books we maj^ understand how the}''
explain how plants grow, live, and form seeds. By understand-
ing a few plain, scientific terms, we shall be induced to open our
eyes and ears, and wherever we go, find

" Tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything."

Have we any riglit to go through the world looking upon
everything as so much to eat, to drink, and to use? Should we
not ask ourselves why things happen, and how God governs this
world of ours ? Why does the wind blow, and why does the
little flower open in the sunshine and close in the storm ?

Mr. Earle here gave a comprehensive sketch of the develop-
ment of plant life, and briefly described the relations existing
between it and insect life, concluding that they were guided by
the law of mutual help, the law wliich bids you and me be kind
and good to all those around us if we would lead useful and
happy lives. If, said he, you are ambitious only .to ascertain
liow you can get so many dollars for so much labor, your investi-
gations will end when you have found out a few facts about tlie
conditions most favorable to plant growth ; but if you desire to
learn more and more of nature and enjoy discovering its" secrets,
you will soon get at the spirit which lies under the facts, and love
knowledge for its own sake.

To enjoy Horticulture and make it pay, he considers it neces-
sary to love nature. If we wish to enjoy otherwise dry facts we
must clothe them with real meaning, and love the truths thej' tell.
In this driving age, of ours, when restlessness and love of excite-
ment pervade so many lives, is it nothing to be taken out of our-
selves and made to look at the wonders of nature going on
around us ? Try it, my friend, the next time you are melancholy,
or have the " blues "; just go out in your garden alone and inter-
view some little plant or flower, and ask what story it has to tell ;
see how tlieir scents and colors attract the insects ; learn how
insects cannot live without plants, nor plants without the butter-
fly or busy bee; and thus when'we see the quiet, steady working
of these fixed laws, we sliall, in a measure, lose our impatience,
and recognize a law and purpose in everything in the universe,

1880,] TKANSACTIONS. 39

and realize that the same power that adapted the flower to the
insect, and the insect to the flower, is also moulding your life,
and by varied labor and discipline fitting you for a higher
destiny. No one who loves nature and studies it can ever long
feel alone or unloved in the world.

Let us then cultivate these God-given fruits and flowers, not
alone for the dollars we may get from them, but for nobler
objects also. Every tendency in their whole cultivation is to
ennoble, to elevate, to refine. They add new joys to our homes,
and new pleasures to our friends. They give health and vigor
to our bodies, both in their cultivation and consumption. Let us
grow them in abundance, and spread them upon our tables with
a generous hand. Unlike much of the food we eat, there is no
deception in their manufacture, no adulteration in their substance,
no lurking poison in their delicious flavor. In their presence our
homes shall echo with the laughter of happy children, made glad
by the lessons of truth, purity and happiness that fruits and
flowers shall teach ; and through our love of nature shall come
love in its manifold forms, — love of our work, love of truth, love
of integrity, love of man, and love to God.

EIGHTH MEETING, MARCH 18th, P. M.
Ex-President Wm. T. Mekrifield in the chair.

SiJBjECT : Tkees and Shrubs for Ornamental Purposes.
By Obadiah B. Hadwen.

Thirty-seven years ago I purchased some land, the major por-
tion of which had, for many years, been used for pasture.

I found thereon trees growing from nature's planting ; there
was tlie Elm, the Oak, the Hickory, the Ash, Chestnut, Birch,
Bass, Pines and Spruce, with trees and bushes of smaller growth
indigenous to the soil and climate.

Among them were some trees that had undoubtedly been
growing for nearly, if not quite, a century, and even now remain
unscathed. They have attained diameter of trunk and upright
spreading tops, casting shadows for long distances ; and are ac-
customed landmarks. During the intervening time I planted
seven sorts of Oak, eight of Maple, five of Elm, three of Chest-
nut, four of Walnut, four of Ash, three of Linden, three of Horse
Chestnut, three of Beecli, three of Larch, five of Pine, eight
of Spruce, six of Arbor- Vitse, four of Magnolia, four of Birch,
and one or more of many other sorts.

Upon my open farm lot, unadorned by tree or shrub, save a
few hardbacks which, nestling close to the fence, had escaped the
annual clipping of the scythe, I built a small farmhouse and
planted about it trees and shrubs, some indigenous, others liaving
their origin in foreign lands. I have passed many pleasant hours
in watching their annual growth, each differing from the other in
form, habit, leaf and bloom ; some of them are already grown to
be shapely and stately trees. They shelter the habitation from
fierce winds, also afford a sheltering belt to the northward and
westward fields ; adding rural aptitude to the surroundings, and
charms to the farm landscape, strewing the roads and walks with
shade, which will endure for generations after the hand that
planted them has ceased to labor. May the habit of finding en-
joyment in trees and flowers thrill others with enthusiasm, and
encourao^e the thousrht to cultivate them !

Among these belts and groups of trees squirrels breed, living in
hollow boughs, gathering their sustenance from the nut and seed-

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 41

bearing trees. And in their sports, as daily seen from the win-
dows, measuring long distances with their daring leaps from tree
to tree, are even utterly unconcerned at our presence, and impudent-
ly chirp at the cat as she sits watching and wishing. The partridges
bud from the apple trees and often whir away from our very foot-
steps. Birds in great variety nest and rear their young, adding
life to the picture and filling the air with their soTig from early
dawn until sunset. From tlie uppermost twig is often perched
the robin (Tardus M'lgratorius)^ whose name is classic in the
reports of the Secretary of the Society. The turdus^ unchecked
and undaunted, verities by daily habits the charges preferred
against him, and undoubtedly will long survive the annual clean
cut of the accomplished pen and " lamb-like character of the
Secretary."

With the progress of civilization, of wise thrift and good taste
in embellishing grounds, both public and private, trees termed
ornamental can be made to form a conspicuous feature, which
must be ever prominent, where their selection and planting has
been carefully studied, and made by graceful effect to tit the
situation.

The variety of Ornamental Trees and Shrubs that thrive here-
about, is so large that we can but briefly touch even the most
desirable, in a paper for a half-hour. It is found that many trees
and plants that were considered but half hardy, thirty years ago,
are becoming acclimated and are now able to withstand the most
severe temperature. But I will contine this paper to such as have
been found to thrive upon my own grounds, in this latitude ;
fully comprehending, that, as time goes on, valuable acquisitions
will be made to the present number. But let us not wait for
time, rather availing ourselves of the wondei'fiil variety nature
has given us, as her best work, for beautifying lands of all de-
scriptions or localities.

In speaking of Ornamental Trees, the question occurs, what
well grown, and furnished, tree is not ornamental ? The trees
usually termed ornamental are the non-fruit-bearing trees.

Prominent among these are the Maples (Acer)^ in their
variety especially conspicuous all over New England, as well as
prominent in Central Massachusetts.

The kinds found to thrive hereabout are the Sugar, Norway,
Red, White, Silver, the several cut-leaved sorts ; and the recent
acquisitions from Japan are very ornamental. In fact, the whole
family is one of great beauty ; and, as deciduous trees, are in
the front of the ornamental class, and some of them are found to
thrive in almost all soils and situations.

The Elm ( Ulmus)^ is for some situations highly esteemed

42 WOKCESTEK COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

as a shade tree. The whole family are long li\^ed ; but the Ameri-
can Elm may justly be termed the king of the family. The
Slippery, English and Scotch, all of them thrive here and make
line trees for streets ; I mean those streets of sufficient width for
their development ; also for large grounds where room enough
can be had for the full development of its graceful form and
sturdy trunk.

The Oak (Querciis)^ abundant in the pastures and forests,
sometimes, but too rarely, adorns private and ornamental grounds.
There are, however, a few exceptions where the Oak is prominent,
holding sovereign sway ; and few trees are more stately or pro-
duce better ornamental efi'ect. The indigenous sorts are White,
Yellow, Swamp, Red, Chestnut, &c. ; all very ornamental.

The English Oak, of several sorts, is found to thrive here, with
good care, even better than the natives. As an ornamental tree,
it must be ever prominent as a distinctive feature in the landscape,
either on elevated or undulating grounds. Where single speci-
mens are given time for maturity no other tree is to be compared
with it, in its great variety of beauty, changing with the seasons
from the delicate bronze of the opening leaf, to the deep and
glossy green of summer, and the gorgeous colored tints of the
autumn. The foliage remaining on during the winter adds
picturesqueness to the variety of beauty of the winter scene.
The seeds of the Oak, well known as acorns, are in some va-
rieties very ornamental, and germinate and grow readily when
planted.

The Ash (Fraxinus)^ is indigenous hereabout ; but the White
is most prominent. It produces a fine effect in streets ; and on
extensive grounds, in groups, when viewed from distant points,
it has an upright gracefulness, and produces fine effects, in con-
trast with other trees. The leaf comes out late in the spring but
turns in early autumn to a soft purple tint, remaining for some
weeks in fine contrast with the green of other leaves. The White
Ash is especially valuable for its wood, and transplants readily.

The Walnut (Juglans). There are several sorts prominent as
ornamental trees. The Hickory, the Black Walnut, English Wal-
nut, and Butternut. The Hickory, although difficult to transplant,
unless often moved when young, when well grown makes an elegant
and stately tree. The Shellbark, in its luxuriant leaves and shaggy
bark, has a distinct type and holds a place in fine harmony with
other trees. Its fruit is abundant, very sweet and of delicate
flavor ; it is ever the favorite tree of the boys,* when the fruit is
ripe.

* Girls also (?) E. W. L.

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 43

The Black Walnut, a fine vigorons tree, with spreading habit,
the lower branches reaching out in a horizontal position, the
leaves some 12 or 14 inclics long with six or eight pairs of leaflets
on each side, and swaying gracefnlly in the breeze. This is also a
fruit-bearing tree, with large round nuts, not as delicate in flavor
as the shellbark. The Black Walnut ought to be more exten-
sively ]-)lanted, as its many desirable features recommend it for an
ornamental tree, when it can have ample space.

The Birch ( Betula), is a tree of rare and graceful beauty.
The most prominent are the English, Weeping, the Canoe, White,
Black and Yellow. Some of the birches being so common, lin-
ing the very road-sides, and occupying almost all waste spots, the
variet}^ has not been as extensively planted for ornament as it
deserves. Perhaps the first place should be accorded to the
European ; with its shapely form, and tiie graceful sweep of its
pendulous brandies, with its beautifully cut and varnislied leaf
and witli its snow white bark, it must rank Queen of the Birches.

The Canoe Bircli about here is in its southern limit, and does
not attain the same diameter of trunk that it does in more north-
ern regions. I have watched the growth of one specimen for
nearly forty years, until it is now almost two feet in diameter ;
its clear white papery bark giving a marked effect to the trunk,
well furnished with branch and leaf. Where it flourishes it is
truly a picturesque tree, of spreading graceful form, and its
cultivation sliould be encouraged.

The Black Birch, or Sweet Birch, is the very first of the family
that the boy learns to recognize, as he bites the fragrant bark.
The tree has many fine features and is beautiful in its golden
racemes, and airy leaf ; it is deservedly finding its way from the
wild to cultivated grounds, and thrives therein.

Tliere has been recently introduced, I believe from England,
the Purple Birch. Both bark and leaf are intensely purple,
promising to cope with the Purple Beecli. With purple tint and
gloss}' leaf it is conspicuous. I am unable yet to describe its
habit, my own being quite young but of thrifty growth.

The Beech (Fagus). Among the larger trees that may be
recommended for ornamental planting, the Beech, in its variety,
is worthy of more elaborate consideration than this paper will
permit.

If I ever envied a tree, the property of another, it was the
Purple Beech ; and I am not prepared, either for the lawn or for
a conspicuous position in any grounds, to assign the Purple Beech
a second place. It is said to have had its origin in Germany.
When properly grown it has so many desirable characteristics
that no grounds of any pretensions should be without it. I know

44 WOECESTEB COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

of a tree where the lower branches extend fifty feet. In early
spring, when the leaves are intensely pnrple, and when agitated
by wind, on strong sunlight, its brilliancy is unequalled by any
of the tree family, and would vie successfully with any of the
gorgeous tints of other trees in autumn.

The Fern-Leaved Beech is a tree conspicuous for the clean cut
and airy lightness of its foliage ; a very pleasing tree to the cul-
tivated eye, and sure to be marked in any collection as one of
nature's best works in the beeches. Its growth is slow unless
planted in good soil, when it makes a vigorous growth.

The American Beech, found more or less over our northern
regions, is much admired for its singularly neat and airy foliage,
which often adheres to the branches during tlie winter. When
in groups they are deligiitful in their many excellent features ;
always in full foliage, as but few insects injure them.

The Lindens ( Tilia), once so popular, are now much less
planted. The American, commonly called Bass, makes a stately
tree, with large leaf; and in July their flowers fill the air with
delicate perfume.

The Magnolia : A few of them thrive here and are among our
most beautiful trees. The Magnolia Acuminata grows perfectly
well, is profusely clothed with large green leaves, and in June
flowers ; the fruit reseml)ling a small cucumber.

The Magnolia Tripetala^ after the first few seasons of growth,
is found hardy, its beauty being in its very large tropical leaves,
with large white flowers six or eight inches across.

Magnolia Soulangeana and Conspicua : But few, if any, trees
are more ornamental than these, when in bloom ; being filled with
white and pinkfiowers, four or five inches across before the leaves
unfold ; they are particularly well adapted to small grounds.

The Tulip Tree ( Liriodendron tulipifera). The Tulip is a
great favorite on extensive grounds, and being of rapid growth
soon becomes a tall stately tree, with leaves of peculiar cut and
freshness. The flowers open late in June, are fine, tulip shape,
of greenish yellow tint, I have seen trees near Philadelphia with
trunks nearly four feet in diameter. They are, by the way, a
difficult tree to transplant. Then I admire the Gingko or Salis-
buria with all its foreign caste, its Oriental primness and precise
i-egularity of growth and habit, with peculiar shell-like leaves of
pea green. Seemingly bearing the stamp of its native country,
patient and polite.

The Larch (Larix), is considerably planted as an ornamental
tree, its straight stem, pyramidal sliape, rapid growth, and when
old its value for timber, render it desirable. It is also a good

1880,] TRANSACTIONS. 45

tree for slieltcr, its abundant hranches and fine twigs breaking the
force of winds.

The Larix Leptolej^h, or Japan Larch, is quite likely to prove
a valuable acquisition. Tiiough not as rapid in growth as the
European, it is better furnished and more syinmetrical ; the foliage
is longer, and very golden in autumn. It is quite likely to prove
the Queen of the Larches.

There are other deciduous trees worthy of planting, which I
can only attempt to designate by name. Among these are the
Oak-Leaved Mountain Ash, Catalpa, Cut-Leaved Alder, Horse
Chestnut, Kentucky Coffee Tree, Kilmarnock Weeping Willow,
Weeping Beech, Weeping Ash, Wier's Cut-Leaved Maple and
the Purple and Gold Leaved Maples.

Nor will I attempt to elaborate upon that beautiful and indis-
pensable class of trees known as Evergreen, viz : The Pines,
Spruces, Cedars, Cypress, — leaving them for consideration in
some future paper.

It is with diffidence that I now approach the subject of Flow-
ering Shrubs, after the elal)orate essay a few weeks since. Among
the older ones is the Althea, proving a iiardy, free-blooming
shrub in autumn. When planted in grou])s it produces a fine
effect. Tiiere are several sorts, giving variety of color, for late
summer and autumn bloom.

Asia. — The Flowering Almond, the rose and white are among
the earliest to flower, and in great ])rofusion ; closely allied is the
comparatively new Prunus Triloba, mucii stronger in growth
and of great excellence ; the flowers are pink, opening before the
leaf ; it proves iiardy and is a very ornamental shrub.

Europe and Persia. — The Lilac is a large growing shrub, that
rarely if ever dies, — at least I have never known one to die.
When in flower it has no peer for beauty and fragrance.

China and Japan. — The Deutzias are an exceedingly favorite
family ; no shrubs are more profuse in bloom, and none more
hardy.

I mention the Deutzia Gracilis, Crenata, double flowering
white, and white tinted with pink ; the Scabra and Fortunii are
strong growing, with large cupped white flowers in great profu-
sion ; they are readily grown from seed.

The Colutea, indigenous on Mt. Vesuvius, is a fine shrub, with
delicate foliage, and yellow flowers ; the seeds are inclosed in a
bladder, and in themselves are curious and ornamental. The
leaves are pea green and remain unchanged until late autumn.

Europe. — Tiie Daphne Mezorcon is a small shrub flowering
early ; the Cneorum is evergreen, flowers in clusters and is very
fragrant.

7

46 WOECESTKK COUNTY HOKTICULTUEAL SOCIETY. [1880.

The Forsytliia is one of Fortune's introductions from China.
It withstands most winters, and in early spring has yellow bell-
shaped flowers in great abundance.

The Japan Quince. Cydonia Japonica^ is an old and well
established shrub, full of bloom in early spring. There are sev-
eral with different colored flowers.

South. — The Silver Bell ( Halesia). A very handsome shrub,
blooming in May, having white bell-shaped flowers.

Natives of South Atlantic and Pacific States. — Japan. —
Syringa ( Philadelphus ). There are several sorts, prolonging the
season of their bloom of white flowers ; they are mostly fragrant.

Spiraea, are among the larger families of shrubs, some are very
beautiful. They are in bloom from spring to autumn, giving
very great variety of leaf and form, and color of their flowers.
I find a few of them tender, but most sorts perfectly hardy.
Perhaps no greater variety of bloom can be found in any one
family.

China and Japan. — Diervilla. The Weigela, another of
Fortune's China flowering shrubs; there are several sorts, and
all are very beautiful. It is regarded as a great acquisition and
approves itself well over a large extent of territory.

Hydrangea Paniculata Grandifiora; — from Japan, where it is
said to attain a height of 12 feet, and perhaps is second to no
other flowering shrub in its season. It is being widely dissemi-
nated and giving universal satisfaction. The flowers are sometimes
more than 12 inches in length, remaining in bloom a long time,
changing from white to pink and bronze ; grows well in the
shade.

Ghent Azaleas are found hardy and their great variety em-
braces flowers of every shade of color. Their effect, when planted
in groups, is very fine. They are easily cultivated and deserve
more attention. A soil of sand and peat, with leaf mould, suits
them.

Azalea Mollis is of more recent introduction from Japan, their
trusses of flowers are often as large as those of the Rhododen-
dron, are mostly self-colored, with the softest delicate tints.
This is regarded by many who are competent to judge, as the
best hardy flowering shrub cultivated.

The Rhododendron, an evergreen shrub, indigenous to this
country, which of late is receiving considerable attention. There
have been at the rooms of the Massachusetts Horticultural So-
ciety forty-eight varieties exhibited by one grower ; in their
variety, perhaps no flowering shrub is more showy in their season
of bloom ; when under favorable circumstances it attains a height
of 10 or 12 feet. But it is a plant that, to thrive, requires very

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 4:7

favorable conditions ; and thej are often productive of failure
and disappointment.

There are inanj^ climbing flowering plants which are desirable
to cultivate, making a good tit in many places ; among them are
Clematis, in great variety, Akebia from Japan and proving hardy.
Wisteria, Trumpet Flower, Honeysuckle, &c. ; and I could
name many more, but forbear.

With the advance of the genial season those who love and
cultivate trees and flowers will be ever alive and rejoice in the
swelling bud and bursting bloom, proclaiming the season of flow-
ers is at hand. Even the habit of finding enjoyment in these
beautiful plants is worth much ; its scope is further than the eye
can reach, or the reason appreciate and understand.

They are worthy of assiduous and devoted care, and will largely
contribute to the enjoyment and happiness of those who cultivate
them.

Mr. James Draper said the essajnst had been so careful as to
leave no ground for opposition or discussion. He said wide
ground, much study and deep enthusiasm are needed to follow in
his footsteps. The common grower wants to know what he can
plant on his little ground. In Maples the Rock stands first ; the
Beeches deserve more attention ; the American white is good
everywhere, and the purple variety deserves all the praise it has
received. In planting lie advised the setting of small rather than
large trees. He also asked more attention to the White Ash, a
row at the Rice estate on Grafton street being cited as a sample
of beauty. He commended the compliments to the Tulip tree,
and said that here, too, small trees succeed best ; the suggestion
for planting it on a board is a good one. The Althea, if grown
in very rich soil, is hardly a hardy shrub. The Forsythia is not
hardy in all its varieties, but some will do well. The (Jatalpa has
not done well here. He would give a caution against the Irish
Juniper ; it is pretty and attracts every one, but it will winter-kill
one season in three. But there are enough evergreens which are
hardy. Of climbing vines, he spoke of the Arapelopsis Veitchii, a
closely clinging vine which adheres to a common brick wall, as
perfectly hardy. The Magnolias, he said, have the same habit of
root with the Tulip tree, and need careful handling when out of
the ground.

Mr. Hadwen said of the Althea that it is usually hardy after
planting out on high grounds ; it should be cut back when planted
out ; after it is once established it is as stable as the lilac ; many
shrubs once called tender are now hardy. The Scotch Laburnum

48 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

is an instance of this. The Cohitoa is another ; it may perish at
the extreme tip of the twigs, but its flower and seed-vessel alike
make it desirable. The Catalpa, of a hardy variety, is not known
here, bnt there is a tender kind which fails here ; tlie Speciosa is
the one to plant. The Ampelopsis Veitchii is a new Japan ivy,
which is winning friends everywhere ; its rootlet is like a fly's
foot, and will stick anywhere ; it will cling to anything. A good
specimen may be seen on tiie honse formerly occupied by Hon.
C. B. Pratt, corner of Main and Valley streets.

Mr. W. W. Cook said his observation is tliat the Althea is
disappointing only on rich soil ; on dry, rather poor soil, it will
stand, not growing so fast bnt that the wood can ripen. The
Wisteria and the Trumpet-flower also demand a dry spof.

Dr. Flaqg spoke of the Virgilia as another very desirable tree.
He expressed surprise tliat the Althea is a tender slirub ; lie had
known it all his life as a sure grower. He advocated the develop-
ing of native trees and shrul)S, rather than the eager introduction
of new sorts. He also favored the English elm rather than the
American.

The Chairman said the Althea grows on liis grounds with
entire success. He thought for a street tree the Elm can not suc-
ceed here ; it splits down easily, and there are but few really good
trees of this variety to be seen. He could remember when Front
street was planted with Elms, but they are now not very band-
some. The Hock Maple, the Beech and the White Ash are more
desirable, from their better habit of growth. These three are
enough.

Mr. George S. Coe, of Grafton, asked about the Weeping
Elm, a variety with a firmer habit of growth than those on Front
street. Mr. Hadwen said there are several excellent varieties
which have not been named. The Elm will develop if space is
given, but city streets are generally too crowded for their success.
The Lancaster Elms seem to be different from those in Worcester.

Mr. Cook said another objection to the Elm is that it spreads
its roots so far as to prevent any other vegetation.

Mr. F. M. Marble asked for the favorable conditions for the
Rhododendron. Mr. Cook said he had grown Rhododendrons
fifteen years; they were protected in the winter with pine boughs.
The soil is inclined to clay ; peat and sand was mixed in, and the
shrubs always grew well and bloomed freely. He thought they
need protection here in the winter. If sheltered from the sun by
evergreen trees and shrubbery, no other shelter is needed. It
will not do to wrap them up in straw ; they only need shading
from the sun.

Dr. Wakefield of Leicester was introduced and spoke of his

1880.] » TRANSACTIONS. 49

interest in the discnssion. He approved tlie objection a^jainst the
Elm on account of its spreadino- roots; it will go a dozen rods to
find a rich spot, and will steal whatever it can reach. An Elm,
properly placed, is a thing of beauty, and will withstand storm
and ice ; it is only in cramped positions that it fails from these
causes.

REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN.

To THE Members of the Woecester County Horticultural
Society :

In accordance witli the custom of the Society, the Librarian
herewith submits his annual report ; and in so doing, he feels
assured that the members of the Society will find satisfaction in
the fact that the Library continues to be used more extensively
from year to year ; the number of books issued during the year
just closed numbering 440, which is an increase of 35 per cent,
over the year 1879 and 150 per cent, over the year 1878.

Increased facilities for consulting the Library have also been
furnished by the introduction of a Library Table which meets a
want long felt ; and judging from the favorable comments that
have been made in regard to it and from the numbers who have
already patronized it, the Librarian feels warranted in predicting
a much larger use of the Library in the future.

Besides tlie usual additions by purchase of books, your Library
has been furtlier increased by the very munificent gift of 64 vol-
umes of valuable works upon Horticulture and Agriculture, from
the heirs of the late Hon. D. Waldo Lincoln, a list of which is
here given :

The Working Farmer ; vols. 1 to 6 ; 1850 to 1856; by James J.
Mapes. • ♦

Downing's Horticulturist; vols. 1 to 7 ; 1846 to 1852; by A.J.
Downing.

Gardener's Monthly ; vols. 2 and 3; 1860 and 1861; by Thomas
Meehan.

Transactions Massachusetts Horticultural Society ; vol. 1.

The Fruits of America ; vol. 1 ; by C. M. Hovey.

The Horticulturist ; vols. 8 to 1 1 ; by P. Barry.

Hovey's Magazine of Horticulture ; vols. 1 to 5 ; Third Series; 1855
to 1859.

52 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

Hovey's Magazine of Horticulture ; vols. 1 to 3 ; Fourth Series ;
1860 to'] 862.

The Annals of Horticulture ; 1846 to 1850.

The Flower Garden ; 1856 ; by .Joseph Breck.

Studies in the Field and Forest ; 1857 ; by Wilson Flagg.

The Poinological Manual ; 1832; by Wni. R. Prince.

The Fruits of America; 1859; by A. J. Downing; revised by
Chas. Downing.

Chemical Field Lectures ; 1853 ; by Dr. A. J. Stockhardt.

A Practical Treatise on the Culture and Treatment of the Grape
Vine ; 1 848 ; by J. Fisk Allen.

A Practical Treatise on the Construction, Heating and Ventilation
of Hot Houses; 1S51 ; by R. B. Leuchars.

The Farmer's Dictionary; 1846; by Dr. D. P. Gardner.

The American Farmer's Instructor ; by F. S. Wiggins.

Pomarium Britannicum ; an Historical and Botanical Account of
Fruits known in Great Britain ; 1827 ; by Henry Phillips, F. H. S. ;
third edition.

Our Neighborhood, or Letters on Horticulture and Natural Phenom-
ena ; by E^ Bliss; 1831.

An Inti'oduction toSvstematic and Physiolosrical Botany ; by Thomas
Nuttall; 1827.

Familiar Lectures on Botany ; Alraira H. Lincoln ; 1831.

Thiiteenth Annual Report of the Secretary of the Board of Agricul-
ture of Massachusetts.

Fruits of America; vol. 2; 1856; by C. M. Hovey.

Gardener's Monthly ; 3 vols. ; 1862 to 1864 ; by Thomas Meehan.

The Magazine of Horticulture; 8 vols.; 1844, 1845 and 1863 to
1868; by C. M. Hovey.

The Horticulturist; 8 vols. ; 1857 to 1864; by Smith & Mead.

The books added to the Library during the year by purchase
are as follows :

The Window Flower Garden ; by Julius L. Heinrich.

Dictionnaire De Pomologie ; by Andre Leroy.

Revue Horticole; 1877 and 1878.

Annual Report of the Comptroller of the Currency ; 1879.

Department of Agriculture ; Reports for the years 1867, 1868, 1872,
187-3, 1875, 1876, 1877, 1¥78.

Ferns of North America ; by Prof. Eaton ; parts 22 to 27.

Native Flowers and Ferns of the United States ; second senes ;
vols. 1 and 2 complete.

Scribner's Monthly Magazine; Nov, 1879, to April, 1880.

The Illustrated Annual Register of Rural Affairs; 1880.

Vick's Illustrated Monthly Magazine ; 1878 and 1879.

Floral Magazine ; Figures and descriptions of the choicest new Flow-
ers for the Garden and Conservatory ; by Richard Dean ; new series ;
1879 ; large 4to. ; 48 large colored plates.

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 53

Curtis' Botanical Magazine ; vol. 35 ; by Joseph D. Hooker.

Journal of Horticulture ; vols. 36 and 37.

Agriculture of Massachusetts ; 1879 and 1880; by Chas. L. Flint.

Michigan Pomological Society ; 1879.

Natural History of Plants; vols. 5 and 6; 1879 and 1880; by Bail-
Ion.

Success with Small Fruits; 1880; by E. P. Roe.

The Garden ; an Illustrated Weekly Journal of Gardening.

The Gardener's Chronicle ; vol. 13; 1880; weekly journal.

The Agricultui-al Gazette ; an Illustrated Journal for Farmers ; 1880.

The villa Gardener ; 1880.

The American Agriculturist; vol. 39; 1880.

Gardener's Monthly ; vol. 22 ; 1880 ; by Thos. Meehan.

Country Gentleman ; vol.45; 1880.

Vick's Monthly Magazine; 1880.

Wild Flowers of North America; with Illustrations from original
Water Color Paintings ; by Isaac Sprague ; Text by Prof Geo. L.
Goodale, M. D., of Cambridge ; parts 1 to 12.

Flore Des Serres Et Des Jardins De L'Europe ; Tome 22 ; by Louis
Van Houtte; 1877.

The Book of Ensilage ; by John M. Bailey ; 1880.

All of which is respectfully submitted.

CHARLES E. BROOKS,

Librarian.
Hall of Flora,

November 3, 1880.

AMUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

To THE Members of the Worcester County Horticultural
Society :

If ever the Members of a Society might justly indulge in mntiial
felicitations, snreW those belonging to the Worcester County
Horticultural may do so at the close of their latest official year.
With numbers augmented ; with action animated by a fervent, if
discreet enthusiasm ; with the burden upon our financial state
continually lightening; with our Hall in sound repair, in popular
demand, and of steadily increasing value; is it not our right to
claim due credit for a proper use of the talent committed to us ?
Have we not, by precept and example, " advanced the Science "
of Horticulture ? Have we not, by Lectures and Discussions, —
free to all, without favor or price; by Exhibitions equally open,
of choice specimens of Flower or Fruit, " encouraged and im-
proved its practice " ? We have no quarrel with other branches
of investigation : with the various, diverse methods wherein the
huraau mind wanders, often losing itself, in search of truth.
Every fact in Natural History is of aid to the inquiring Hor-
ticulturist. What Insects are predaceous and what beneficial ?
What Birds are f rugivorous ? and which, if any sufficiently insect-
ivorous to compensate for their conceded mischief ! These are
questions in whose apt solution we have a deeper interest, — that
of the pocket, — than those to whom they are but the problem of
a leisure hour. The cultivation of the Earth commenced in a
Garden. Thither, let us trust, as our knowledge of good and evil
pefects itself, it will revert. Then, — when the spade shall sup-
plant the plough ; when exact industry shall succeed wasteful toil,
and the careful harvest of an acre surpasses the slovenly yield
from large fields ; all shall be satisfied, each shall have enough

56 WOKCESTEE COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

and to spare, every man sliall pluck from bis own vine and fig-tree,
Nature itself shall bloom and bourgeon ; and in that millennium,
where premiums are unknown and committees cannot intrude,
the Horticulturists of Worcester County shall recognize Eden
regained.

Your Trustees decided, at their Anmial Meeting, A. D., 1879,
to hold a series of meetings, upon successive Thursdays through-
out the winter, then imminent, for the consideration of matters
affecting Horticulture in its manifold and multiform relations.
The duty of selecting suitable topics ; and of obtaining competent
persons to deliver prefatory essays ; was at the same time dele-
gated to the Committee of Arrangements and Exhibitions. The
list of topics is recited, here, for permanent record, and to avoid
future, vain repetition :

A. D. 1880.

January 29. Exhibiting and judging Fruits and Flowers.

February 5. Mainires and Fertilizers.

" 12. Growing and Marketing Small Fruits.

" 19. Window Gardening and Winter Flowers.

" 26. Out-Door Flowering Plants.

March 4. Orchard and Vineyard Fruits.

" 11. Does Horticulture Fay ? And How ?

" 18. Trees, and Shrubs, for Ornamental Purposes.

The attendance at those meetings was large, sometimes
thronged; and always sucii as to excite the astonishment of gentle-
men from the metropolis, who seemed not cpiite aware of the
attractions of Horticulture to people with whom it was not
merely a holiday pastime. The audiences, composed in fair pro-
portion of either sex, came to learn from those who miglit be
presumed masters of their chosen subjects ; and, in most cases,
it is believed that those hopes were not disappointed. Inquiry
was challenged ; and discussion ensued, when interest had been
aroused. Conflict of opinion, where it does not degenerate into
political or religious bigotry, is ever wholesome. The air is clari-
fied ; prejudice is dissipated ; novel truths find wider acceptance ;
and the faith, delivered to and jealously guarded i)y the saints as
an exclusive possession, is no longer rejected by the sinners. The
great Apostle of Democracy ;* — of perhaps the most philosophical

* Thomas Jefferson.

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 57

inind among all the statesmen hitherto produced in onr Republic;
boldly declared that " Error may lie safely tolerated, so long
as Reason is left fi"ee to combat it " In the informal discus-
sions among our Members there must, of necessity, be much
crndit}^ of thought and even more incertitude or inelegance of
statement. Sometimes they are weighted down to bathos by
ponderous expression ; and then again they provoke to levity,
even as the sparks fly upward. But, throughout all, is current
the clear stream of Truth ; now diverted ; at times obstructed ;
occasionally roiled for the wolf by the lamb at the fountain-
head ; nevertheless rippling over the rocks, sparkling in the
sunlight as it eddies along, swelling always in its course and
finally merged in the ocean of serene and undisputed faith. We
could not anticipate and did not secure unanimity ; but curiosity
was appeased ; utter ignorance inforuied, or put upon inquiry ;
and the average will or craving for instruction satisfied by such
a harvest of experience as is seldom thi-eshed out from similar
sheaves.

The largest measure of credit attaching to the inception and
prosperous conduct of that series of meetings belongs to Vice-
President Hadwen. He was indefatigable in his efforts to procure
essayists of knowledge and worth ; scouring the State in the
search for them ; allowiiig them no respite until they consented
to his request; and seldom, even then, relaxing his grip until he
had seen them fairly inside the Hall of Flora. Without his
earnest co-operation, it is not too much to assert that the whole
effort must have measurably failed. This tj-ibute to his efficiency
and zeal is but just. And it is paid, all the more heartily, that
justice is not always awarded in this world ; — and he might not
elect to await it — hereafter !

Throughout the entire period of time, occupied by those Essays
and Discussions, mind and body were alike active and usefully
employed. And baby hands, or feet, as your Secretary can
gratefully attest, bore witness during the wintry days to the deft
skill of the nimble lingers that had kindly supplied their tiny
covering. The hum of the spinning-wheel, in our households,
may be hushed forever. But the Knitting-Needle ! fit emblem

58 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

of feminine tenacity and thrift ; shall it not flourish and multiply
SO long as woman l)nds and l)lo()ms !

The practice of holding Weekly Exhibitions, adopted by your
Trustees as a settled policy, after mature deliberation, is justifled
by its results. The examination of specimens, whether of flower
or fruit, was somewiiat hampered by the formality of set meetings
in the earlier months of the calendar j^ear. But, of tlie excellence
of those specimens, shown in com})lete maturity, there could be
but one estimate among competent judges. The interval between
th<ise Exhil»itions was not so wide as to interfere with or prevent
com])arison ; whereby alone can tlie gi'adual or intermittent pro-
cess of development be noted. Ampler opi)ortunity is thus
aflbi'ded for the introduction of new vai-ieties by the. pioneers in
their discovery and cultivation. It is only the simple truth to
state that never, since the org^mization of this Society, have our
Halls accommodated such brilliant and tasteful displays of Flow-
ers and Plants. A pretty rigid enforcement of the Rules, —
established in the interest of all, — has tended to educate the eye
and guide tlie iiand ; thereby conferring an ultimate beneflt upon
some who might at flrst object to the exaction of such unbending
conformity. Yet, — if " Order is Heaven's first law," — it surely
should not be our last. Precision of definition or requirement
tends to the education of crass ignorance and equally to the
refinement of trained taste ; without which, in realization or
prospect, those who, like your Secretary, have inhaled from in-
fancy the sweet fragrance of bud and blossom, would not sufler
their names upon the Committee. For, of all things utterly dreary
and desolate, that whicdi must be deemed forlorn, beyond rivalry
an(i without parallel, is a cultivation that promises no return ; —
a harvest whose apples have no savor but of Sodom.

Nor were you deprived of the chance of contrasting what you
had gained with — that which you had chosen not to retain ! Tlie
New England Agricultural Society held its usiuil Exhibition of
Flowers, Fruit, Photographs, and Parlor Organs, in the early
days of September, which was skilfully organized and profitably
conducted. But you must have noticed that, save for the finan-
cial results, the success of even such an Exhibition is scarcely
commensurate with the enormous waste of time and toil that it

ISSO.] TRANSACTIONS. 59

imperative!}' requires. Ai\y close ol)serv!ition of it, in detail,
becomes impossible from its very bulk. Objects that would be
worthy of notice are lost in immeTisit}" ; and the commonplace
attracts attention because of its omnipresence. Committees are
obtained with difficulty to undertake a task of such appalling-
magnitude ; and, when obtained, find it impracticable to concen-
trate articles of merit ; or to approximate, at all closely, their
relative degrees of excellence.

Our own Weekly Exhibitions, rigidly confined to specimens of
unquestionable superiority, latterly taxed the whole time and
strictest attention of their Committees. Faith that there would
be something worth seeing jjrevailed in the community ; and our
Halls were thronged, as never before, by an eager and interested
crowd of witnesses. It is a pleasure, in itself, to labor for such a
consummation. We have now a plane of achievement wherefrom
to measure. Our aim may be full high advanced ; but, with a
continuance of such enthusiasm and zeal as inspired our Members,
during the season just past, it cannot be impossible of attainment,
however exalted. Shall we content ourselves with aught less
than absolute excellence ? It rests with yourselves. Gentlemen
and Ladies of the Society ! to determine.

The unusually mild Winter, followed by a Spring dryer than
ordinary, was favorable to the development of every form of
Insect-Life. Then, if ever, was the time for the Birds, — objects
of cockney or girlish adoration, to vindicate their fair repute and
show some good reason for a legalized existence. The whole art
and science of Chemistry is exhausted to reduce, in whatsoever
measure it may, the infinite swarms of our Insect-Foes. No one
stops to reflect that arsenical poisons may prove no more deadly
to the Doryphora decemlineata than to the parasite which saps
his life. No one appears to care whether the Turdus migratorius
impales upon his merciless beak insect-friends, or foes, of man.
The country is kept in a perpetual turmoil because Four Million
Negroes will not — as did Three Million White Men, a century
since, — hoe their own row ! Agitation is ceaseless because Woman
has not her Rights, — Heaven save the mark ! Man making no
perceptible fuss as he packs the burden of his wrongs on a back
galled to the quick. The Earth grows fat, and laughs, with her

60 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

bounteous harvest ; and we are complacently pointed to the count-
less slieaves, or profusion of fruit, as tlie direct consequence of
Republican election or Democratic free-will and foreknowledsje
absolute. Tlie very iiairs of our liead are numbered and the
matter of least moment to man is of some account in the Divine
economy. But the caucus — the stump, — and the fat snug sine-
cure, are the successive steps and ultimate measure of Yankee
concern ; — whicli finds but slight incentive in an occupation that
developed a Cincinnatus, — a Phocion, — a Washington ! And the
politician, — in the General Court, — is full-fledged — that is all !
He has moulted ; his featliers are glossier and newer. But, for
any benefit to the Commonwealth, he might better have left a
vacuum ; the abhorrence of nature would be the same in his
presence or absence. The common concerns of life disturb not
him ; l)ut rather who shall be ganger or tide-waiter, at the foot
of State Street. Agricultural Education may perish for aught
that he cares ; it will be none of his funeral. During the can-
vass,— his hair will he full of hay seed. At the State House,
where he finds himself nn'splaced by the chances of the political
roulette, (a square peg in a round hole ?) as the Horticulturist
appeals to him for relief from legislation that discriminates
against himself, he elongates his ears — the latest step in evolu-
tion,— flattered at hearing kindred tones in the raucous cry of
the Turdus migratorius or the dissonant shrieks of his congener
— the felivox.

Any one can compel or obtain a hearing, — possibly gain relief
or redress, — save only Horticulturists, who would fain have the
grain and fruit crops of the country protected from rapacity and
waste. These Reports have steadily contended that the benefits
claimed from the in-lawing of Birds, — assumed to be insectiv-
orous,— are, if at all actual, grossly exaggerated. At the risk of
exhausting your patience, I have translated an article from the
Revue Horticole, wherein the writer tersely, efi^ectually, it may
be hoped finally, disposes of the whole shallow sentimentalisra.
Hereafter, with the bird as with the quadruped, let it be — "Root,
or Die !" But listen to the French savant, as formulating his
views, he declares that

" 1st, — Birds are only gathered in flocks, greater or less, at the

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 61

periods of their migrations, in Autumn and Spring ; that is to say
wlien most insects are infinitely less numerous than during the Sum-
mer. At other times, they live in couples, usually scattered, but sel-
dom in cultivated grounds ; while insects invade in swarms the trees
which they wish to attack, — the products of the earth of which they
aie foes.

2d, — Birds destroy enormous numbers of insects : but, of those
insects, many are of no consequence ; others are eminently useful ; and
the species actually noxious, compared with the aggregate, are so
slightly reduced that the birds, though making a great consumption of
these little creatures, aid us but little. They even injure us, — many
of them devouring our fruits, as well as the grain sown in the earth, or
harvested ; and all of them destroying multitudes of insects that, as
flesh-eaters or parasites, render us great service.

3d, — The insects whereof we have most to complain, are, — some
large enough to defy birds ; others (and these are usually the most
formidable), too small to attract their notice ; still others of too dis-
gusting a flavor to excite their appetite ; many are nocturnal, and con-
ceal themselves by day, with that instinct of self-preservation which is
as well developed among them as among the larger animals ; or, keep-
ing motionless, do not reveal themselves to the eye of the bird which
easily detects and greedily pursues insects on the wing or in motion.
Some live under ground, or in dwellings ; all are endowed with a
fecundity that astonishes even the imagination and which, in all cases,
is such that man, in spite of his utmost assiduity and perseverance,
even in garden cultivation, cannot relieve himself from them, — often
cannot free his house from them, — may I not say — a single room in
his house ?

4th, — Cateipillars and worms, — the chief woikers of mischief,
usually live concealed under ground, beneath the bark of trees, in the
depths of the woods, in the stalks of plants, in fruit, — in places that
are inhabited. They are concealed or protected by silken webs and
yield but a slight tribute to birds. Those which are developed in the
open air, are generally bristling with a skin that repels attack ; some
are nocturnal and disappear before dawn ; their very minuteness pro-
tects others.

When we reflect upon these considerations — the fruit of experience ;
when we would subject them to a rigid scrutiny, with the desire, if
possible, of finding them unfounded ; nevertheless without precon-
ceived ideas and with the intention of knowing the truth ; I doubt not
that you will adopt my opinion and that even those who are most par-
tial to birds will admit that they had not thought Of all this. For
myself I am so thoroughly convinced that I dare, without presump-
tion, to challenge contradiction and to defy criticism.

But, you will say, — cannot the cultivator expect any help but from
himself? I have already declared, at the outset, that the ability of
man to contend with Insects is strongly doubted : and that it has been
the inadequacy of his efibrts, the careful observation of facts, which
have forced this painful conclusion at the very time that there was
9

62 WOBCESTEE COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

most faith in tlie efficacy of human intervention. Now, — when from
all sides we are invited to the war upon insects ; and Nature is ran-
sacked to supply us with some means of defense frofn their ravages; I
proclaim the impotence of man. And I say that, — happen what may,
and generally speaking, — it is indisputable that man has not, from an
Agricultural point of view, any effectual means of preventing the inva-
sion of Insects, or of compelling them to fly — never to return."

With more, characterized by the same French charm and
felicity of expression, tliat might be profitably repeated here, did
time allow. You observe what stress is laid upon the fact, obvi-
ous to all save those who having eyes see not, — that Birds are
omnivorous and not at all discriminating in their appetite. This
position, so often assumed in these Reports, has been thoroughly
demonstrated by Professor Forbes of Illinois, upon the pages of
the American Entomologist : —

" Investigating the contents of Twenty-eight (2H) Brown Thrushes
( Turdus rvfiis), Thirty-seven (37) Cat Birds (Turdxis fellvox), and
of Forty-one (41) Kobins (Turdus 'migratorius), he found their food
largely made up of insects. He carelully exannned all those insects,
and, knowing their names, character, and habits, discovered the hith-
erto unsuspected* fact that the family of Thrushes is inordinately
destructive to beneficial m^eoX^. Of 150 Thrushes examined, 46 per
cent, had taken those useful insects known as Carahidae ; while of
194 birds of other families only 5 per cent, had eaten them," &c. &c.

We may be powerless against Insects, as the French savant
declares : but the sense of impotence, as concerns them, should
not make us so idiotic as to foster, hy legislation, the health and
long life of our natural foes. Beneficial insects have neither
bloom, nor song, to commend them; yet, throughout tlieir insig-
nificant and outlawed existence, they cease not to toil and spin in
our behalf.

In a reproof addressed, by one of the Minor Prophets to the
People and Priests of Israel, for their manifold iniquities, he
chiefly and bitterly denounces them for that " they have de-
voured their judges." In this Nineteenth Century, they are
called Committee-Men ; but, equally as in the ages before Christ,
are those who devour them "hot as an oven." Speaking for the
Floral Committee of this Society, it may not be impertinent to

* The statement is too broad. The "fact" had often been asserted, was
always suspected, and, by Professor Forbes is at last demonstrated beyond
peradventure. E. W. L.

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 63

saj that while they can endure abuse, tliey do not hanker after
it ! The gentlemen whom you appoint to serve you, in such capa-
city, are presumed, from the mere fact of their selection, to he tit
for their place. If not a too violent presumption, — might they
not be credited with honesty of purpose and integrity of action ?
" To err is human ; " and the Members of your Com-
mittees are but mortals. Nevertheless, spending hours at a
time in an attempt to apportion strict justice to all concerned
(can it be possible that this is what is least wanted ?j they should
be held exeuipt from the wanton imputation of corrupt decisions,
or motives, at the bare prompting of individual chagrin. None
would concede, more readily than your Floral Committee for the
past year, that their superiors might be caught by going out into
the highways and compelling them to come in. But the high-
ways were not thus raked, for A. D. 1880 ; so that Flora, to
establish her church, was constrained to choose her deacons, if
not the whole congregation, from such material as she could find
handy. They may not have been, it is true :

*' Sugar and Spice
And everything nice : "

But neither were they

" Rats and snails

And puppy-dogs' tails."

Simply genuine men, and true horticulturists ; of whom some
flatter themselves that they know how to grow flowers, and others
remember how flowers have been grown, for fifty years. Set
against this tiie narrow conceit which leads each or all to fancy
their own plants pre-eminent ; confront a straiglit forward pur-
pose with the passionate rivalries of sex ; keeping ever in mind
that, while there would be no excuse, there can be no occasion for
partiality ; and who will fail to exclaim with the great epic Poet
of our Mother-Land, —

" He that has light within his own clear breast,
May sit i' th' centre, and enjoy briirht day :
But he that hides a dark soul, and foul thoughts,
Benighted walks under the mid-day suu;
Himself is his own dungeon."

64 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

Probably none of yon wonld " work a free horse to death,"
But did you ever stop to think of the tasks that a Floral Com-
mittee must assume ? In judging between exhibits, for instance,
you insist that the specimens shall be " annual, biennial arid all
herbaceous." Your Schedule calls for a stand of " Annuals,"
exclusively. Perhaps you insist that a display shall consist of
" distinct varieties." Now, it would never do for a Committee
of the Worcester County Horticultural Society to confess them-
selves at a loss, — no matter how abstruse or occult the proposi-
tion. Yet so eminent a Florist as Shirley Hibberd admits his
inability to determine what is a species ! But hark ! to a dozen
women when, with assonant clack and as fast as their tongues
can wag, they insist that their particular bloom in question is
annual, — is herbaceous, — or is of a distinct variety ! It seldom
matters much if the Committee were unanimous and wholly posi-
tive ; exceptions are taken, all the same, and a jury of appeal is
quickly formed from sympathizing tales-women. Which, besides
being entirely out of place, pleases nobody, earning neither pre-
mium nor gratuity.

Now in what way shall the mode of making awards be altered
and improved ? It is assumed that the terms of the Schedule will
be defined in as clear and precise phrase as our language allows.
There will not always be time to ransack the dictionary ; as
indeed there ought never to be any need of so doing. Besides, —
the wells of English pure and undeliled are not invariably those
wherefrom the botanist draws refreshing draughts. Noah
Webster and Sir Joseph Paxton may not think alike ; and how
shall men define accuratel}', if they do not think correctly? Asa
Gray and Leonard Worcester might live in the same town for
years ; but what would be the ordinary acceptation of a word to
the Lexicographer might fail to convey any intelligible sense to
the learned Professor. Horticultural terms, after all, like others,
must be defined ultimately according to their common acceptation
among those who use them. And, in their official interpretation,
the decision of the Committee should be received as final, —
without cavil or protest.

It has been suggested that awards might be made, in future,
through a Committee consisting exclusively of females. Among

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 65

the incontestiible rights of tlie sex, — in this Society, is that of
becoming Members by compliance with a very simple condition.
It is claimed that an advantage would follow upon such an entire
revolution in our. practice. For that the harmony which so
strikingly illustrates the opinions and actions of Woman — in a
collective capacity ; like the notorious concord among musicians ;
would facilitate decisions and insure unanimity in their adoption.
Your present Committee, exclusively male, — althougli its Mem-
bers are upon the best of terms with each other, is generally
divided in judgment. A change in its constitution, however
radical ; — even to a degree that should involve the substitution of
one sex for the other; — might be worth the experiment, if simply
to secure the absolute agreement of all instead of the rule by a
bare majority. If it be objected that, all being competitors, no
decision would be rendered, since each would naturally prefer her
own ; the answer is obvious and sufficient, that competitors are
not excluded from male committees. Also, tliat if men are con-
tent with a Committee constituted as suggested, women cannot
possibly so impeach the character of their sex for fairness as to
allege, if only by implication, that the}' are naturally incapable of
framing an impartial award.

As little alteration should be made in the Premium-Schedule
for Flowers, Plants, &c., as may comport with your better judg-
ment. It is so much gained, — to have a definite and fixed
proposal, under which Committees and Competitors have once
acted, and whose terms have become reasonably intelligible.
Most of the assignments for A. D. 1880, were found to be
seasonable : a piece of extreme good fortune in a very exceptional
year. But it is worth your serious consideration, whether it is in
the interest of an honest and true Floriculture, longer to encour-
age what are technically termed Floral Designs ! If regarded
merely as an arrangement of Flowers, a basket or bouquet better
answers the purpose ; — and without hypocrisy. For the rigid forms
of the glass-blower or iron-founder, however worthy of premiums
at a Mechanics' Fair, constrain the eyes and hands too rigidly to
meet the easy and graceful requirements of one who would dis-
play her individual taste. Let those who will impose a cross
upon the mortal remains ! or attempt to anchor the fleeting soul !

66 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

If anywhere appropriate ; — upon onr tables, and in tliis Hall
dedicated to the advancement of Horticulture, they are but mere-
tricious ornaments. Be it our choice, rather, that nice sense of
fitness which revels in the proper collocation of colors ; in the
gradual shading or strong contrast of tints so cunningly contrived,
during the season just past, upon many a Thursday, in bouquet or
vase, in basket or stand. Hang your harps upon the willows, if
it so please you ! But when you would display catkins in the
Hall of Flora, leave the harps in suspense !

One of the ablest men that Worcester County ever produced,
in an address before the Worcester Agricultural Society, long
years ago, specified the sub-division of small towns (why not
large, as well ?) into countless religious societies, as a serious
cause of their decline in prosperity and thrift. United, — they
could keep in repair the roads, usually hilly and therefore costly
to maintain, which led to and from the meeting-house: besides
being able to make their worldly ends meet. Split into discord-
ant and warring factions, their burdens multiplied as the strength
to bear tiiem became dissipated ; so tliat, at length, man grew
querulous from perceiving that his sieve would not fill, and God
might well complain that He was robbed of the devotion of a
whole heart. Worship grew languid, and Religion, under the
mask of Theology, ceased to exert a wholesome influence. The
warning of David Henshaw fell, like the Scriptural seed, upon
stonv ground. Sects continued to throw off' swarms, and endured
a starveling existence at the cost of the Towns which, from that
day, have steadily receded in population and wealth. Yet the
harvest multiplies: the laborers tramp around, with that barrel
of old sermons, to fresh fields and pastures new, the response
falling upon our ears, like a knell, in a monotone undying and
never-ending, — The Heathen are at your own doors ! Your
Secretary had not supposed that there could be any strife be-
tween the disciples of Christianity and the devotees of Flora.
Yet, what else save ignorance, which surely cannot be predicated
of any one in this Commonwealth of Meeting-houses, could in-
duce a prominent member of this Society to exclaim, — in re-
sponse to a suggestion that the habit of cavilling at the awards
of Committees would lead her to dispute the Final Judgment ?

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 67

"The Final Judo-ment ! What is that?" Was the statesman
right ? And must Flora indeed become a party to the irre-
pressible conflict between God and Mammon ?

The question is often raised, — what is the difference between
an Amatenr and a Professional Florist ? With a slight change
of names, as from Florist to Gardener, — the subjoined classifica-
tion of exliibitors by the Oarrlener'^s Chronicle^ (Eng.), would ap-
pear to be sufficiently definite :

" As used in reference to country vshows, the designation ' Ama-
teurs ' is understood to apply to persons who manage their gardens
themselves, or with more or less assistance from a jobbing gardener or
garden laborer, and who do not systematically derive pecuniary advan-
tage from the ))ursuit. Gardeners, properly so called, are either nursery
gardeners, maiket gardeners, or gentlemen's gaideners ; the latter
being employed by private individuals to undertake the management
of their gardens for them.

No rule or description can be understood to be of absolutely uni-
versal application : but exceptional cases should be dealt with equita-
bly, on their own merits, by the managing committee at the time."

Points arc often mooted that seem to be snggosted and influ-
enced by a querulous spirit of casuistry. Such, and all others
as well, are best settled by the application of sound common
sense and a rigid impartiality.

The Small Fkuits were displayed in their usual plenty,
throughout the Summer. A protracted drought, during the
period of bloom, materially diminished tlie crop of Strawberries.
As they were ripening, frequent and timely showers came to the
aid of the grower, enabling him to save a fair yield of excep-
tionally perfect fruit. The experience of each year but confirms
the imperative warnings of the past that, for absolute success in
the production of the Strawberry, irrigation in some form is
indispensable. The plant may stand with its feet in water or
it may luxuriate in the cool moisture derived from a heavy mulch.
There may be patches of ground that, from peculiarity of soil or
conformation, will answer the purpose naturally : but, as our
vernal seasons have chanced, latterly, the average cultivator
must have something else to depend upon than the tickle skies of
May or June. It is a satisfaction to note that this truth is appre-

68 WOECESTER COUNTY HOKTICULTORAL SOCIETY. [1880.

ciated ; and is to be acted upon by some of our enterprising and
wide-awake members.

Many new varieties have been introduced, in recent years ;
and a large number of tiiem, A. D. 1880, upon our tables,
illustrated the ambition of our local pomologists. Tastes differ
so extremely that it can be hardly worth the while to descant
upon their qualities. He who grows for the market may be
trusted to look out for his own interest, and. will require no
guidance in determining what will suit the palate of his cus-
tomers. But this Society does not consist of market-gardeners.
And the large majority : — whether desirous of purchasing a choice
kind, or of cultivating it themselves, at greater cost and uncer-
tainty of any return ; may well ask if aught has been developed,
since the Wilso?i was discarded, to surpass the Charles Doioning
for general good quality and adaptation to circumstances, or the
TrioTUphe de Gand and Jucunda for special excellence when
treated in such manner as to meet precise requirements. May
we not go further, and fare worse?

A paragraph in the Oazette^ of this city, under date of June
12th, ult., will afford an inadequate idea of the demand for the
Strawberry, as an article of food or relish, in Worcester and its
close vicinity ; while, at the same time, it indicates how vast are
the possibilities, in the future, for the market-grower who will
devote both patience and skill to his work and be content with a
reasonable profit upon his investment : —

" Some idea of the popularity of the Strawberry as an article of food
in this city, may be gained from the fact that the wholesale dealers
during the last week liave been handling from 7000 to 8000 quarts per
day. This does not include any native berries, a considerable quantity
of which have been picked and sold."

The most of that large quantity of berries were small, but
partially ripened, — not over clean ; and were certainly not com-
mended to a taste^ in the least degree fastidious, by the manner
in which they were " deaconed " upon arrival. In fact, a person
is not required to be fastidious, to feel qualmish over the employ-
ment of wooden tooth-picks in the selection of tempting speci-
mens for the apposition of a top layer ! However, the demand
was greater than the supply — deserved. And the local crop,

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 69

as soon as it was tit to be gathered, controlled the market.
Whether the price obtained was generally remnnerative can only
be inferred from the fact that those vvlio liave been longest, and
most lai-gely in the business, are extending rather than curtailing
their operations. If our people could only be induced to regard
and treat fruit, — the Strawberry especially, — as food, there need
be no limit to the crop that would be wanted. Sometime, in a
not remote future it is to be hoped, this truth will find common
acceptance, — that the Esquimaux diet is only adapted to the
Esquimaux climate: and that greasy steaks, from obese Short-
Horns, are about the last morsels that a sensible Yankee should
put under his waistcoat during our July suns. With plenty
of choice Strawberries snugly tu(;ked away, one may feel that
same sense of absolute content which tiie fashionable lady
remarked was unattainable from religious conviction, and as
only to be experienced from the knowledge that she was per-
fectly dressed.

A recent writer upon " Success with Small Fruits," publishing,
at excessive cost, a very excellent work in which much that was
known before is shrewdly and well sandwiched between later
facts and theories ; when treating of liasphenies, remarks that:

"The Fastolff, Northumberland Fillbasket, and Knevett's Giant,
are fine old English varieties that are found in private gardens, but
have never made their way into general favor."

That those varieties are not widely cultivated may be true
enough. But has not the cause of that neglect been ignorance
of their very existence ? Your Secretary, — -whose eyes are not
alwa^'s closed, — lived for years unconscious that there was such
a berry as the Northumberland, although the late D. Waldo
Lincoln was growing it, the whole time. After it had been
transplanted to his " private garden," and its fruit been exhibited
upon your tables, you are able to judge whether it *' made its way
into general favor." No finer display was ever seen than that
perfect array of specimens from Clean street, part oidy as they
were of the famous yield which, A. D. 1880, once more vindi-
cated the soil and signalized the skill of our associate.* Ask

* Frank J. Kinney.
10

70 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

him, not whether the' Northumberland Fillbasket has been, but
if it ought to be, widely grown ?

Again, — the same writer says, currente calamo, that " the Belle
de Pallua and the Hornet are also French varieties that in some
sections yield tine fruit, but are too uncertain to become favorites
in our country." How, where, and by whom was that deter-
mined in regard to the Hornet ? The experience, to the very
contrary, of (.Trimes & Meyer, of Pittsburg, Pa., was quoted by
your Secretary, in his latest Report ; and also the testimony of
Thomas Meehan to the enormous crops that he had but just seen
in Germantown. Your Secretary cannot yet speak with thor-
ough assurance : some degree of reserve becoming one in his
official position. But he can at least state that he is so well
pleased with the Hornet, so far as tested hitherto, that he has
enlarged his plantation of it, slightly to the restriction of other
approved varieties. Its history and character are described by
Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, who writes of it, and of another
variety, as follows : —

"Boston, Feb. 22, 1880.
Edward W. Lincoln, Esq.,

My Dear Sir : —

Your kind favor is in hand. In regard to the Raspberries, Hornet
and Souchettii Blanc (or White Transparent), I would stale that I im-
ported them from France, some Twenty years ago and have giovvn
them ever since in my giounds. They were produced from seed, by
Charles Sonchet, near Paris, and put in trade about the year 1855.

The Hornet is a very strong, vigorous grower, and nearly hardy,
but not safe here in some winters without covering. Its fruit is of
the largest size, of a dark crimson color ; its flesh quite firm and good,
but not of the higliest chnracter. It is productive, not early, but re-
mains a long time in the season of ripening.

The Souchettii Blanc, or W^hite Ttansparent, is a healthy, good
plant, and produces most abundantly. The color of its fruit is a very
pale yellow, almost white ; its form is long, thimble shape, parting
freely from the bush at maturity ; and, if not allowed to remain too
long before picking it retains its shape and makes a handsome dish.
Its flavor is not up to the Brinckle's Orange, but it is a very valuable
variety for constant supply.

Most truly your friend,

Marshall P. Wilder."

The influence of the scion upon the stock, or conversely, of
the stock upon the scion, — is it all a dream ? Or a serious truth,

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 71

hitherto scouted, but deserving thorongli investigation ! Perhaps
nothing is actually demonstrable. But did any one anticipate
Gravitation until the apple fell at tlie feet of Newton ? Our
learned associate, — the Editor of the Gardeners' Monthly, copies
from the Gardener'^s Chronicle^ (Eng.) :

"A White Doyenue pear, which had borne nothing but worthless,
cracked fruit, for years, having three years previous all its upper
branches grafted with Autunui Berganiot, the lower branches of the
White Doyenne being suffered to remain. A sprout of Marie Louise,
growing just below the point of union, was overlooked in the grafting,
and bore, last year, clean, perfect fruit ; all the rest of the tree being
cracked and worthless as before."

And comments thus: —

" The most probable influence in accounting for this is, that this
shoot had received its conditions of health from the Autumn Berga
mot above it."

The conclusion is not inevitable, since a check in the develop-
ment of a tree, imposed by the excision requisite for grafting,
might of itself have such results. Yet what say other observers
who, having eyes, see ? Take the Belle Lucrative, for one case !
almost destroyed by the Blight; but which, grafted with the
Washington, has since betrayed no signs of disease, whether
in scion or stock. And then the Glout Morceau, — double
worked, — which yielded one good crop of superior fruit and
thereafter blighted every year! Grafte 1 again with the Josephine
de Malines, there has been no blight since the fortunate union.
Was this an example of the reflex action of the stock upon the
scion? Or did the scion control the stock? Was it "Natural
Selection," — or merely an instance of — I don't know !

Yet again, — scions of Glout Morceau grafted into the Law-
reyice, have so far continued, for years in succession, to make a
thrifty growth, without symptoms of disease in the wood of
either variety. True, — unlike the other cases cited, this tree has
not yet borne fruit. But are fecundity and the Blight insepara-
ble ? Does a tree ever blight that is barren ? Or, unless and
when it is set full of fruit ! In which case, may not its decline
and death be attributable to exhaustion, caused by a lack of
proper nutriment in the soil, itself, impoverished by an unbroken

72 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

succession of ravenous crops ? The poet represents the prhicely
philosopher of Denmark as reminding- his friend, —

" There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in our philosophy."

We planted our Pear-trees in virgin soil and gathered from
them in profusion. Stable-manure, wood-ashes, soap-suds, refuse
lime, or wool waste, one and all were returned to the earth, as
fertilizers, when obtained ; and, so long as obtained and used,
there was fruit in abundance, while the Blight was unknown.
After the waste of fertilizing substances, coeval with, or conse-
quent upon the inroad of sewers, ensued emanations poisoning
the atmosphere that, lethal to man, may well result in vegetable
atrophy and death. We might have our choice of theories, were
they worth election. Rejecting them, — how shall we decide the
conflict of inconsistent facts !

After all, if a really good Winter pear should prove impossible
of attainment, we must console ourselves with the knowledge
that one, at least, of the Autumnal varieties is re-appearing, here
and there, after a long interval, in more than pristine excel-
lence. The St. Michel, — a tradition to most of this audience, —
as lately shown from Linden Street and the Bloomingdale Road,
more than justifies the faith of yore : and exemplifies, as nothing
else could, so well, the final perseverance of pomological saints.

The growth of fine Pears, in this County, is not difficult : and
there is no reason why a journal,* widely circulated among our
farmsteads, should convey such an idea. " A sheltered location
is of the highest importance. If it is not furnished naturally,
then it should be done with close hedses, and high board fences.
The land should also be thorouglily underdrained." It would be
interesting to learn how many of the Members of this Society
have planted their trees, or are now cultivating tliem under such
conditions ! An orchard, upon the promontory of Nahant, must
not be suffered to stand for an example to the pomologists of
Worcester. Boreas seldom breathes in zephyrs : but who shall
say that there is not health in the blast, and that, cool and
bracing, it does not benefit the tree, rendering it sturdier, and,

* The Massachusetts Ploughman.

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 73

to some extent possibly, ridding it of insects ? The Blight ? we
know not wlij it comes, nor what its origin. And yet the air,
like the blood, stagnates when its motion is arrested ; and stag-
nation at the last, is snrely death. Why not as well attribute
that mysterious disease to the stoppage or poisoning of circula-
tion, impeded on every side by lofty buildings in villages and
cities, whose erection and emanations check and infect the life-
giving curretit of the atmosphere so that they can no longer
bring " healing on their wings !" There had to be clearings to
make room for the first Orchards ; and it is now too late in the
day to claim that Orchards should be girdled with a forest, as a
pre-requisite to their successful growth. Have we not already
enfeebled them by too much tenderness of treatment, — impair-
ing the constitution of a tree, whose wood is of proverbial
tougliness ; and whose longevity, where man has not sapped its
conditions, exceeds memory if not tradition ? Whose land, — of
those who listen to me, — is " thoroughly underdrained ?" Is it
not the truth, — and the whole truth, — that a thrifty pear-tree,
set in a hole sufficiently capacious ; properly set at that ; amply
manured for food and well mulched for drink; will do for us
what it did for our fathers ? Return a larger yield of fine
fruit than we can consume, at home ; or find a convenient market
for, abroad ! "Hedges, liigh board-fences, and thorough under-
drainage " for those who like ; and who have more money than
they know how to waste otherwise. Let us be content, — neither
discouraging nor rejecting experiment, — if we can continue to
produce, in the old way, such specimens of the Cornice, Duchesse^
and Sheldon, as were exhibited, in this Hall, on the seventh of
October ult.

The Duchesse de Bordeaux commends itself, as a late keeper,
and was approved as of at least fair quality, throughout the last
Spring. That it will meet the demand for a late Winter, or
Spring, pear, — may be doubted, because of its quality. On
account of its unsettled rank; and to obtain information for some
wlio desired it ; your Secretary was induced to address a letter
to Mr. Barry which, with his reply, and the comments that it
made imperative, are ir.corporated in this Report : —

74 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

"WoRCESTKR. County Horticultural Society.
Hall of Flora,
Worcester, Mass., Feb. 3d, A. D. 1880.
Patrick Barry, Esq.
Dear Sir : —

Have you settled down to a decided estimate of the merits of the
pear — Duchesse de Bordeaux? I have the impression that it has not
maintained itself in your judgment. With us, — after a partial, possibly
too limited, test, it is assuming rank as a good, Winter Pear. That
may not be extravagant praise, — you will perhaps say : but how many
varieties — and what are they — will you venture to rate so high ? I am
often asked to recommend a Winter Pear. Since the Glout Morceau
succumbed to the Blight, I will confess to being in a quandary.
What do you advise, — and upon what grounds?

I remain, very Respectfully and Truly,

Edward W. Lincoln,

Secretary."

" Mount Hope Nurseries,
Rochester, N. Y., Feb. 10, 1880.
Edward W. Lincoln, Esq.,

Secy Worcester Co. Jlort. Society,
Worcester, 3Iass.
Dear Sir : ******

The Duchesse de Bordeaux pear is so difficult to ripen, and when
ripe only Aa(/'-melting, we have concluded to drop it. We have it
now, fresh and handsome.

Have you Duhamel du Monceau? At present moment this is fine.
I will have one or two sent to you. Josephine de Malines is still in
good order and is good enough. The tree is not quite the thing, but
is sound and healthy. A good way to get it is to graft on a good
grower.

We had d'Anjou at our meeting Jan. 28th, in the finest condition ;
also Winter Nelis. and Jones's Seedling, &c. I would advise you to
get the last named, if you do not already have it. Lawrence too is
excellent up to New Year.

Truly yours,

P. Barry."

"Worcester County Horticultural Society.
Hall of Flora,
Worcester, Mass., Feb. 21st, A. D. 1880.
Patrick Barry, Esq.,
Dear Sir : —
The pears — Duhamel du Monceau — were received in good order,

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 75

but did not impress us very favoiably. Nor did it seem to us that it
was in them, — so to speak. Of course we are familiar with Josephine
de Malines and, especially, Lawrence : but, peihaps owing to the
season, they have been out of date for a month. I presume that a
proper fruit-room would preserve them.

I doubt very much if a first class Winter Pear exists. One, for in-
stance, that would rank among pears, as among apples do the Baldwin,
Roxbury Russet, and Northern Spy. But others ask for such a pear,
and I was sure you would be familiar with it, were it in existence.
The Beurre Easter was long since abandoned : it was so difficult to
ripen.

A really good, late Winter Pear would be a ' handy thing to have
in the house,' in those alternate years wherein the assurance of seed-
time and harvest does not hold good for the Apple-Tree.

Excuse me for troubling you, and accept the annoyance as a penalty
inevitable upon pre-eminence in Horticulture.

Yours most sincerely,

Edward W. Lincoln,

Secretary."

The newer Pears are not jet perhaps fully tested. One of
your Trustees ; — alike eminent at the Bar and in the Senate-
Chamber, as well as facile princeps in a political convention ;
has likely pronounced the doom of one variety, by citing the
adverse opinion of a \a.dy. She thought of the Souvenir du
Coiigres, as is reported of the Englishman feasted at Nahant ;
who summed up the merits of a eiiowder by the pithy remark
that "he had eaten worse things but — not much!" But our
distinguished associate should remember that, although his fruit
was elongated, its name was abridged : and that, if an adjective
modified tlie character of the Congres Pomologique, it could
possiblj' qualify otiier assemblies of a similar genus.

Your attention was called to tlie Bonne du Puits d' Ansaxdt^
in the Report for A. D. 1879, because of its exaggerated nomen-
clature. The variety has been introduced, on account of its
repute, by those who would " prove all things and hold fast to
that which is good ;" but it is not yet known by its fruits.
Among those who are testing it, for your ultimate benefit, may
be mentioned Deacon Lovell, of West Boylston, whose Grapes
are slightly inferior to those borne from Eschol ; and another,
whose aspirations, if soaring to the title of Deacon, are forlorn

76 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

enougli. Of that Pear, — there is the following description by
tliose wlio disseminate it : —

"Bonne du Puits d'Ansault — Andre Leroy, 1865. medium size;
melting ; juicy, and very fine-grained. One of the finest in quality of
all newly-introduced foieign pears ; fully equal to the best Seckel.
Tree moderately vigorous. September."

High praise that, from Patrick Barry ! and what he should
have weighed well before proclaiming so widely. " Fully equal
to the best Seckel !" Have you ever seen such, or do you expect
that you ever will ? I put that upon record, here and now, that
you may refer to it when the variety can be tested. For other-
wise, how can you appreciate the keen perception of him who
sees what eye hath not seen ; or hold to his full measure of
responsibility one who assumes that which no man hath yet
proved !

Of '-'- Earles Bergamot^'' A. D. 1880, nothing further can be
declared with confidence. Owing to some unexplained reason, it
was not exhibited, at its maturity, by our associate,* who alone
has perfected it, as he alone preserved it. In response to a
request that he would furnish some specimens for your inspec-
tion, Mr. Townsend stated that he had none remaining, — as it
.had been gone for a week at least. Others of your members
have scions growing ; and from them a report may be expected
in due lime.

What sliall we do with our Apples ? is a cry that increases in
intensity with each recurring harvest. Some have felled their
Orchards: — an effectual, but quite idiotic method of avoiding the
trouble that comes from having too much of a good thing. In
Vermont, they have learned how to convert cider into jelly: the
next step in the process, and one that is equally successful, being
the conversion of the jelly into Massachusetts dollars. But
palliatives only soothe : they are not remedies. Why shall we
not find a market for surplus Apples as well as for Corn and
Cotton ! Already, a large commerce has sprung up, that prom-
ises ere long to make the Mother Country an eager customer for
that staple fruit, as she ever was of those other essential products.

*Mr. Velette P. Townsend, of Quinsigaraond Village.

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 77

A late newspaper item represents one of our Vice-Presidents'* as
filling an order, for apples, from Florida. Some forty (40) years
ago, the late Gov. Lincoln shipped a barrel each, of the Baldwin,
and Roxbury Husset, to a son, in the Federal Army, who was
then stationed at Tampa Bay. They were wrapped separately,
packed with care and tightly ; and were received in a perfectly
sound condition. While the shipment of our Apples, southward,
is not a new experiment ; it is yet true that it has never become
a settled practice. Still, there would seem to be no reason why
a profitable trade might not thus be developed. What would be
Winter Apples — grown here — mature in late Summer, or early
Autumn, if cultivated at the South. Besides they are apt, from
the rapidity with which they mature, like the pears of California,
to be deficient in flavor. Facilities of inter-communication have
so improved, recently, that the Apple can hardly be classed
among the perishable fruits. Certainly it is durable enough to
traverse the paths of the Banana and Orange.

The Taxes upon your property, for the year 1880, were paid,

under Protest. When so much of both Beal and Personal

Estate is exempted, which not even the largest charity can admit

to be emploj'ed for religious or scientific purposes; your Finance

Cmrwiittee could no longer submit in silence to what must only

be regarded as an unjust discrimination. It will rest with your

Trustees to decide whether to continue payment, awaiting a

more convenient time for the recovery at law of the sums paid :

or, to summarily decline payment, leaving it with the Courts to

determine if the Legislature or the Civic Assessors are the

better judges if Horticulture is a " Science !" The General

Statutes of the Commonwealth exempt from taxation

" The personal property of literary, benevolent, charitable, and
scientific institutions incorporated within this Commonwealth, and the
real estate belonging to such institutions, occupied by thera or their
officers for the purposes for which they were incorporated. "

Under that provision, property amounting to Two Millions,
Eight Thousand and Four Hundred Dollars ($2,008,400) : con-
tributes nothing to educate our children, to enforce our laws, to
defend our lives, — to protect itself ! Of all the Associations

*V.-P. Hadwen.
11

78 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

incorporated to "advance science," tlie Worcester County
Horticultural Society only bears its share of the common bur-
den. " Milh'ons for defence, bnt not a cent for tribute !" was
the cry of our fathers. Shall we tamely submit, longer, to such
wanton injustice ?

The Statutes, — which exempt from Taxation — " houses of
religious worship," — strive, in a feeble measure, to protect the
tax-paying Issachar, by the saving clause that

" Portions of such houses appropriated for pui-poses other than re-
ligious worship, shall be taxed at the value thereof to the owuers of
the houses."

How many dollars, think you, will the City Treasury derive
from that source? which, were the spirit of the law observed,
should be so rich in returns? You may imagine that no "por-
tions of such houses " are mis-" appropriated." Possibly, your
innocence is justified. And yet it sounds somewhat strange,
reading over the programme of a course of Lectures announced

to be delivered in the " Chapel of the Church," on the

"Lyric Poets in their relation to Music." Goethe, and Burns;
Scott, and Tennyson; Longfellow, and Moore; join hands on this
new Walvurgis Naclit; but the Witches-Dance is transferred to
the House of God ! For the sum of One Dollar and fifty cents
($1.50), the chronic hunger after righteousness might be harmo-
niously appeased " during the season :" or, if you only craved
the waters of life at a " single admission," thirty-five cents would
be required, as you assuaged your thirst to the pious tune of

" Believe me, if all those endearing young charms."
Was there ever aught like it, since that avatar of the new dis-
pensation when, after some QmXxQvaQ pirouette of Ellsler, Margaret
hugged Ralph Waldo in her ecstasy, exclaiming: — This, indeed,
is Poetry ! the Sage replying, in calm self-poise, No, Margaret !
it is Religion !

Impose " burdens grievous to be borne " upon Horticulture,
for its deficiencies as a " Science," Bnt " temper the wind to the
shorn lambs" of a chapel wherein, for gain. Little's songs are
accompanied

" To the Dorian mood of flutes and soft recorders !"
The taxation of other people to maintain a worship that we are

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. 79

too pennrioiis to support, out of our own pockets, comes nigher
to making " bricks without straw" than aay invention of late
centuries. God must be hugely pleased with such vicarious
generosity ; and find Divine satisfaction in awarding an eternity
of bliss to those wlio are so lavish of substance — not their oion !
President Wilder has announced that, if health and life are
spared to him, tlie Eighteenth (ISth) Session of the American
Pomological Society, A. D. 1881, will be convoked in Boston.
In his Annual Report, A. D. 1879, your Secretary, anticipating
such a contingency, " suggested for your seasonable considera-
tion, whether it might not be courteous and eminently proper
for this Society, to ask that one day be set apart for a visit to
Worcester." Reflection, and consultation with many of your
number, have satisfied me of the wisdom of that advice. True, —
we can not show our visitors such princely estates as those of
Messrs. Hayes and Hunnewell. But we have land and water
scapes that God made, and man, to iiis credit! has not marred.
Here is a Hall, all our own, wherein to receive them ; and a
Library, comprising the hoarded wisdom of ages, — yet valued
more as the priceless means to an inestimable end. And —
beyond and before aught else, a membership of men and women,
enthusiastic and intelligent ; encouraged by what they have
already accomplished, yet regarding the sum of their achieve-,
ments as but an incentive to further activity and research.
Were it the bearing year, — so called, — it might be possible to
prepare a worthy display of Apples. Town shows, the Weekly
Exhibitions of our Society, with the miscellaneous agglomeration
at the Rink, — each and all confirm a life-long faith that, in the
growth of this chiefest of all fruits ; palatable in Summer as the
Astrachan or Worcester Spy ; rivalling the Peach, in Autumn,
as the Gravenstein; or crowning the joys of Thanksgiving, and
" Love's Young Dream," at Sewing-Bee and Sleigh-Ride, with
the Habbardston Nonesuch ov Mother; Worcester County has
no competitors to dread. And, supplementing the whole, we
can proffer a hospitality for which Worcester was always cred-
ited : that has never failed, in the history of the town ; and
which needs but such an occasion to prove that the hearts and
hands of the sons are as warm and open as those of the sires.

80 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

The acceptance of an invitation from ns wonld impose responsi-
bilities for which it might he well to prepare in advance, by the
appointment of a competent Committee, and the delegation to it
of adequate and suitable authority.

Had your Secretary reflected for a moment, upon the nature
of the duty vt^hich he imposed upon himself; a duty required by
110 rule, and whicli deference to unbroken custom did not then
exact; it is doubtful if tliis series of Annual Reports would
have been commenced. Public favor has kindly welcomed them,
and your direct partiality has stamped its seal of approval.
Perhaps as a record of development from year to year; a
review of the steady progress that has been made in " advancing
the science and encouraging and improving the practice of Horti-
culture ;" the labor spent in their preparation was not in vain.
Nor — even as an incentive to continued and further efl:brt toward
the ultimate attainment of perfection ; — that final goal of horti-
cultural saints ; — may they be esteemed wholly fruitless. Never-
theless,— their entire scope and tendency could not be thus
restricted : and therefore it is that your Secretary feels that he
would, have shrunk in dismay from the task, had he anticipated
into what dark and shadowy paths it would, all too frequently,
constrain his reluctant steps. For it has not been his good
fortune, always, to treat of new flowers or fruit ; to describe
some rare acquisition; or to comment upon those strange or
eccentric forms whereby Nature consummates her processes and
evolves new species, or genera. But, almost invariably at the
close of the year, to call the roll of our lessening associates,
following them into the deepening gloom, with only the melan-
choly satisfaction of embalming their memory and rehearsing
their virtues. Writing a necrology is but a dreary task, however
so much it may be a labor of love. These portraits upon our
walls are inaudible voices from the grave. But who was there,
if not your Secretary who knew them from his childhood, to
speak to you of Green and Chase ; of Champney and Draper ;
of CoLTON and Ripley ; of Jaques and Paine; of Lincoln (Levi),
Thomas; or either Earle ! And now that the arrow of the
insatiate archer has struck home, once more, shall the voice of

1880.] TRANSACTIONS. I

fraternal affection he Imslied in this Hall, thfft '^\^tnesscs oui;-~^
Annual Meetinij; for the iirst time since the death of Daniel r-'i
Waldo Lincoln ! ''^' C >> ^'^V • I

Jastlj eulogized as he was at the mortuary gatherings of "^^Z
Municipal, or Business Corporations, which had latterly almost
monopolized his energetic devotion ; and perhaps too exclusively
claimed, at the recent Fair of the New England Agricultural
Society ; I should be false, alike to his memory and to myself,
were 1 not to assert, in this presence, that, above all, he was a
Horticulturist ! From the time, almost a half-century ago, when,
a mere lad, I was trusted to pass the buds with which he was
perpetuating all choicer varieties of the Peach : — until, but a few
weeks since, he was inquiring with deep interest about the
Azalea Mollis, just then blooming for tlie first time in Elm
Park. Throughout tliat entire period, — of Fifty years in dura-
tion,— his tastes inclined him, as undeviatingly as the needle
points to the pole, to our favorife pursuit. Diverted from it, as
he necessarily was, of later years, by engrossing occupations, he
was never insensible to the attractions of those rarer flowers or
fruits, whereof the enterprise or skill of man has, recently, been
so prolific. An inherited responsibility was nobly upheld ; and
no citizen of Worcester, qualified to judge, could tell from the
appearance of the homestead, that there had been a death or a
succession. If an eye, more than ordinarily observant, could
detect any change, it would have been in an obvious tendency to
the consolidation of forms and varieties in harmony with
synchronous fashion.

Mr. Lincoln's taste for Horticulture was innate. And his
associations, from maturer youth, conduced to the development
of his natural inclinations. Sitting at the feet of Dr. Oliver
Fiske, — that Gamaliel of our local Floriculture and Pomology, —
he early became familiar with the traditions of the fathers ; and
acquired the practical knowledge which that kindly old man was-
happy to in) part to those for whom he took a fancy. Of D?'^
Fiske it was, that William Lincoln thus wrote in his History of
Worcester :

"From this period," (A. D. 1821), "an increasing defect in the
sense of heaiing, induced him to retire from busy life, and devote Lim-

82 WORCESTEK COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

self to the pursuits of horticulture and agriculture, those employments,
in his own graceful Ian guao-e, 'the best substitute to our proarenitors
tor tlieir loss of Paradise, and tlie best solace to their posterity for the
evils they entailed.' The results of that taste and skill in his favorite
occupations, early imbibed, ardently cherished, and successfully culti-
vated, have been freely and frequently communicated to the public in
many essays, useful and practical in matter, and singularly elegant
in manner."

Of how many varieties of Apples, Peaches, and Pears, accumu-
lated by the good Doctor, do we owe our knowledge to that little
Nursery, formed with liis own liands by Mr. Lincoln upon the
ground now covered by the estates of Joseph Mason, Esq., and
Ex-Gov. Bullock ! The writer well recollects what pains he took
to gather peach stones ; requesting people to save them, and
going in person to collect any considerable quantity of wliich he
was advised. His stock, budded from sound trees of the red
and luscious Rareripe, the early and late Melacoton ; and widely
disseminated from the perfect trust reposed in his integrit}^, did
much to preserve these varieties — than wliich none have since
been found superior, — in local cultivation. Were the same
method adopted now ; — would it be too much to hope for like
or equal results ? With pits from, sound fruit, and buds from
healthy stocks, — what should prevent the County of Worcester
from enjoying the Peach, once more, in superabundance ? Once
in a generation, mayliap, occurs a frost to which the very trees
will succumb. Such was the case A. D. 1860, but that extrem-
ity of cold was equally fatal to the Cherry and Quince. With
health, no fruit-tree is hardier than the Peach : and with
unhealthy trees Mr. Lincoln, knowingly, had nothing to do.

Few men have lived, in this communitv, more sternly guided
by an inflexible sense of duty. Once convinced of the right
thing to do, in an emergency, and he never shrank from doing
it, — no matter at what personal inconvenience or loss. Twice in
his life — all too short for the pul)lic good, — was this markedly
the case. As Representative to the General Court, he voted to
equip the Cushing Regiment for the Mexican War: knowing
right well that, for so voting, he would forfeit the suffrages of
his constituents and be denied the customary re-election.
Twenty years later, — he maintained the indefeasible right of

1880.] TKANSACTIONS. 83

the people to the uriinterrnpted use of Main Street, against
corporate usurpation and a singular individual arrogance that
had hitherto brooked no opposition to its selfish will. His
sturdy independence cost him the Mayoralty : — possibly as great
a loss to the city as to himself. For the services that were
valueless to the public were eagerly sought by the great Railway
Corporation, in whose active direction he continued through life.
Most truly did the stone which the builders rejected become the
head of the corner ! The future historian of Worcester will
award him tliat justice heretofore withheld ; and, vindicating his
memory from the charge of disloyalty, too eflfectually used to his
prejudice by his cunning opponents, as a cloak to their own
selfish purposes ; record the fact that, all this time, he held the
written thanks of John A. Andrew for his zealous co-operation ;
and that, so long as he was Mayor of Worcester, that great
Patriot and Statesman reposed the chief est faith and reliance
upon him of all the Municipal Officers of Massachusetts.

More especially was Mr. Lincoln thorough in what he did, or
undertook. He seemed fully possessed of the axiom ; — if you
are indifferent, send ! if you would succeed, go ? Whatsoever
was to be done, he did himself, if possible ; and what " his hand
found to do he did it with his might." In Horticulture this
enured to his benefit ; as it will profit all who follow the example.
For, in those early days, when Horticultural Societies were in
their infancy, if formed at all ; and the great European Nurseries
had gained but narrow repute ; it depended upon the man him-
self whether diligence and skill should merit and obtain appre-
ciation. That Mr. Lincoln was thus successful, where many
failed, needs not to be stated here. But unexpected testimony
to that effect was borne from abroad, by Mr. Wood, of West
Newton (so pleasantly known to you), who mentioned to your
Secretary, during the late New England Fair, his coming to
Worcester with his father, some forty -five years ago, to procure
trees from a nursery that could be trusted. The location which
he pointed out was that original one, about the intersection of
Elm Street with Linden, and which has been heretofore indi-
cated.

Of his devotion to this Society, what could be more eloquent

84 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTDRAL SOCIETY. [1880.

than our simple Records? In which from the commencement,
until the doleful close by that festal river, there is scarcely a
page whereon his name is not obvious as of one suggesting new
themes and methods of improvement. Succeeding liis Uncle
William, lie became a Trustee, A. D. 1841, and thenceforward,
to the day of his death, was at your beck and call in whatsoever
position you might elect to make use of him. As Chairman of
Committees, — whether of Nomenclature ; or as a judge of the
rarer varieties of flower or fruit ; as Vice-President, and subse-
quently President, until his voluntary retirement ; and for the
entire Forty years, either by election or ex-officio a Trustee ; he
was ever ready to render service where you placed him. As
Chairman of a Special Committee, he reported, January 29th,
A. D. 1862, in favor of the removal of the Library of the Society
to this Hall ; a' recommendation which you wisely sanctioned.
He was the first to advise the inception of that system of Weekly
Meetings, for the discussion of Horticultural topics, which did so
much to arouse our own Members : an example that, lately
imitated by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, has been
equally vivifying to that venerable body. Apt of perception
and prompt to act, his counsels were ever sagacious. Were
other proof lacking, — this very Hall, which he was swift to sug-
gest and in whose erection, as one of your Committee, he took
such interest, would furnish ample evidence.

Of the direct services to the Horticulture of Worcester
County, rendered by Mr. Lincoln, there is not space left for
their recital. I have already spoken of his opportunities to
obtain and preserve varieties collected by Dr. Fiske. When
that Garden and Orchard was broken up, Mr. Lincoln was
careful to get all that was worth having : thereby doubtless
perpetuating much that must have been lost without such dili-
gence and knowledge. He was not accustomed, in his latter
years, to pride himself upon a somewhat virulent attack of the
Morus MulticauUs fever. But as one who was permitted, by
especial favor, to feed his silk-worms, your Secretary may be
suffered to remark that the disease ran its course, the patient
fully recovering ; while worms, mulberry-trees, and prospective

1880.] TKANSACTIONS. 85

profits, simultaneously vanished as a rapidly dissolving mirage.
Petroleum, nor silver, could be more delusive.

Hearing of that gorgeous novelty from the Amazon — the
V^ictoria liegia, — he visited Pliiladelphia and, obtaining a young
plant, with some seeds also, was fortunate in developing it to its
ultimate perfection. Of this enterprise, our learned associate
remarked in the Gardener's Monthly for September nit., that
" Mr. Lincoln was, we believe, the next after Mr. Calcl) Cope to
undertake the culture of the Victoria Lily in this country."
Few, of this present audience, were privileged to see tliat Lily,
as then exhibited. Though procured and cultivated at consid-
erable pecuniar}' loss ; and at much greater personal incon-
venience; it was yet remunerative to him from the admiration
which it aroused and from the new interest that it api)eared to
impart to Horticulture itself. In whatsoever would dignify that,
he counted nothing amiss.

But, while never given to boasting, he yet did take a modest
siiare of credit to himself for the introduction in this vi(;inity, of
the Northumberland Fillbasket Raspberry ; and of the Beurre
d'Anjou, and Washington, Pears. Speedily winning favor, when
first tested, they have not been surpassed as yet by any of
their newer and pretentious rivals. Mr. Lincoln's thoroughness
has been mentioned. Perhaps it maj- be as appropriate here,
as elsewhere, to state that, finding errors apt to happen from tiie
confusion of tongues, he constrained himself to the mastery of
the French language ; long after his collegiate instruction had
become rusty ; that he might be able to corres]">ond in their
vernacular with MM. Andr(5 Leroy et Fits. Even then he could
not escape imposition ; — not necessarily designed on the pai-t
of. his correspondents. For just what and how nianj' of the
varieties, wherewith our Gardens and Orchards have been
enriched, we who survive have been indebted to him for their
introduction, can never be known. But it is perhaps not too
much to assert that, if it had not been for his intervention, our
local landscape would have possessed fewer charms, — our Gardens
and Orchai-ds far less attractions. Since he esteemed at its true
worth all that was tasteful and lovely. Not restricting himself
to the growth of Fruit, however palatable : but seeking out and
12

86 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1880.

collecting, for wider dissemination, tlie flora of remote regions,
that others might share in his own enjoyment of natural beauty.
And so lie died! under that First sun of July which, by a
strange coincidence, had greeted tlie nativity of tliree* of liis
nearest kin ; and slied its fatal rays upon the dying hours of yet
another! than himself !

" The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jernsalem :

What profit hath a man of all his labour, which he taketh under the
sun?

I made me great works ; I builded me houses ; I planted me vine-
yards.

I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all
kind of fruits.

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on
the labour that I had laboured to do : and, behold, all was vanity and
vexation of spirit. * * *

Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better than that a man
should rejoice in his own works ; for that is his portion ; for who shall
bring him to see what shall be after him ?"

All which is respectfully submitted, by

EDWABD WINSLOW LINCOLN,

Secretary.

Horticultural Hall,

Worcester, Mass., J^ov. 3, A. D. 1880.

* A daughter ; a sister; a sister-in-law. f A sister-in-law.

TEANSACTIO:^S

OF THB

WORCESTER COUNTY

HOimCULTURAL SOCIETY

P^OR THE YEAK, 18S1.

COMPRISING ESSAYS AND REMARKS, '

AT STATED WEEKLY MEETINGS;

ALSO, THE

ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE LIBRAHIANV

AND OF THE

S E C R E T A R Y .

PRESS OF CHAliLES HAMILTON,
311 jSIain Street.

1881.

NOTE.

The Committee on Publication insert in this volume of " Transac-
tions" all of the Essays which they were enabled to procure. It is to
be regretted that even abstracts were impossible of attainment, in some
instances, which would do justice to the themes as treated. Such was
notably the case with the remarks of Secretary John E. Russell, on the
Flora of Central America.

E. W. L.
Hall of Flora,
December, A. D. 1881.

INDEX.

PA«K.

CllKMlSTUY S0METHTN<T BUT KOT EvKRYTIIING IN AGRICULTURE, - O

SodiK Experience in the Culture of Hak'dy Koses, - - H

The Cultivation ok Small Fruits, _ _ . - 18

House Plants for Winter, - ------ 29

^^2sthetics o^ Earth Culture, ------ 38

KiRORT ok the Librarian, - _ _ - _ _ 51

Repoht ok the Secretary, - - 53

WORCESTER COUNTY

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

A. D. 1881.

Chemistry Something but not Everything in Agriculture.

By Professor Charles 0. Thompson.
Before the Worcester County Horticultural Society, January 13, A. D. 1881.

[abstract.]

Chemistry has done great service in the world and has made
more valuable contributions to the happiness of man than any
other science. The improvements in scientific metallurgy alone
give chemistry a very high place. Wiien confining itself to
the laws of dead matter, this science works accurately and
usefully ; but our knowledge of the processes of life is so limited
and inexact that any attempt to guide any of the practical arts
that depend upon the vital forces by the dicta of a physical
science alone must be vain.

Whenever science comprehends the principles of any set of
phenomena, a trustworthy prediction of results can be given in
any case ; as, for instance, the efi'ect of carbon turning iron into
a steel is so well known that the quality of the steel can be pre-
dicted from the percentage of carbon in it ; a chemist can speak
with certainty of many similar phenomena in tlie treatment of
metals ; but when he is asked to plant and fertilize corn so as to
insure a crop he liesitates, because unknown and unmanageable
conditions enter into the problem.

Farmers have put too much reliance on chemical fertilizers,
and liave found out tliat chemistry alone is an uncertain guide in
practical agriculture. In the reaction from this conclusion there
2

6 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

is danger that tlie advantage of chemistry in agricnlture will be
under-estimated.

Dr. Playfair's translation of Liebig's great and useful work —
Chemistry in its Relations to Agricnlture and Physiology— awak-
ened many hopes that were destined to disappointment. In this
country, the New York Ti-ibune following the suggestions of
Liebig's book gave too much countenance in its invahiable agri-
cultural department to the notion tliat a farmer can tell by a
chemical analysis of his soil just how to treat his crops.

At this time, seventy years since the era of Liebig's Chemistr}'',
all opinions seem to agree that chemistry is a valuable auxiliary
to agriculture, but cannot claim to be its leader. As one wise
man called theology " sanctified common sense " so good agri-
culture is instructed common sense. But chemistry has done
some service to agriculture and will yet do much more. The
nature of fertilizers has been effectively investigated, and more
recently that of feeding stuffs — the latter being the theme of a
valuable book just published by Dr. Armsby of the Connecticut
Agricultural Station at New Haven.

As to soil, the physical conditions are quite as important as the
chemical, and, for this reason, the chemical analysis of soils taken
by itself fails of being a sure guide to the proper treatment of
soils. Take Feat as an illustration : at first, the fact that it con-
sists largely of carbon was taken as proof of its value as a fertil-
izer. It was applied fresh from the pit, with disastrous results,
and was of course abandoned as worthless. The reaction was
as unreasonable as the first position ; for a close study of the
physical properties of this substance shows a vast capacity for
storing water, and when it is freed from deleterious acids it is
very useful on leachy soils as a reservoir for water. A proof of
this may be seen on a sharp slope in the Free Institute grounds,
where I have succeeded in producitig a good durable turf on a
bank of hard pan and gravel by laying down first two inches of
dry peat, then two inches of compost, harrowing in the grass
seed and rolling. It is specially noteworthy that there has been
no wash from the foot of the slope. The grass close up to the
limit of the fertilized slope seems not to receive the least
encouragement from it.

Again, in the matter of nitrogen compounds Dr. Armsby has
shown that the soil does absorb free nitrogen from the air and
prepare it for plant food ; i. e. the soil acts first physically I)y
absorbing the nitrogen into its pores, and then chemically by
putting this absorbed nitrogen in shape for the nutriment of the
plant. This explains the importance of keeping all soils light
and porous by frequent stirring.

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 7

The great danger in the use of chemical fertilizers lies in our
forgetting that these are stimulants more than fertilizers, and
the exclusive use of tiiera will soon make an inevitable and
natural limit. Used loith natural fertilizers^ which maintain
the supply of humus and help keep the soil porous as well as
contribute to its fertility, chemical fertilizers are very helpful.

But whatever may be said for or against tlie practical appli-
cation of chemistry to agriculture, two great points can be made
in its favor as a disciplinary study in the training of men who are
to be farmers : 1st. It cultivates the faculties which the farmer
needs more directly and efficiently than any otber science ; viz.
close and accurate observation, sound classiiication, correct
reasoning from observation and a devout recognition of the
binding force of natural laws.

2d. Chemistry is the only science that has at the present
moment any chance at all of solving the perplexing but fascinat-
ing problem of the connection between life and matter. How,
where and when the atoms of dead matter slip from the control
of the ordinary molecular forces and group themselves under the
higher generalship of the vital forces, are questions which
chemistry will one day solve. Tliey are questions of the higliest
dignity and importance, and an observant gardener or farmer is
likely to study them to the best advantage. He has this
encouragement, that, so far as we now know, plants hold the
secret that we should all be so glad to get.

Some Experience in the Culture of Hardy Roses.

Bt William H. Spooner, of Boston.

Head before the Worcester County Horticultural Society, Jamiai-y 27, A. D. 1881.

The" remarks on the subject of the Rose and its cultnre, and
the sugg-estions which I sliall offer you, have been gleaned from
experience derived from personal observation in planting, tend-
ing, nourishing and comparing, and the results of such labor and
attention. Tliere is probal)ly no plant so popular or so univers-
ally admired as the Rose, nor one of easier culture, and in none
have greater improvements been made in beauty and variety
within the last fifteen or twenty years. We frequently hear it
said that the climate and soil of England are better adapted to
the Rose tlian our own ; undoubtedly her humid atraospliere and
less scorching suns are an advantage in favor of the production
of exhibition flowers.

But when we look at France with her lighter soil and brighter
sun, and see the immense product of her Rose farms, particularly
in the south, where such quantities are grown for commerce in
the famous Lubin distinct, what may we not expect for our own
country, even with its bright sun and dryer atmosphere? Under
these conditions, humidity must be obtained by, artificial means,
and our most accomplished cultivators are rapidly mastering the
art. If our warmer sun is a disadvantage, still it makes the sea-
son longer, and we saw as fine, or perhaps finer, displays of roses
last season in August, as in June ; I think the time is not far
distant when a rose show of some kind can be made every montii
in the year.

It is generally supposed that to attain even a moderate measure
of success in tlie Rose garden, all advantages of soil, scien-
tific appliances, etc., are essential, but the amateur will find very
satisfactory results, even when these conditions are not carried
to great perfection.

The soil of my garden is not particularly adapted for the
growth of Roses, being a light loam with a gravelly sub-soil, yet
from tliis apparently uncongenial source, we succeed in growing
a great many very good roses. I am not an advocate of the

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. "

deeply trenched or snb-soiling system in the preparation of the
ground, considering it entirely unnecessary. One of the most
successful Rose growers in the vicinity of Boston has improved
a poor sandy soil, and adapted it for this purpose by spreading a
liberal dressing of a kind of marl or clay found in most sand
banks in layers, and by allowing the action of the frost upon it,
it was then readily worked and proved just the requisite addition.

My system of planting was very simple at the outset, the land
being already in a good state of cultivation. First, preparing
myself with a well rotted compost heap of horse manure, the
space assigned for the plants was covered with a portion of the
compost, spread broadcast, and then thoroughly ploughed in.
I may mention here tliat I have at other times made use of
hen manure mixed with about one-third soil, and consider it a
good fertilizer for the rose. The ground was then laid out in
rows three feet apart, and the same distance observed between
the plants, the holes for their reception were prepared by throw-
ing out the soil to the depth of one spade from each, then tlirow-
ing in two or three forks full of manure thoroughl}' incorporating
it with the soil to the depth of tlie spade, and then all was ready
for the plants.

My plants are all the so-called dwarfs, worked low upon the
Manetti stock, which I prefer to the Prince's or Seedling Brier,
as it seems better adapted to my light soil. I judge the latter
variety may be better suited to a stronger or clayey soil; at any
rate, all the plants I had worked upon this stock have died. My
plants were imported and not received until about December 10th
after the ground was closed, so that I was obliged to keep them
in snug winter quarters, bedding them carefully into a frame, pro-
tecting tliem very closely with leaves, and covering the frame
with boards. They came out in splendid condition in tiie Spring,
and were planted with hardly an exception to successful growth ;
which result has led me to prefer the Spring for planting in our
uncertain climate, and I have continued to make small experi-
ments of the same kind yearly since my first venture. Having
cut back tlie plant to two or three buds, the stock should be
planted with tlie collar, which is the intersection of the bud with
the stock, about two inches under the surface, and the soil pressed
very firmly about it ; the latter point I consider of the first im-
portance, in fact it is one of the principal keys to success in Rose
culture in Spring planting. Through the Summer I apply guano
occasionally to the surface m the proportion of a handful or
two to each plant, sometimes in a dry state, sometimes in water ;
and near the flowering season, especially in June when they are in
a vigorous state of growth and bloom. Sulphate of Ammonia has

10 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

been recommended. I do not feel fully certain of benefit from
the application of the latter, having tried it but one year. I use
frequently in Summer, a top dressing of Brewers' spent hops
strewn broadcast, not digging it in ; it helps to keep down weeds
and has many advantages. The Rose in a healthful growing
state is a great absorber of water, and the free use of the hose,
morning and evening, has been my most reliable assistant in pro-
moting their excellence, and in freeing the plants from insects.
Every fluttering leaf of the plants seems to rejoice, as the cool
water showers down upon them, and the clean fresh foliage
greatly enhances the beauty of the blossoms which it surrounds.
But insects are ready to invade every domain of horticulture, and
are especially destructive to the perfection of the Queen of
Flowers ; some of them may be overcome by water, but where the
quantity essential for this purpose is not easily accessible, a di-
lution of powdered Hellebore, in proportion of a spoonful to
two gallons of water, applied with a syringe, (it can also be ap-
plied dry by using a sulphur bellows, when the dew is on the
leaf), will often be found useful, particularly for the extermina-
tion of the slug, a troublesome and damaging insect. But as re-
gards the Rose bug or Rose beetle, I am in despair ! The only
remedy for this persistent plague that I have found has been the
continuous application of the thumb and forefinger, and that
with some severity !

It may be urged by some that the budded Rose has entailed
upon it the disadvantage of the sucker, and its endless care, but
actual experience proves this to be very slight. It is presumed
that a lover of the Rose is with his pets as often as possible, and
these persistent thieves are easily detected and quick!}' destroyed.
I cannot agree with those who claim that the maiden bloom is
the best eifort with the budded rose, as I am now growing plants
on the Manetti stock which have been out eight years, and are
producing as fine blooms as ever. The amateur wants results in
the shortest time, and therefore must take the budded plant ; if
sunk deeply enough it soon becomes fixed on its own roots.
Few of us can hope to rival the magnificent blooms of " Monsieur
Paul Neron " or the size and beauty of " Horace Vernet " and
" Charles Lefebvre," which have secured the prize cups at recent
rose exhibitions, but I am sure that the Manetti stock will give
us an approximation to these high standards.

My practice is to heap up the earth about the plant to the
depth of six or eight inches in the Autumn, then if they are kill-
ed to the ground line, no serious harm is likely to occur to the
plants ; I then scatter manui'e about them freely to prevent the
ground thawing in the Winter.

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 11

It is not my practice to prune my plants in the Autumn,
except of such kinds as make an excessive growth ; these I cut
back in a measure to prevent their being beaten or broken by
the wind ; in tlie Spring the plants are pruned thoroughly, tlie
moderate growers down to two or three eyes, and the crowded
shoots taken out ; the very robust-growing kinds should be left
longer, about eight or nine inches in length, the smaller slioots to
four or five inches. Endeavor to keep the plant in good shape in
trimming, leaving all parts exposed as much as possible to the
influence of the sun, and the judgment of the operator must be
the guide in producing this effect. Moss roses require a similar
treatment in pruning, as they are generally short jointed, mod-
erate growers, and the eyes have a particularly dormant or almost
dead appearance, and should be trimmed back to within tvvo or
three inches of the previous year's wood ; vigorous kinds like
Crested, Laneii, Baron de Wassenaer, can be left longer. It is
often desirable to prolong the blooming season of the plants,
which can be accomplished by trimming a portion ten days or a
fortnight after the first pruning. This is particularly applicable
to the Moss, which has a naturally brief season, unless it is pro-
longed by accelerating or retarding the blooms by this divided
method of pruning. It might be well to mention as an exception
the Persian Yellow, which should be pruned ever}'^ other year,
and blooms only on each intervening year, for although without
trimming at all, we could get some blooms every year, the plant
would become unhealthy and die ; so that to overcome this, and
preserve the Rose, we must on the intervening season, sacrifice
its beauty to the knife. By having two plants with this system
of pruning, we can secure one for blooming each year. All the
prunings from the Rose and other sources in the Spring are
gathered and burned and the ashes spread abi»ut the plants as a
fertilizer.

There is evidently a great difference in the constitution of
hardy hybrid Roses, as has been proved by success or failure
under tlie varying influences of climate, soil or stock, and as
some results of my individual experience may prove suggestive,
I append a list of a few which have been successful under my
system of culture.

Duke of Edinl)urgh, one of the strongest and most hardy;
color, brilliant scarlet crimson, very fine ; Monsieur Paul Neron,
vigorous and iiardy, pale rose, immensely large : Pierre Notting,
very hardy, good habit, strong grower, blackish crimson, beau-
tiful form, but alas ! how seldom do we find a fully developed
and perfect flower ! A bright sun apparently scorches the petals
in the bud. As a notable exception to this fatal defect, we can

12 -WORCESTER COrNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETT. [1881.

mention twelve most perfect flowers of this variety in size, form
and color, exhibited by Mr. Gray at the rose show of the Massa-
chusetts Horticultural Society one year ago, securing the prize
cup; but this was the only time in five or six years that he had
succeeded in obtaining perfect brooms.

Monsieur Boncenne, a plant of good habits, velvety crimson
in color; very hardy and vigorous, the best of its class with me.

Victor Yerdier, always good and reliable, brilliant rose.

Madame Boll, perfectly hardy and vigorous, free bloomer and
early ; flower not the most perfect in form or color, which is
rosy peach.

Doctor Audry, hardy, vigorous and free bloomer, deep bright
red.

Marie Beauman, one of the very best ; moderately vigorous,
quite hardy, with large and perfect flowers, very smooth, bright
carmine.

Countess of Oxford, hardy, vigorous, fine large flowers, bright
carmine red.

Lord Clyde, remarkably strong grower, hardy, a very good
rose, crimson and purple shaded.

Elisa Boelle, moderately vigorous, hardy ; with a very delicate
white bloom, shading to flesh color.

Madame Rivers, a fine rose, moderately vigorous and hardy ;
clear flesh color, good form.

Miss Hassard, vigorous, hardy, delicate peach color ; sweet and
a free bloomer.

Emily Laxton, vigorous, of a climbing tendency, hardy and
very desirable.

Charles Lefebvre, a very strong and hardy rose, flower large
and beautifully formed, rich velvety crimson.

Alfred Colomb, this superb rose is quite hardy and vigorous,
its brilliant crimson flowers are unrivalled in color, and in. form
a very effective globular.

Sir Garnet Wolseley, a thick bushy plant, rather short jointed,
moderately vigorous and hardy ; its large verraillion flowers and
profuse bloom are very attractive.

Jides Margottin, of vigorous habit, very hardy and still one of
the best; flowers bright ciierry color.

Thomas Mills, very iiardy, well formed plant of great vigor of
growth, very prolific bloomer, flowers very large, color bright
rosy crimson, one of the best with me.

John Hopper, an old favorite, hardy and very fine bloomer,
rosy crimson and lilac rose color.

Madame Vidot, moderately vigorous, hardy, flower beautiful
and perfect in form, palest flesh shaded rose color.

18S1.] TRANSACTIONS. 13

Madame Gabriel Lnizet, vigorous, hardy, free bloomer and
delicate satin rose color, and I think may prove one of the best.
Sent out in 1878.

Abel Carrier, moderately vigorous, hardy, beautiful dark vel-
vety crimson flower.

Coquette de Blanche, is a white rose, and a truly perpetual
bloomer until late in tlie Autumn ; a remarkably vigorous grower
and has proved hardy with me until last Winter, when it was
killed to tlie ground.

Madame Georges Schwartz, vigorous and hardy, glossy rose.

Mabel Morrison, good grower, sport from Baronesse de Roths-
child, pure white, not very double.

Dupuy Jamin, vigorous grower, color very fine carmine
crimson.

Madame Scipion Cochet, very vigorous in growth, color bright
cherry red.

Senateur Yaisse, hardy, good grower, flowers large and full,
color brilliant red.

Princess Louise Victoria, vigorous, of a climbing tendency,
flowers rosy salmon pink.

Bessie tfohnson, vigorous, of rather spreading growth, color
blush wliitc.

Triomphe de Caen, a strong grower, flowers brilliant scarlet.

Madame Victor Verdier, growtli vigorous, large flower, bright
rosy crimson.

Beauty of Waltham, vigorous grower, flowers finely formed,
cupped, color cherry crimson.

Fisher Holmes, of strong, spreading growth, flowers very large
and double, color reddisli scarlet.

Jean Gonjon, vigorous grower, flowers large, beautiful clear
red.

Souvenir de Chs. M-ontault, good grower, free flowering, fra-
grant, color purple and crimson.

I will now name a few varieties tliat have not proved hardy or
have been weak in growth, and less satisfactory in general results
in my experience :

Madame Baronesse de Rothschild is usually winter-killed
nearly to the ground, and never a vigorous grower. We cannot
however, accord too high praise to the color of this rose, and
with some growers it has proved successful, though always lafe
in. starting.

Madame Lacharme, rather tender with me, doomed especially

to the damaging attacks of the rose bug, and seldom giving me a

flower of any approach to perfection, though President Hayes of

the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, at the Rose Exhibition

3

14 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

last year, was awarded a silver cup for a group of three roses,
one of which was a most exquisite sjx'cimen of this variety,
which I have never seen equalled in size or color, but this was
an exceptional success.

Louis Van Houtte, almost always killed ; I only saved it one
year.

Cranston's Crimson Bedder, seems hardy enough, but a very
poor grower,

Mdlle. Eugenie Verdier, weak grower, although a beautiful
rose.

LaFrance, almost invariably killed.

Mdlle. Bonnaire, very beautiful, free in flower, but a poor
grower.

Prince Camille de Rohan, not very hardy. I know this is not
the general ex])erience, but I have lost all my plants. It is dark
maroon crimson in color.

Mdlle. Marie Rady, discount Vigier, Andre Dunand, Captain
Christy, have proved tender.

We have now what bid fair to lead into a fine class of Per-
petual climbing Roses for which we are indebted to the English
growers ; such kinds as Climbing Jules Margotin, Climbing
Ohs. Lefebvre, Climbing Victor Verdier and Madame Victor
Verdier are destined to prove acquisitions.

We anticipate from the group of new Roses sent out in 1880
some desirable varieties, judging from the colored representations
which we have seen.

They are : — Jules Chretien (by Schwartz), fine dark color.

Madame Oswald de Kerchove (Schwartz), of medium size,
white, shading to coppery yellow.

Masterpiece (by Paul), seedling from Beauty of Waltham.

Pride of Waltham (by Paul), delicate flesh color in the way of
Countess of Oxford.

Lady Shcftield (by Postons), type of Marie Beauman.

Red Gauntlet (by Postons), l>right scarlet crimson.

Princess Marie Dolgorouky (by Gonod), deep rich satin rose,
seedling from Anna de Diesbach and the new variety. Mns.
Jewitt (by Cranston) to be sent out next Spring, " brilliant glow-
ing crimson, shaded with lake, flowers very large and globular,
very fragrant, of robust habit."

Mary Pochin (by Rev. Mr. Pochin), to be sent out next
Autumn. Among roses of recent introduction which promise
well, and are likely to prove desirable are : " Charles Darwin,"
brownish crimson; "Marquis of Salisbury," rose shaded crimson;
"■ Hari-ison Bien," velvety crimson and scarlet ; " Duchess of
Bedford," dazzling light scarlet crimson ; " Countess of Rosebery,"

1881.] TKANSACTIONS. 15

brilliant c.innine rose ; " Julius Finger," salmon pink ; " Mrs.
Laxton," bright rosy crimson ; " Earl of Beaconsfield," light
cherry carmine ; " Madame Ducher," rose, shaded with purple ;
" JDr. Sewell," brilliant crimson scarlet, shaded purple.

In concluding this part of my subject I shall only allude
briefly to the cultivation of Hybrids in pots, a branch of the
business which is assuming large proportions with some of the
commercial florists of the principal cities ; New York and Boston
will undoubtedly produce more than five hifndred thousand
blooms, un'ler glass this season. New York furnishing the larger
proportioji of the number, and Boston from eighty to one
hundred thousand, and what is somewhat singular is the fact that
fully nine-tenths of this large Tiumber are from the old variety,
General Jacqueminot, which is not what under the modern sys-
tem of culture would be considered a first class exhibition rose,
as it is not very double; but is just what the florist wants, a rose
remarkably prolific in flower, very fragrant, of very striking
color at full bud or when half expanded.

THE MOSS ROSE.

Turning now to the fairest of the Rose family, we are reminded
of the poetic allegory whi(;h accounts for its added beauty by
supposing an angel to have found repose beneath its branches,
and wishing to bestow some gift in recompense, but scarcely
able to devise any addition to its charms : —

" The Angel paused in silent thought : —
What grace was there the flower had not ? —
Twas but a moment :— o'er the Rose
A veil of Moss the Angel throws;
And, robed in Nature's simplest weed,
Could there a flower that Rose exceed ? "

I must confess to a great love for this fascinating class, partly
for the reason that my light, well enriched soil with its natural
sub-soil drain of gravel tends to bring it to full perfection, and
the delicate fragrance of the foliage is peculiar and unique. The
ground should be prepared in the same way as for the hardy
perpetuals with a larger application of manure, and I also apply
a more liberal annual summer dressing during the blooming
season. I have always found the Moss Rose more difiicult to
successfully transplant than any other, and it starts very slowly
on its own roots.

Most of my Moss Roses are worked upon the Manetti stock,
but the Common, I prefer on their own roots, the varieties
Laneii and Celine do well in this way also.

16 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

The varieties that have proved best with me, are, Common or
Old Moss, vigorous, free grower, color pale rose, fine double
flower — the best of all.

Crested, next best, of vigorous growth, flowers very large and
double, buds beautifully crested, color light rosy pink.

White Bath, a good grower, flower large and full, buds well
massed, pure white.

Laneii, vigorous, upright grower and moderately free bloomer,
color deep rose, round handsome bud.

Baronne de Wassenaer, color deep rose, perhaps the strongest
grower of all ; wood very dark and spiny, blooming in large
clusters of buds, not as mossy as some other kinds.

Gracilis or Prolific, resembling the common, but with a
longer bud, color deep pink, fine.

Celine, hardy, moderately vigorous, spreading, foliage dark
colored, leaves rather small, a profuse bloomer, bud rather soft,
not very double, color purple and crimson, pretty in bud ; it
would probably force well.

Perpetual White, moderately vigorous, color pure white, buds
small and short stemmed, in rigid clusters of four to six buds,
foliage a light pale green, leaves crisped. Not very hardy.

Reine Blanche and Gloire de Moussenses have not proved
hardy witli me.

The so-called perpetual Mosses seem to me a myth as moss
roses ; they may be perpetual but they possess very little moss,
and the only variety that I have been able to save is Madame
Morean, which is a perpetual free bloomer. Many successful
growers recommend Madame Edouard Ory and Salet as the best.

My ideal type of the Moss Rose is that the stem should be of
graceful, pendulous growth, crowned by at least two or more
blossom stems, with a cluster of buds on each ; the buds should
be moderately large, tapering somewhat to a point and well
mossed ; the common moss seems to possess most of these
requisites, which has led me to place it at the head of the list ;
another high in favor and very beautiful is Laneii, making an
upright, stififer growth with strong erect stems and rigid bud
stems, bud globular, well mossed, but lacking the graceful pendu-
losity of the former.

The Common and Gracilis are well suited for laj'ering in
beds when grown on their own roots, as their growth is quite
spreading. If the shoots are layered in the ordinary manner,
they make fine plants in two seasons ; the process is easy ; first
stripping the leaves from a portion of the stem to be layered,
making a cut on the upper side about one inch below a bud,
and half through the shoot, and one and a-half or two inches in

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 17

leiigtli, then twisting it slightly so as to bring the tip end of the
stem upright or nearly so, and the tongue made by the cut
pointing downward, draw the soil away so as to allow the
burying of the shoot about three inches, pla(!e the shoot in the
ground pegging it down with a forked stick to hold securely,
draw the soil well about it and press firmly. Tliis tongue will
soon callous over and roots will he emitted from it. The work
of layering should be done from the middle of July to about
September 1st. Sometimes it is done in the Spring, but with
less surety of success. The varieties Laneii and Celine propa-
gate themselves rapidly, the latter stealing away in every direc-
tion unless checked. The former is a good gi-ower and soon
makes a thick cluster of plants and would almost answer for a
hedge, growing very much like a raspberry and producing off-
sets in a similar manner.

In conclusion I must not forget to recommend the old-
fashioned Sweetbriar, so much prized for the delicious fragrance
of its foliage ; and its light rose colored flowers although very
single are not objectionable ; it is a rank vigorous grower and
very hardy, will take care of itself although appreciating culti-
vation.

If I have devoted too much of my space to descriptions, it
must be borne in mind that the individual experience of success
or failure witii different varieties, and their characters, is what
the masses, who have not the time or inclination for such labor,
must depend upon : and if in this paper, I have succeeded in
suggesting any thoughts to simplify the culture of the Kose, or
furnished encouragement to any lover of it, I shall feel that my
object has been accomplished.

The Cultivation of Small Fruits.

By Frank J. Kinney.

Bead before the Worcester County Horticultural Society, Feb. 10, A. D. 1881.

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : — The subject for our
discussion to-day is nssuuiin^ such immense proportions, that it
demands, that we as a Society shall disseminate only facts in re-
lation to it, so I shall endeavor to speak of only what I know
from experience, using no figures except those taken from my
own books, or those of reliable friends ; and will preface my re-
marks by saying that I have found no " Royal Road " to success,
but like all other business, to make a success of it, one requires
first, ability to learn; second, a long apprenticeship; third, a
love of the business ; fourth, courage and strength to combat
witli odds constantly. There is no calling that requires a more
varied and thorough education, none where one will be more
tempted to take the wrong road or where the right road is so
full of pitfalls. I shall confine myself to varieties that have real
merit, as I have found them, for the day would prove too short
to mention all the varieties that have been considered worthy of
a name.

The first fruit that will come to our table will be the straw-
berry, and it is conceded to be the best and most profitable of
all and one of the easiest to grow. The lists of varieties are
constantly changing : the hundreds of twenty-five years ago have
dwindled down to one, the Wilson's Albany ; originated by
John Wilson, of Albany, N. Y. If Hovey's Seedling, the first
good native — originated by C. M. Hovey, of Boston, forty-five
years ago — caused a slight breeze in the horticultural world,
Wilson's Albany produced a whirlwind that carried tlie produc-
tion of the strawberry into more families and States than all that
had been done before. Rev. E. P. Roe in his elegant and in-
structive volume " Success With Small Fruits " — that our enter-
prising committee on the library have placed on our tables, and
that ought to be read by every member — on page 45 says, " In
spite, however, of all that is said and written annually against
the Wilson, it still maintains its supremacy as the market berry."

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 19

And on page 96 he says, " In tlie present nnenligbtened condi-
tion of the pnbh'c, one of the oldest strawberries on the lists —
Wilson's Seedling — is more largely jjlanted tiian all other kinds
together. It is so enormously productive, it succeeds so well
throughout the entire country, and is such an early berry that
with the addition of its tine carrying qualities it promises to be
the great market berry, for the next generation also." I dis-
carded it eight years ago, as it required as good cultivation and
soil with me as Jucunda, the Prince of Strawberries, and yielded
less than half the profit. Still the facts remain as Mr. Roe has
stated them.

The Charles Downing, oriuinatcd by J. S. Downer, Fairview,
Ky., took the place of Wilson's All)any on my grounds. I had
some of the first plants sold and paid one dollar each for tbem, and
never have regretted it. Tbe people here in Worcester thought
they didn't, and wouldn't like tlujm, the lirst year or two, but
now they rank second in number of quarts sold, and will soon
rank first, unless there is some better and more productive new
berry. Blossoms perfect.

The Crescent Seedling, originated by Wm. Parmelee, of New
Haven, Conn., in 1870," although a comparatively new l)erry, is
gaining many friends. It was not disseminated so rapidly as
would have been if perfect fairness had governed its introduc-
tion ; it was sent out two years as a perfect plant, but it is only
partially so and requires some such early iterry as the Wilson or
Duchess set in every eighth or tenth row. It has done better
with me on my early land than either Wilson or Charles Downing
and the people who buy Wilson's because they are cheap, will
buy Crescents, and we who grow strawberries for the market
for a living, must grow what there is the most money in. The
Crescent will bear the largest crop on light poor land of any
berry I am acquainted with.

Kinney's Eclipse, originated by F. J. Kinney, Worcester,
Mass., in 1873, is early like the above and is also the lo7igest
cropper I am acquainted with, and excepting the Lennig's
White, is the best strawberry I have ever seen, and it is well
known to many present that I try them all ; it is an expensive
amusement, but one might do worse. I have grown as large
crops of the Eclipse, as of any berry except Jucunda, one of its
parents, which it resembles inasmuch as it is particular in its
choice of location and surroundings, and which it excels only in
flavor. Blossoms nearly, but not quite, perfect.

The Jucunda is the best strawberry for me to grow that I have
ever tried for profit or comfort, on soil suited to it, and am not
sure but it would be best for me now to give up all other vari-

20 WOUCESTER COUNTY ITORTICULTURAL SOCIETV. [1881.

eties, as onr worthy Secretary advised me to years ago, but I
have not the courage to do it. It requires a strong, moist and
rich soil ; the plants are small and tender while young, but get
very strong and robust as they advance in life, and a well-kept
bed is a joy to behold after the first two or three months. Blos-
soms perfect.

The Sharpless has seemed inclijied to do the fair thing thus
far. It originated with J. K. Sharpless, Oatawissa, Pa.; is a very
large and good flavored berry, irregular in form at lirst and de-
served the nickname it received last season, " Sliapeless," but like
Ti'iomphe de Gand which it resembles in flavor the later berries
are well formed, and the}' hold their size much better than the
Triomphe, and like it do remarkably' well in the greenhouse.
They stood the drouth of the past season well, and withal did
better than I expected them to do. Blossoms perfect.

The Glendale found l>y W. B. Storrs, growing wild in Glen-
dale Cemetery, Akron, Ohio, in 1871, is one of the late straw-
berries that seems to have the elements of success in its make-up.
I have adopted it and the Sharpless, and set them on a scale
large enough last season to either condemn or establish them in
my estimation as market berries on my grounds. Blossoms per-
fect.

I have a dozen newer strawberries on trial this season that
will many, if not all of them, " be allowed leave to withdraw,"
as thousands of their predecessors have. I consider it the duty
of every landholder to introduce new phases into tlie routine of
their every-day life, and tliere is nothing that I have ever found,
unless it was in watching the slow feathering chicken to see how
much of its dress would conform to the fashion of the standard
of excellence, that interests every one of my family so much, as
watching the growth of some new and untried fruit.

I set all strawberry plants eighteen inches apart in the rows
and the rows four feet apart. Used to set two feet by four, but
the white grubs have caused me to make this change. If I want
to keep them in hills I allow two strong young plants to grow
from each old one, and root them on each side of the old ones,
and as near in rows as possible, keeping ofi" all other runners.
If I want to raise matted rows I layer all the early young plants
lengthwise of the rows so I can cultivate between tlie rows as
long as possible, stirring the surface soil only. I cultivate, and
hoe, to kill weeds, and not plants and corn.

The plants will usually take all the land by the middle or last
of September. I mean to have my land in good condition to
grow corn, and be ready to set my plants just as early in the
Spring as the land will do to work and the danger of its freezing

1881. J TRANSACTIONS. 21

enono;li to start the roots is past. I spend more time in setting
my plants than most people, set less to the acre, and hoe more,
and later in the season. Mean to hoe my beds all over, very
carefully, the last thing before the ground freezes up, and give
them a top dressing of some good staying manure. There is
nothing better than fine ground, steamed bone, and good wood
ashes, ten or twenty bushels of each to the acre, and twice that
will do no harm if evenly sowed. This makes nearly a perfect
fertilizer for almost any fruit, but should be sown and worked
into the land separately. If wood ashes are not available either
muriate or sulphate of potash may be used, should be fine
ground, and if the muriate, not put on to the leaves of the plant
when wet, or be placed directly in contact with tender roots. The
sulphate is more expensive, but in my opinion much better and is
entirely safe. Three hundred to five hundred pounds to the acre
will be sufiicient in most cases, but if potatoes, or strawberries,
or some other potash plant has been grown a long time on the
land, it may require to be doubled.

No person ought to attempt the raising of small fruits, any
more than he would the erection of a building, until he has
learned the "trade;" and he will find it quite complicated. Then
he ought to learn how best to sell it, as that will have more to do
with his success, than the raising.

I see by the expression on the faces of some of my conscien-
tious hearers, that I am not advocating quality as much as they
would ; but at present the voters buy most of the strawberries,
and they are not — as a rule — as good judges of small fruits, as
of beer and tobacco; besides, they are not going to eat them all
themselves, as they smoke and chew the tobacco, and drink the
beer.

There are a few ladies and gentlemen, who visit our rooms
exhibition days to study the fruits and flowers that make our
tables and Halls but a little loioer than those protected by the
" Golden Gates ; " they buy understandingly, and are willing to
pay for good fruit, fresh picked, and carefully handled ; and
rather it would'nt be " Deaconed if you please ; " but the
average voter, who buys strawberries, or other small fruit, with
a cigar or quid of tobacco in his mouth ; or the exquisite taste of
foreign or home brewed liquor in his throat, cares only to have
them look well on top and cost hiTn but little.

The picture over-drawn ? Not a bit of it ! I have seen many
a voter in this otherwise beautiful City, with one-half of an eight
or ten cent cigar between his fingers, smoking hot from his last
vile breath, banter minutes with a shopman, and finally carry off
a box of strawberries, or some other berries, that you or I, Mr.
4

22 WORCESTER COUNTY HOKTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

President, would not eat ourselves, and certainly not sell to
scatter the seeds of disease amongst the innocent.

But to return to our strawberry plants. We shall be obliged
to invest in some kind of insuran(;e, or we may lose all that we
have worked all Summer for, yet, — the crop of strawl^erries.

People are constantly speaking and writing about plants winter-
killing ; but it seldom happens here. I have yet to see the first
case except some foreign variety, like Jucunda, or Triomphe de
Gand ; but our variable and almost treacherous Springs will kill
many native varieties, unless protected.

The sun dashes out some morning early in March, and the
innocent plants finding their roots liberated, rouse themselves up,
and looking Heavenward, take one long breath and court the
embraces of the coquettish southern breeze ; their sap begins to
circulate, and their rootlets to travel in the warm soil in pursuit
of nourishment ; but alas ! the night cometh, and with it a cold
northern blast, and our innocent plants are stricken down in
their first attempt at flirtation ! and we mourn their loss in vain,
unless we learn from it, that we must depend upon our own
strength and knowledge for our own and our families' support.

The best way I know of to insure the crop, is to cover or
mulch the whole ground evenly, and well, to the depth of two
inches at least, with coarse light hay, or leaves, or some (.)ther
material that will shade the ground, and not mat down too hard.
I plough a light furrow around the outside of the bed, turning it
on to the mulch to hold it, and then scatter bean poles, brush, or
bundles of corn-fodder over the ground at intervals to hold the
rest of the mulch ; all the niulch is removed from all of my beds,
every Spring, when danger of freezing is over; so 1 can take the
plants from the paths on our matted beds, to set, and sell ; as
also to give us a chance to hoe the ground over, and put on more
fertilizers. The best spring fertilizer I use, is composted Ameri-
can guano, droppings of poultry composted with decomposed
turf or peat.

I mulch again befora the heat of Summer commences, as a
summer insurance and if I use a material worth more to plough
under, than to save, ])lough it under witii the plants as soon as the
strawberries are off, salting the land well beforehand.

We used to run our beds two or three years and get more
profit from the C. Downings, Kinney's 10, Boyden's 30, Kentucky,
and Jucundas the second and third years, than the first, until the
strawberry flea made his appearance ; since then we have been
obliged to make the change in management ; and this summer
and late fall ploughing, salting, and cultivating the cabbage on
the strawberry beds, tends to keep the white grub in subjection ;

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 23

and he is one of our most desperate and persistent enemies ; and
other worms and hngs tliat breed in the gronnd.

To assist in bracing up some of the weak and faltering small
frnit growers 1 have copied from my I)ooks the following figures.
One sixteenth of an acre of Jucundas — in hills — in 1880 yielded
five luindrcd quarts of berries, that sold for twenty-six and six
tentlis cents a quart, or one hundred and tliirty-three dollars, for
the berries on one-sixteenth of an acre of land, or at the rate of
eight thousand quarts, or two liundred and fifty-three bushels per
acre, or two tliousand one hutidred and twenty-eight dollars per
acre, at above rates, and not a verj' good year for strawberries
either.

From one acre of Charles Downing, (;res(tent and Sharpless I
sold three thousand two hundred and forty-four quarts, or one
hundred and one bushels at seventeen cents a quart and a fraction
more, or five hun(h'ed and fifty-six dollars and sixty-one cents
from tlie acre ; these were in the matted rows, and grew corn
amongst them in 1879, the year tiie plants were set out.

The corn paid all tlie expense the first season — the varieties
grown were Early Minnesota, and Early Worcester sweet
corn — and the plants sold and used that came from the paths in
the spring of 1880 paid the expenses for that year.

From one tliirty-second part of an acre in Sharpless, in matted
rows, I sold one hundred and four quarts — besides all that were
ate on the bed, given away, and used to exhibit — for twenty-
tliree cents a quart, and a fraction more, or at the rate of three
thousand three hundred and twenty-eight quarts per acre — or one
huhdred and four bushels — worth seven hundred and sixty-five
dollars and forty-four cents. This was a trial bed, containing
two long rows, running over level, moist, loamy land, and dry
shaley hill land, and many of the berries were left on the vines
too long, and rotted, which damaged otliers on the vines; so I
shall expect them to be fairly productive on any reasonable soil.
So much for the strawberry beds we kept an account with. Now
my doubting friends, the only reason I don't get rich growing
strawberries, is, I don't have acres enough under cultivation.

Next in season is the Raspberry, and first ripe is the Brandy-
wine, red, and Davidson's Thornless, black; both good hardy
varieties, and fairly productive; and when properly cultivated on
good moist — not Wet — soil, well manured with strong manure,
and the suckers of the Brandywine treated as weeds, are a
desiral)le and profitable market crop ; as the canes are thornless,
can be cultivated in the small garden coaifortaldy. Neither of
them has proved tender with me, and I never have covered them
in the Winter, and have grown them several years.

24 "WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

My best Red Raspberries until I had the Cuthbert, were the
Hudson River Antwerp, and Northumberland Fillbasket. What
money and credit I have received from the cultivation of this
noble raspberry, I owe largely to the advice, precept, and
example of our worthy Secretary, who has grown immense crops
of it, on his small garden plot. And I have grown the Northum-
berland at the rate of 250 bushels to the acre, and sold them by
the busliel, at 45 cents a quart, or $14.40 a bushel, or at the rate
of $3600 per acre ; and it was seasons when strawberries averaged
but 20 cents a quart; but alas! just as we had got the trade of
growing them well learned, and a good plantation established,
there came an insect of some kind — and though we have studied
and watched faithfully for two years, we know him only by his
works, now — that lays from ten to twelve eggs in the young
canes, in the space of an inch in length of the canes, and from
twelve to twenty four inches from the ground ; the canes show
no disease ; continuing to grow thrifty till Fall, but many of them
break where they were stung, when we come to lay them down,
and many more when we come to take them up in the Spring ;
and the destruction of the despoiler has been complete, and the
last season's work has gone to tlie bugs. I have felt compelled
to lay by on my former laurels, for the present, and watch and
pray; not forgetting to work all the time to try and ferret out
the enemy. I have a few samples of canes on exhibition
to-day.

I have in previous years raised crops of even Brinkle's
Orange — the cream of the raspberries — that satisfied me ; and
remove the cane destroyer, and give the canes of tiie above
three a protection of earth in the Fall — see E. P. Roe's " Success
with Small Fruits," for cuts, &c. — and the person who would
not be satisfied with the crop of fruit would be a hopeless
sinner.

The Cuthbert seems to be too tough for this raspberry satan,
as yet, and T hope it may so continue, for it is a raspberry good
enough to satisfy the most fastidious amateur, and hardy enough
to stand the rough treatment of the most careless farmer, and
satisfy his ambition for quantity with its bountiful crops of
fruit.

The new Black Cap, the Gray, pleased me more than any
other of my new small fruit friends last season ; being like the
Cuthbert, very large, extremely productive, and good enough for
anybody.

To produce the l)est results, raspberries should be set three
feet by live, heavily manured and mulched in Summer, and the
canes tied to wires when fruiting.

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 25

Close on the heels of the Raspberry comes the Currant, claim-
ing its share of our time and praise; and like it, it requires
plenty of room in a good moist well drained soil, made very rich.
The l)est table currants are the Dutch, red and white, white
Gondouin and White Grape ; and the best market currants are the
Cherry and Victoria. I am glad to stand with E. P. Roe on this
currant question ; he says on page 223 of " Success with Small
Fruits:" "The horticultural doctors disagree so decidedly, that
the rest of us can, without presumption, think for ourselves," &c.
I have always contended there was no Yersaillaise, but all were
Cherry.

As for protit, I have made as much from raspberries and
currants as from strawberries, but the crops are not so sure.

Who would be without the Blackberry ? There were no fruits,
or thorns, struck me more forcibly than ihose of the Snyder
blackberry last year. They had the power to raise the blood to
the boiling point, and make it boil over, literally 1 never hav^e
raised anything but chickens, that drew such crowds, either rain
or shine, as did the Snyders. And I never ate anything but a
first-rate custard pie, when very hungry, that was any better
than a thoroughly ripened Wacliusett blackberry, taken from
the bushes in the cool of the early morning, and laid away in my
stomach in just ten seconds. Really I need only these two
blackberries to fill my bill ; they are hardy, productive and good.
Still I presume I shall try all the new varieties that are
advertised, and raise a few hundred seedlings, to keep my
spirits up.

Blackberries need to be set four feet by eight, and if the
plantation is wide, every other space slionld be ten or twelve
feet, so one can drive throngh with a cart or wagon. 1 trim or
pinch but little on my soil, treat like weeds all plants that I do
not want, tie bearing canes to wires same as raspberries, and
mulch heavy enoagli to keep down weeds. I find them gross
feeders, like all the other small fruits we have glanced at. My
blackberries yielded at the rate of ninety bushels to the acre,
and brought 15 cents a quart, or $4.80 a bushel, or at the rate of
$432 per acre; about one-half profit. Part of tlie plantation
had been set but one year. One small lot yielded at the rate of
150 bushels to the acre ; they were about one-half Snyder and
one-half Wacliusett, and had been set three years.

Every family that has much land ought to have a Cranberry-
bed. There are three American varieties — the Bell shaped ; the
Cherry, large and small ; and the Bugle, oval or egg shaped,
large and small. Altliough the Cranberry is a native of moist
or wet land, it can be grown profitably on dry soil, by making a

26 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

bed composed of peat composted with manure and sand ; care
should be used so as to avoid gettino; in grass and weed seed, or
roots. Such a bed ought to yield one to two bushels to every
twenty square feet of land. It is a crop that will always pay
when properly grown. Tliere is no small fruit that keeps so
long or is better liked.

There is many a bog meadow in Worcester County that is
worse than worthless inasmuch as it is the birthpla(;e of miasma,
tliat might with a small outlay be converted into the most
profitable land in the neighborhood. And yet, Mr. President,
we, the exponents of Horticulture in the County, do not even
offer a Gratuity to encourage its cultivation.

Grapes are good in tlieir way and would feel slighted if we
skipped tiiem altogether, but if I only wanted to talk about them
as the respected Commissioner of Agriculture of the United
States of America does in his circular dated November 25, 1880,
" How could we make the most and best wine out of them?" I
should pray that my tongue might be paralyzed. I have a large
family of children and say with A. M. Purdy, editor of the
Small Fruit Recorder^ — and I thank him here, and now, for the
firm stand he has always taken in this matter — that I rather
follow any of them to the grave, than have them sit .at a table
where wine was part of the repast, or any other fermented
liquor, even apple juice. I tliank God 1 can hear of no wine
having been made from gra{)es in this good old County of
Worcester this year, and hope I never shall ; or in the State
either !

But I do hear that many of the worthless tracts of hill land
are being set to grajies ; and that all who are using good
judgment in selecting locations, varieties, and fertilizers, are
well pleased with their success. There are thousands of acres in
Massachusetts that do not produce enough to pay the taxes on
them now, tliat a small capital of money and labor would make
the most profitable land on the farm, if invested in this grape
industry. There is a constant and growing demand for good
ripe home-grown Concord grapes.

It needs about four hundred and fifty vines to the acre, for
side-hill land, making them eight feet by twelve — and they would
cost about thirty dollars ; posts, and wire, and labor, and some
compost to put in the hills to start the vines would cost forty
dollars more ; and there ought to be enough of some other crop
raised on the land the first two or three years, before they were
old enough to bear much, to pay for the labor of cultivation, and
bone and other fertilizers that the vines need, and several crops
of grapes.

1881.] TKANSACTIONS. 27

The greatest trouble in grape growing comes from over ma-
nuring, and too much moisture. The grape is different from tlie
other small fruits we have talked about, in this i-espect. There is
very little danger of its suffering from drouth, if the roots and
foliage are not destroyed too mueh, in the growing season.

I have better luck where I mow my weeds often and
let them lay on my strong soil, than where 1 cultivate, to
kill them.

I have corresponded with most of the vineyardists in this part
of the State ; and the average yield per acre is one and three-
fourths tons this season, and the average wholesale price is seven
and one-half cents per pound, or two hundred and sixty-two dollars
and iifty cents per acre, and this has been an exceptionally poor
year — so they all say — the rose bugs having done more damage
than usual. Tiie chances are that they will average more than
this for the next twenty years, and when a vineyard is once
established, if not allowed to overwork itself while an infant, it
will last as long as a family.

There is no fruit, small or large, more surely remunerative, if
grapes are grown strictly for food. The natural, or otherwise,
enemies of the grape are as easily managed as those of other
fruits. I think sometimes that robber birds, pestiferous insects
and dare-devil weeds are friends in disguise; they compel us to
be vigilant.

There are several grapes that are desirable to have in all col-
lections, old and new, and some new ones that we hope will pay
as vineyard grapes. Capt. John B. Moore, of Concord, Mass., has
given us one, " Moore's Early," that he has great hopes of, and
the Worden, another Concord seedling, is very desirable ; and the
Delaware, who would try and get along without it ? or the Aga-
wam, or Salem, or Massasoit, or Lindley ? the last two being
better than all the others of Rogers Seedling, and though the
Worcester County Horticultural Society have left you out in the
cold, my old and tried friends, 1 will take you in every time I
lind you good and ripe ; and I shall grow the Merrimac, and the
Wilder, for I like grapes in February and March as well as in
September and October, and the old Diana, the good old winter
grape that will keep till May if we let it alone.

The Brighton ought to be a good vineyard grape, it has done
so well for the amateur. Still later we have the Lady and Pren-
tiss, two new native white grapes that are spoken well of by
those acquainted with them.

I would like to introduce many more new friends to you, would
time and your patience permit, but will close by offering a plea

28 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

for the weeds, to offset against my friend's pica for the
birds : —

I looked where the roses were blooming,

They stood among grasses and seeds,
I said, " Where such beauties are growing,

Why suffer the paltry weeds ?"

Weeping, the poor things faltered,

" We have neither beauty or bloom,
We are grass in the rose's garden,

But our Master gives us this room.

" The slaves of a generous Maker,

Born from a world above,
We came to this place, In His wisdom.

We stay to this hour, from His love.

" We have fed His humblest creatures.

We have served Him truly and long;
He gave no grace to our features,

We have neither odor nor song —

" Yet He who made the roses.

Placed us in the self-same sod.
He knows our reason for being,

We are grass in the garden of God."

House Plants fob Winter.

By William W. Cook.

Bead before the Worcester County Horticultural Society, Feb. 24, A. D. 1881.

M7\ President, and Ladies and Gentlemen : — The subject for
onr consideration to-day is " House Plants for Winter." And I
understand that plants in conservatories connected with dwellings
are included in the term used, as well as plants in the sitting-
room or parlor. And the phase of the subject which I shall trj
to present in these remarks, is, " How to grow them."

And though I shall mostly speak in general terras, only alluding
as it were incidentally to particular kinds or classes of plants, I
shall endeavor through the whole, as far as I may be able, to
answer the thousand-and-one questions, which are put to me
every year, by ladies who have some kind of sick plant. Now
a plant is not sick without cause. That cause may be too much
water. It may be too little water. It may not have a congenial
soil. It may have been kept in too high a tetnperature, or it
may have been chilled. Now I cannot tell what ails a plant
even when I see it, with a great degree of certainty, because I
do not know what kind of care it has had.

But I know there are certain general principles of treatment
necessary to be observed by every one wiio would grow plants
successfully. A practical knowledge of these will not only aid
one in keeping plants well, but it will also aid in detecting the
cause, as well as in applying the cure for sickness. These general
principles of treatment require that the plants must have a suit-
able soil to grow in, a proper temperature around them both day
and night, and a suflficiency of moisture without any excess,
applied to both roots and foliage. If these three things are
faithfully attended to, it only remains to defend the plants from
insects and they must flourish. To begin right in growing
plants we must have a congenial soil for the roots. This sliould
be light and rich, without any tendency to sourness. And it
should not become baked and liard from the frequent wat(;ring
necessary for plaTits in pots. On tliis account, the soil from the
garden beds siiould never be used. When this is watered, it
5

30 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

is mud, and when it becomes dry, it is like a brick. It may be
improved by the addition of old well-rotted manure and sand,
but will never be good potting soil.

The best thing I know of, for a basis for a potting compost, is
leaf mold from any kind of deciduous trees. Pine and other
evergreens are to be avoided. This leaf mold may be from the
leaves raked from the lawn, or any other convenient place ; but
i.t is necessary that they should be thoroughly decayed. When
it becomes truly mold it is all right. Some varieties of leaves
will hardly do this under two or three years.

Or, you may go into any deciduous woods, and after scraping
away the leaves, take the la3'er of decayed vegetable matter
under them. This, if obtained in the Spring, and overhauled a
few times during the Summer, will be in good condition to use
in the Fall.

Where leaf mold cannot be obtained, the next best thing is
rotted sods. Take them two or three inches thick from an old
pasture, or some light warm soil, never from soil that is heavy
or clayey. They should be packed one upon another (in June is
the best time) and towards Fall they should be thoroughly
chopped and mixed over with the spade, two or three times, till
they become quite tine. Then add to this, onc-fourth of its bulk
of old hotbed, or other thoroughly rotted manure. It is better
if several years old. Add to ever}^ bushel of this mixture one-
half peck of rather coarse sharp sand. If you are fortunate
enough to obtain the leaf mold, you may use less manure and
more sand.

A compost prepared in this way will be excellcTit for all kinds
of common house plants, such as Geraniums, Petunias, Prim-
roses, Fuchsias, &c. For Ferns and Lycopodiums, leaf mold and
sand without any manure is best. But a very good substitute
may be made by taking one bushel of the potting compost just
described and add one and a-half pecks of sand, and one peck of
old dry peat. This makes a soil very well adapted to most of
the ferns and mosses when grown in pots, and it makes a good
soil for Wardian cases. And if made a little richer, it is an
excellent soil for Callas.

Of course Gardeners, when they are potting off a batch of
plants, will vary the proportion somewhat, putting in more or
less of sand and manure, according to the needs of the variety
they have in hand. But there will always be good results, so
far as they depend on the soil, from using such a compost as I
have described.

Tiie plants being potted in a suital)le compost, they must have
a temperature suited to the conditions of growth. And for most

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 31

of the plants coimnonly found in houses, a medium temperature
is the best. A common living-room whicli is kept at a lieat of
seventy degrees or more till ten or eleven o'clock every evening,
has a great deal higher average temperature than a common
greenhouse. My largest greenhouse has not averaged so high
as sixty-five degrees for six hours in the day since last October,
while the night temperature has averaged from iifty to Hfty-two
degrees. Those of you who have visited it, can judge whether
the temperature is such as to produce liealthy plants.

The reason why plants are injured by such a high temperature
in the night, is, that the heat stimulates the plants to try to grow
wlien they lack one of tlie most essential conditions of growth,
and tliat is light ; and they grow weak and spindling. If possi-
ble, the temperature should be at least ten or lifteen degrees
lower while it is dark. This may be attained by drawing a
curtain between tlie plants and the room. In a bay window this
can be done very easily. Of course it is necessary to be careful
that in cold nights the temperature does not get low enough to
freeze the plants.

A bay window in a dining-room which is heated from adjoin-
ing rooms, and which is allowed to get as low as fifty-live degrees
at night is nearly as good as a conservatory which has no over-
head light.

There are very vague notions about tlie giving of fresh air to
plants. And plants in sitting-rooms and parlors are often injured
by this giving of fresh air as it is called. When the room is
swept, the windows and perhaps the doors too, are thrown wide
open to let out the dust, and because the fresh air is so good for
plants they are left open till the tender ones are fairly chilled.
And then people wonder why they have such poor luck with
plants? But it is no wonder!

It should always be borne in mind that no sudden changes in
the temperature should be made. Nature does it just right. And
how beautiful it is ! First, the slowly increasing light awakens
the plants from their nightly slumber, gradually arousing more
and more their dormant energies, till the heat of noonday; and
then as gradually quieting down to their evening rest, till the
sun goes down and the darkness comes on.

A conservatory sliould be so constructed that some means of
ventilation is easily accessible ; and it should be where the cold
air of Winter will not blow directly upon the plants. The mer-
cury in a shady place in a conservatory ought never to rise above
70 degrees during the cold weather. As long days come on, and
growth becomes more vigorous, 75 or 80 degrees would be permis-
sible, but at night it should always be kept 15 or 20 degrees
cooler.

32 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAT. SOCIETT. [1881.

Another important thing is, to give air gradually. Do not
wait till the plants are half baked with the heat and then open
the ventilator with a rush, but open in season a little, and
then if you find the temperature too high, open a little more It
is surprising how little is needed, if it is begun in season. It is
better to close up tlie ventilator early rather than late, and then,
if you use the syringe at all on your plants, give the foliage a
good drenching. It not only refreshes them at the time but it
creates a moist atmosphere which is most beneficial.

But there are a few plants, such as Callas, Smilax, etc., which
I find are very much injured by tlie sun shining on the foliage
when it is wet, and where tliese are contained in a collection of
plants the syringing must be deferred till the sun has left them
for the day. Where plants are kept in the sitting room or par-
lor they must liave such temperature as the people who occupy
the rooms require, because their health is of more consequence
than tliat of the plants. Some plants do much better than others
in such situations, and people must select such varieties as they
succeed best with and let the others go.

But you may have the soil and temperature all right and have
miserable, sickly plants, because of errors in watering. A plant
may be drowned to death, or it may be dried to death. And the
fact of death is just as serious to the plant, or plant grower,
whether from one cause or the other. But the drowning to death
is much more astonishing to the owner than the drying. Plants
that are being over-watered seem to thrive exceptionally well
for a time and then suddenly wither and die, and if you take
hold of the stalk it will be seen that the roots are gone.

In watering, then, as in temperature, the " golden mean "
must be observed, avoiding extremes. If you ask how the
" golden mean " is to be attained, I answer, dismiss from
your minds at once all ideas of watering once a day, or once
in two days, or at any stated time. The atmosphere is in
a condition some days to draw the moisture from the earth
in your lower pots much more rapidly than it will other days.

Plants in small pots will need water oftener than those in
large pots ; and plants in the full glare of the sun, especially
if its rays fall on the pots, require much more water than
plants tliat get no sun at all. or get it at a distance from the
glass. It is also necessary to be much more ca\itious in
watering plants that are kept in pots that are glazed or paint-
ed, or in vessels of wood. If the earth in either of these is
watered till it becomes mud, the })lants growing in it, unless
of pretty good size and strong growers, will not absorb all the
water until it becomes sour, and either the plant dies, or more

1881.] • TRANSACTIONS. 33

likely, so many of the lower roots decay that the plant be-
comes stunted and sickly. Being worse than dead, because it
is an eyesore, and a disfigurement to the plant-stand, and yet
it has so much life left that you hate to throw it away.

Moreover, we learn by experience, that some species of
plants naturally require much more water than some others in
the same situations. Plants with an al)undance of broad thin
leaves will require much more water than plants with small and
thick leaves. All plants with thick and succulent leaves, like the
Cactus family, and most varieties of Begonias, must be watered
more sparingly, and when dormant should have ver}"- little.
Shrubby plants, such as Azalea?, Camelias, etc., must be rather
sparingly watered in the earlier part of the Winter till they get
ready to bloom and not excessively watered at any time.
Azaleas seem to get sick very easily, and my experience is
that very few sick ones get well.

I am often asked the question, " How often do plants need
water?" To this I make answer, that plants in small pots,
standing in a sunny window close to the glass, especially if the
sun shines on the pots, may require water twice a day. While
plants in larger pots, not in the direct rays of the sun, may re-
quire it no oftener than once or twice a week. So then, the only
rule about watering plants, is to feel such a loving interest in
them, that they are examined carefully every day and water
given when it is needed.

One of the most injudicious waj's of watering is to give a little
every day. For when you do that some uf your plants may be
starving and others drowning. For instance, if some of the
plants were too wet, a little every day would keep them so ;
and if some of them were quite dry a little would only moisten
the top of the soil while the larger part of the roots would be
suffering froni drouth.

The true way then is to give enough to thoroughly moisten all
the soil in the pot, then wait till it gets pretty dry before you
give it any more. This applies to plants in common flower-pots.
For plants in glazed pots, or window boxes, another rule must
be observed and that is, not give them enough to go to the bot-
tom. Such plants require a great deal more care in watering
than plants in common pots do, and unless good judgment is
used there will be an excess of water at the bottom and the
plants will become diseased.

Another point to be observed if plants are to be kept in the
highest state of health and vigor is to apply water to the foliage as
well as the roots. 1 have spoken of syringing the foliage when
you close up the ventilator in the conservatory, but i)lants not in
a conservatory need this refreshment just the same.

84 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

At least once a week take them to the bath-room or kitchen
sink, or any other suitable place and syringe copiously on both the
under and upper sides of the leaves. It is best to use a syringe
because if the water is applied with some force, it has much
effect to remove both dust and insects. If you have no garden
syringe give the plants a good showerins: from the nose of a
watering-pot, and an attendant, if possible, sliould hold the
plants so that the under as well as the upper side of the leaves
may get its share. If no other way is attainable moisten the
foliage and stems thoroughly with a soft sponge or rag. I have
said this should be done at least once a week, but three times
would be better.

I find that two different motives actuate people in growing
plants in the dwelling. One class desires merely to save as majiy
as possible of the plants which have flowered in the garden in
the Summer time. If they can keep their plants through the
Winter, and have them in good condition to plant out by planting-
time, they are satisfied. They save their plants and towards
Spring they begin to have blossoms. The other class desires
blossoms and would not care for the trouble of plants, only for
the flowers. In order to have them, the plants must be in a
healthy, thrifty condition. And of course it is useless to expect
many blooms in the early part of Winter from plants taken out
of the ground in the Fall.

If you are unable to accommodate plants of good size, take off
cuttings in July and grow them so they will be ready to bloom
early, and they will generally keep on after once beginning.
But if you have room for good sized plants, it is better to keep
them in pots all the time. When the weather becomes warm
enough to put them out of doors, place them on a bench or table
in some place where they will get the morning or evening sun
for an hour or two, and where they will be somewhat sheltered
from violent winds. Give them only water enough to keep them
from withering, and let them rest. They will need no other care,
except to prevent their ripening seeds, till about the first of
August. At this time, they should be re-potted, into pots about
two inches larger than those they are in. This will give an inch of
fresh soil all around the old ball, which, for most plants is quite
sufficient. If the pots already in use are as large as can be per-
mitted, the old ball may be reduced by using a round-pointed
stick, till it will admit an inch of soil around it. If there is
straggling, long jointed wood which needs to be shortened in,
now is the time to do it.

After re-potting, let the plants remain in the same place for
two or three weeks, and then if it is convenient, remove to a

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 35

place where tliey will get the sun all day, and let them remain
till it is time to take them into the house. And this ought never
to be delayed till the nights become cold enough to give them a
very severe chill.

I think if people would only try this method once, they would
find that a few bushy, well grown plants, will give them more
satisfaction than a houseful of stubby things taken out of the
garden.

I am often asked about fertilizers for pot plants. If plants
appear to languish from any cause, many people seem to imagine
that the soil is not rich enough. It does not occur to them that
there may have been errors of treatment which have caused the
difficulty and, misled by the crafty term '■'- j^lant food^'' they think
by feeding them more they will be all right. And so they often
put on enough to destroy tli^ir plants entirely. It is my candid
opinion, that the so-called '■'-Plant fooiV in one form or another,
has killed a good sized Greenhouse full of plants here in Worcester,
within a few years. The tendency is always to use too much.

If plants are potted in a suitable soil to begin with, and re-pot-
ted in a suitable soil as often as they may need it, most kinds re-
quire very little extra fertilization. When they become pt^^ bound
as gardeners term it, and it is not desirable to use pots of a larger
size, some kind of liquid manure can be used to advantage. And
it does not make much difference, whether you use some of the
various kinds of plant food, or a little Peruvian guano, or the
guano from your hen yard. Only you can go to Mr. Kice's and
buy twice the bulk of guano for the money you pay for plant
food, and about all the good there really is in plant food, I
imagine, is from the guano that is in it. At any rate, 1 venture
to say, that there is twice the value for plant use in a pound of
guano, than there is in any kind of so called plant food. I sup-
pose that most people are led into an extravagant use of some
form of manure for plants, from the mistaken idea that plants
receive the greater portion of their nourishment tin-ough the
roots. And so they think to make the plants thrive, just as they
would fatten a chicken, by stuffing. It is true, that vegetation
generally derives most of its water from the ground through, the
roots. And by far the greater portion of all living plants is water.
But this water is contained in a wonderful system of veins and
cells, which compose the solid portions of the plant. By far the
greater part of this is carbon. If the water is dried out, and the
carbon burnt, there is a very small residue left. The most of
this, probably, comes from the ground ; while it is probable, that
the carbon, or nearly all of it, is absorbed from the air through
the leaves.

36 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

We must therefore dismiss the idea of feeding plants as we do
animals, entirely from our minds. All we can do, is to supply
the best possible conditions of heat and moisture, as well as pure
air and clean foliage, and the plants themselves must do the rest.

Although 1 fear I have already wearied you, I wisii to say a
few words on another topic, and that is. Hare and New Plants.

Every winter, in every consideral)le city, somebody goes about
with some wonderful new thing. They got it from Mr. Yick, or
they were sent out by some other great florist, to sell for them
some unheard of new bulb, or lily, or something else. And
always they find purchasers, in plenty, whether it is for a
" Double Oxalis " or for the wonderful " Tassa Masacca,"

Now here are your florists whom you all know, always on the
lookout for something new, for their customers. And here are
all the great propagating and wholesale houses in the country
sending out every Spring and Fall, their catalogues of new and
rare things for us to buy. Now I receive towards a half-bushel
of such catalogues ; some from Germany, some from Holland,
some from England and Scotland, besides what I receive from
our own country. And Mr. Lange, or Mr. Thayer, or Mr. Keyes,
or any other florist could probably say the same. Now I want to
ask in all candor : Is it wise to expect that some tramp is going
to sell you some really desirable new thing, that none of us ever
heard of ? Perhaps none of you ever bought the " Double
Oxalis f " but tiiere were a good many who did ; and when their
plants blossomed the flowers were not double.

The " Tassa Masacca" was got up in this way :

It was a dull season of the year, and two or three young clerks
got their heads together to see what they could do. They took
some Pearl Barley and colored it a tine pink color with an
aniline dye. Then they got a lot of seed bags at the seed
stores and some flaming pictures of some not very common thing
from an old Horticultural magazine, or some seed catalogue, and
as a Latin sounding name would be more like the names the
seedsmen send out, they had the name " Tassa Masacca " printed
on their seed bags. Of course, the plant being so rare, they
could only afford a few seeds to a packet for such a low price.
One of the young men engaged in it told me all about it. Says
he, " mind you, we did not sell any of tliem. We got two or
three newsboys of our acquaintance to do the selling for us and
we gave them a good percentage on what they sold," " Did they
sell many ? " I asked. " Sell ! " saj's he, " they went like hot
cakes. Each boy had one of tliose pictures to show what the
seeds were going to produce, and some of them made two or
three dollars a day selling our pink Pearl Barley at twenty-tive

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 37

cents a package." Says he, " I believe the women rather like
to be humbuo;o;ed ! " I would not like to say that. But I must
acknowledge that it requires considerable effort to feel a very
deep sympathy for any one wlio will pay a high price for a new
and rare flower to a newsboy or tramp.

I regret very mucli that I am not more skilful with the pen.
I feel that I have failed to do justice to the subject, or to those
who have done me the honor 1o come out and hear what I have
to say. But my heart has been in the work, and I have spent
such time as I could well spare. I have tried to give some of
the results of many years experience in the cultivation of flowei's.
I truly love them, and from the time when as a boy 1 used to
roam the fields to see how great a variety I could find, to the
present hour, I have found them an unfailing source of attraction
and pleasure. In the Summer they beautify our grounds and
make home itself seem more home-like. And house plants in
the Winter, if well grown, are a perpetual joy to both old and
young. If I have been able to say anything wliich shall help
other lovers of flowers to be more successful in cultivating them,
1 sliall be well repaid for the time I have spent.

Not every professional gardener is a nice man, and not every
woman who grows plants is a lady, but I am sure that where
they are grown and cared for from a love of them their influence
is both elevating and refining. And as we watch the unfolding
of buds and blossoms on the plants which are the object of
our daily loving care, it would seem that some thought of
love and gratitude to Him who formed the heavens and the earth
in beauty must spring up in the coldest heart.

Esthetics of Earth Culture.

By Hexry L. Parker, Esq.

Bead before the Worcester County Horticultural Society, March 3, A. D. 1881.

The Arts may all be classed under two general heads — tlie
mechanical and the liberal or fine. The mechanical arts are
those which tend to create or improve the necessities, comforts
and conveniences of man. The liberal or fine arts are those
which tend to elevate or improve the moral and intellectual
qualities with utility as a secondary object. They are addressed
to the imagination and the feelings, and excite pleasurable
emotions by creations of the beautiful.

From an early age gardening has been classed with Poetry,
Painting, Sculpture, Engraving, Music and the Drama, and
treated as a fine art.

History demonstrates the fact that Agriculture is one of the
first agencies of civilization. The cultivation of the earth is
always a step preliminary to the cultivation of the arts and
sciences. Not one nomadic tribe ever yet became civilized until
first having fixed its habitations, enacted laws securing to each
individual the rights of property, and turned its attention to the
raising of annual crops instead of wandering from place to place
and gaining a precarious subsistence by hunting or upon its
flocks and herds. In fact such a roving life seems antagonistic
to civilization, as witness the Arab and Tartar tribes in whose
social and moral status centuries have made no improvement.
T^ot one idea of benefit to the world ever originated with them,
but when these tribes become once attached to the soil and com-
mence its cultivation they advance at once in the scale of civilized
life.

Thus Greece and Italy were pioneers in the civilization of
Europe. And why ? Because they were the first to practice
Agriculture. The savage tribes which inundated Europe from
Western Asia became attracted by the fertile fields, genial
climate and pure skies of that loveliest of all lands — Italy.
Here their wanderings ceased. They substituted for their huts
and tents more permanent dwellings, began the culti'^ation of
the earth, and the result was an agriculture which in many
respects has not been surpassed in modern times. Fruit and
vegetables received their share of attention. Pliny speaks of

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 39

the great varieties of pears and the abundant corn crops at
Home. Cato left many hints of value to the farmer or horticul-
turist of to-day. Seneca raised asparagus such as our markets
have never seen. Many implements of husbandry similar in
principle and structure to tiiose of which we boast so much,
and which we claim to be of modern invention, were known to
them. Such was their pride in these pursuits that their most
distinguished families were named from the products of the earth,
or from implements or animals intimately connected with its
cultivation.

Tims the Fabii deriving their name from faba, a bean, were
renowned for tlie cultivation of this esculent. The Pisones were
named ivoxn j^iso, to bray or bruise (presumably corn as in a mor-
tar). The Lactucini from the lettuce. Tlie Porcii were originally
swine-herds. The Ovinii were originally breeders of sheep — the
Caprillii bred goats — the Taurini, bulls.

But while it is true that agriculture is always a preliminary of
civilization, it is equally true tliat tlie progress of any nation in
civilization and reiinement is marked first by fruit production
and secondly by floi'iculture and landscape gardening.

First comes the struggle for existence and the supply of the
active wants and necessities of man, then the gratification of
the luxurious cravings of the palate, and lastly the gratification
of taste.

As soon as man had passed the ruder stages of existence, from
the life of the hunter and shepherd to that of a proprietor in
the soil, and had begun the observation of particular plants,
their change and decay, their life and propagation, their special
properties, so soon did they begin to assume for him a spiritual
meaning ; they were personified and became tlie symbols of
moral and s])iritual qualities. Thus from time immemorial the
never-dying Cypress and the blue Asphodel (springing up with
every recurring season from its bulb buried in the earth) have
been the emblems of immortality. Among the early Egyptians
the Lotus was tlie symbol of fertility. Among all nations, and
the most ancient, peace and victory have been symbolized
respectively Ijy the Olive and the Palm, love and marriage by
the Rose and Myrtle, modesty and purity by the Violet and the

The Christian era from its very beginning has been especially
marked by this symbolization of plants and flowers. The death
of our Saviour and all its surroundings is supposed to be set forth
in the Passion-Flower, from wlience it derives its name. As one
writer expresses it : " The leaves represent the spear which
pierced His side, the tendrils the cords which bound His hands

40 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

or the stripes with which He was scourged, the ten petals the
ten Apostles who deserted Him, the pillar in the centre of the
flower the cross, the stamina the hammers, the styles the nails,
the inner circle ahout the central pillar the crown of thorns, the
radius around it the nimbus of glory, the white in the flower is
an emblem of purity, the blue a type of Heaven. It keeps open
*three days and then dies — denoting the death, burial and resur-
rection of our Lord."

There have been several traditions as to what particular tree
furnished the wood of which the cross was made. One tradition
ascribed it to the Aspen, whose leaves have been since the cruci-
fixion in constant agitation in remembrance of that dreadful
event. Another ascribes it to the wood of several trees:

t " Nailed were His feet to Cedar, to Palm His hands,
Cypress His body bore, Title on Olive stands."

The scourges with which our Lord was beaten were made from
the Weeping-Willow. The Purple Orchis, also called Geth-
semane, is supposed to have grown at the foot of the cross and
to have been stained with the blood which flowed from it.

Many flowers were named from the Virgin Mary — the Mari-
gold, Lady's fingers. Dame's Violet, Lady's Mantle, Lady's
Slipper, Maiden Hair and matiy others. The Marigold is so
named because in bloom on all festivals held in honor of the
Virgin.

Many flowers were also dedicated to the Saints. Feather-
grass was dedicated to St. Albaii, the first martyr of England.
The Daffodil to St. Perpetua, martyred during the reign of the
Emperor Severus. The poet Herrick says :

*♦ When a daffodel I see
Hanging down its head towards me
Guesse I may what I must be.
First I shall decline my head,
Secondly I shall be dead,
Lastly, safely buried."

The flower of St. Duntsan was Monkshood ; of St. Augustine,
Archbishop of Canterbury, the Rhododendron ; of St. Bartholo-
mew, the Sunflower ; and so the list might be indefinitely ex-
tended.

But the development of gardening as a fine art can hardly be
80 well illustrated by the life of individual plants as by noting

* A devotional spirit seems to have strained a point here. The varieties
oT the passiflora generally known to us, remain in bloom but a single day.

t Pes Cedrum est truncus Cupressus
Oliva supremum palmaque transversum
Christi sunt in cruce lignum.

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 41

its progress and distinctive character in tliose nations wliere it
has been most successfully practiced.

Among the oldest gardens of which we have any record are
those of the Egyptians. Our knowledge of them is derived for
the most part from the paintings and sculptures of Thebes.
Their arrangement would be hardly consonant with modern
taste. They were usually in the form of a quadrangle, with a
vineyard in the centre also in the form of a quadrangle.
Around the outer quadrangle were rows of Sycamores and Date
Palms planted alternately. Tanks of water were constructed at
regular intervals, near which, and fed by the moisture therefrom,
were tufts of papyrus. Although it is said that the ancient
Egyptians were fond of llowers, and that wreaths and chaplets
were common among them, there is a singular absence of plants
and flowers in the representations of their gardens to be found in
their ancient ruins. But there ^5 evidence that the topiarian art
or custom of pruning or trimming trees into fantastic shapes was
not entirely unknown to them.

Some of the great nations of antiquity like Babylon and Assy-
ria were renowned for their stupendous gardens. Tlie hanging
garden of Babylon was ranked among the seven wonders of the
world. It was built by Nebuchadnezzar for the gratification of
his Queen, that she might have something to remind her of the
mountains of her native country. It was built in the form of a
square, the base of which occupied four acres, and was composed
of terraces which rose one above the other until the highest over-
topped the walls of the city three hundred feet high. These ter-
races were built up with huge stones, provided with sloping paths
which reached the summit, and planted with trees and shrubs so
as to give it the appearance of a mountain. At the base of the
garden flowed the river Euphrates, or rather a canal from that
river, and an aqueduct was constructed so as to convey the water
from this canal to the top of the highest terrace for purposes
of irrigation. Large hqllow piers were built and filled with
mold to provide sufficient earth and moisture for the support of
the largest trees.

At Nineveh gardens were laid out within the city walls, some
of them being of considerable extent. In the British Museum
are bas-reliefs representing apparently the gardens of the Assy-
rian Kings dating back to at least 1200 years before Christ.
These show Vines, Palms and other trees, and a plant in full
bloom. Upon one of them is a representation of an Assyrian
bower composed of Vines, in which sits the king of Assyria and
his Queen.

42 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

The garden of Semiramis is said to have been fourteen furlongs
in compass.

Damascus was noted for its gardens which extended for more
than thirty miles around. A writer of the fourteenth century
states that the gardens about this place amounted to no less than
40,000.

At Jerusalem the wealthy citizens had their gardens without
the city walls. None but rose gardens were allowed within the
city walls on account of the unhealthy effects supposed to arise
from the putrefaction of weeds and other offensive substances.

Among a people like the ancient Greeks whose strongest na-
tional characteristic was a love of tlie beautiful ; a nation where
oratory, philosophy, poetry, painting and sculpture received its
highest development ; we naturally look for a love of the orna-
mental in tlieir horticulture, and for higli attainments in the way
of floral and landscape gardening. Yet although we know that
the Greeks had great fondness for flowers, the rose, the lily and
the violet being their especial favorites, and that wreaths of
flowers graced all festive occasions — yet we fail to find any evi-
dence that they were enthusiasts in floriculture or reached the
highest standard in landscape gardening. We can find but mea-
gre hints of these acquirements in this direction from tlieir early
literature. The only extended allusion to horticultural pursuits
which we find in Homer is his beautiful description of the Garden
of Alcinous : —

" Close to the gates a spacious garden lies,
From storms defended and inclement skies;
Four acres was the allotted space of ground
Fenced with a green enclosure all around.
Tall thriving trees confess'd the fruitful mould
The red'ning apple ripens here to gold.
Here the blue fig with luscious juice o'erflows,
With deeper red the pomegranate glows ;
The branch here bends beneath the weighty pear,
And verdant olives flourish round the year.
The balmy spirit of the western gale
Eternal breathes on fruits untaught to fail;
Each dropping pear a following pear supplies,
On apples apples, figs on tigs arise.
The same mild season gives the blooms to blow.
The buds to harden and the fruits to grow —
Here order'd vines in equal ranks appear
With all th' united labors of the year;
Some to unload the fertile branches run,
Some dry the black'ning clusters in the sun ;
Others to tread the liquid harvest join,
The groaning presses foam with floods of wine.
Here are the vines in early flower descried,
Here grapes discolored on the sunny side.
And there in Autumn's richest pui-ple dy'd.
Beds of all various herbs forever green.
In beauteous order terminate the scene."

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 43

Although this description is supposed to be wholly fabulous —
a figment of the brain — it has no less value as an indication of the
state of horticultural art in Greece when Homer sang his immor-
tal Epic. In fact its value is rather enhanced by its fictitious
character, for the poet may be supposed in such case to give loose
rein to his imagination, and to depict in glowing terms the highest
conception possible to a Grecian of what a garden might, could, or
should be. And it is to be noted that in this description no flowers
are mentioned. The garden is made to tickle the palate rather
than to gratify the eye — it is a picture of sensuous rather than
spiritual beauty. And no exact and definite description of a
fiower garden (so far as I am aware) can be found in their litera-
ture which can be cited as a type of their national taste. Plutarch
says the Greeks planted roses and violets among the onions and
the leeks. It is probable that in their floriculture they combined
beauty with utility for the most part. Yet flowers were in con-
stant demand in all their civil and religious ceremonies. Crowns
and wreaths were worn by priests in their sacrificial rites. Actors,
clowns and spectators at their games and theatres wore flowers in
profusion — garlands were placed at the doors of temples and
upon the altars of the gods, Pollox mentions the following as
the principal flowers used by the Greeks in their crowns and gar-
lands : — roses, violets, lilies, the water-mint, anemones (or the
wind flowers), wild thyme, crocuses, hyacinths, the gold-colored
aurelia, the hemerocallis (or flowers that bloom but for a day), the
elenia, the thernalia (a plant the leaves of which are lit for the
wicks of lamps), the asphodel, the white daffodil, the sweet lotus,
the camomile, the parthenis, and such other flowers as are de-
lightful to the eye and possess a sweet fragrance. So although
the taste of the Greeks for landscape gardening was not develop-
ed in the direction of extensive ornamental grounds, yet much
artistic effect was produced in the arrangement of fountains,
shade-trees, evergreens and flowering shrubs. Among their ever-
greens the myrtle was a favorite. Sometimes it l)loomed as a
small shrub, in other places it rose to the height of a tree, while
elsewhere it was planted in dense clusters or thickets and arched
in bowers. Among their trees and shrubs were the tamarisk, the
strawberrj' tree, the box, the bay, the juniper, the styrax, the
white flowered laurel, the pine-tree, the smilax, the cedar, the
carob, the maple, the ash, the elm, the plantane, and the evergreen
oak. With the exception of the elder and the younger Pliny
there is almost the same meagreness of allusion to horticultural
pursuits in Roman as in Grecian literature. Even Virgil, their
greatest poet, although he devotes the Georgics — next to the
-^neid, his most famous poem, to agriculture, and topics intimate-

44 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

}y connected therewith, gives us no insight whatever into the
condition of the horticultural arts. Tliere is a passage in the
fourtli and last book of the Georgics which contains the intima-
tion that gardening might become the subject of a future poem,
but unfortunately for us, if such was the poet's purpose, he did not
survive to execute his conception. The passage is as follows : —
" And now, were I not just furling my sails with the close of my
labors and hastening to turn my prow towards land, perhaps I
might sing how rich gardens should be adorned — what treat-
ment is needed for the rosaries of Paestum, where flowers
come twice a year — how endive and green banks of parsley de-
light in drinking the rills ; and liow the cucumber winding
through the grass swells in round juiciness. I might sing too and
forget not of the snowflake and the flexile broom, and of the ivy
with its creamy foliage ; and of the myrtles that love the shore.
Do not 1 remember that old Corycian who amid his vervain and
white lilies found happiness of mind that was equal to the wealth
of kings ? Ah yes, the first was he to gather the rose of Spring
and the fruit of Autumn. And even when sad Winter split the
rocks with cold and bridled the current of the streams with ice —
in that very season was he cropping the locks of the soft Acan-
thus. He had Lime trees (for the bees) and Stone Pines in. great
abundance, and as many fruits as the liberal tree had given pro-
mise of in early blossom so many did it retain in time of ripe-
ness. But these I must leave on one side, restrained by the nar-
row bounds I have ])rescribed myself, leaving them to others to
record." The first Roman garden, of wliich we have any account,
was that of Tarquinius Superbus in the fifth century B. C. But
at the beginning of Roman power every household, however hum-
ble, was supposed to own its small plot of ground, and in the
laws of the twelve tables the words Aortus and herediuTn or gar-
deti and inheritance were equivalent terms. As Rome increased
in power and population, and the exigencies of city life rendered
open air gardens impracticable, they resorted to pot and window
gardening, and adorned stairwaj^s, steps and balconies, as well as
windows, with pots and vases of vines and flowering plants.
But the distinctive feature of Roman gardening was the Roman
villa and the pleasure grounds connected therewith. The best
description to be found of this, is the letter of Pliny the younger,
describing his villa and garden at Tusculum. It is as follows: —
" Before a portico in front of the house is a sort of terrace embel-
lished with curious figures and bounded with a box hedge, from
whence you descend by an easy slope adorned with the represen-
tation of divers animals in box answering alternately to each
other into a lawn overspread with the soft — 1 had almost said the

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 45

liquid — acanthns ; this is surrounded by a walk enclosed with
tonsile evergreens, shaped into a variety of forms. Beyond it is
the gestatio laid out in the form of a circus, ornamented in the
middle with box cut in numberless figures, together with a planta-
tion of shrubs prevented by the shears from shooting up too high ;
the whole is fenced in with a wall covered with box rising in dif-
ferent ranges to the top. On the outside|of the wall lies a mead-
ow that owes as many beauties to nature as all T have been de-
scribing within does to art; at the end of which are several other
meadows and fields interspersed with thickets. The hippodrome
is encompassed on every side by plane-trees covered with ivy, so
that while their heads flourish with their own foliage their bodies
enjoy a borrowed verdure ; and thus the ivy, twining round
the trunk and branches, spreads from tree to tree anc! connects
them together. Between each plane-tree are planted box-trees,
and behind these bay-trees which blend their shade with that of
the planes. This plantation forming a straight boundary on
both sides of the hippodrome, bends at the farther end into a
semi-circle, which being set round and sheltered with cypress-trees,
varies the prospect and casts a deeper gloom ; while the inward
circular walks (for there are several) enjoying an open exposure
are perfumed with roses and correct by a very pleasing contrast
the coolness of the shade with the warmth of the sun. Having
passed through these several winding alleys, you enter a straight
walk which breaks out into a variety of others divided by box
hedges. In one place you have a little meadow ; in another the
box is cut into a thousand different forms ; sometimes into letters
expressing the name of the master, sometimes that of the arti-
ficer ; whilst here and there little obelisks rise intermixed alter-
nately with fruit-trees ; when on a sudden in the midst of this
elegant regularity you are surprised with an imitation of the
negligent beauties of rural nature, in the centre of which lies a
spot surrounded witli a knot of dwarf plane-trees — beyond there
is a walk planted with tlie smooth and twining acanthus, where
the trees are also cut into a variety of names and shapes."

Then follows a description of the architectural portion, the
alcoves, fountains and summer houses constructed of marble.
The gestatio which has been mentioned was a sort of avenue in
which the Romans were accustomed to be carried to and fro in
a litter by their servants. The hippodrome was an avenue for
horse exercise. No villa was of course complete without a vine-
yard, orchard and kitchen garden.

I have transcribed this letter of Pliny at considerable length
because it expresses better than in words of my own the two dis-
tinctive ideas which seemed to predominate in Roman landscape
7

46 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

gardening, viz. : the geometric system or set formal plan in which
their grounds were laid out, and the topiarian art as it was called,
or the custom of cutting and pruning shrubs and trees into all
sorts of fantastic shapes. This custom was as universal as it was
ugly and was copied from the Romans in the more modern
Italian garden.

In the Italian garden, however, much more grandeur was af-
fected than in the Roman. The Italian style deliglited in balus-
trades, terraces, magnificent flights of stone steps, alcoves, niches,
lofty clipped hedges and recesses for sculpture. It was an
architectural affair.

French gardening was copied from the Italian style and con-
spicuous for its attempt at magnificence and architectural effort.
Gardening in France received but little attention, or at any rate
did not approach anything like perfection until the seventeenth
century. Although pleasure grounds had before this been formed
at Fontainbleau by Francis I. in imitation of those he had seen
in Italy.

In the seventeenth century the beautiful grounds adjoining the
Tuileries Palace were designed by Le !Notre. From that date
followed the design and laying out of the many beautiful gar-
dens, parks, drives and promenades in which Paris and its envi-
rons abound. Sculpture, basins of water and fountains with a
profusion of flowers are to be seen on every hand. The Champ
d'Elysee with its trees, fountains and parterres of flowers was for
a long time the pride of Paris. But with the laying out of the
Bois de Boulogne, the boast of Napoleon that he would make
tliat great metropolis the most beautiful city in the world gave
promise of fulfilment.

Dutcli gardening was in some respects an imitation of the
Italian but without its magnificence. There was the same stiff-
ness and whimsicality or perhaps an exaggeration of it, while they
followed the same barbarous topiarian custom of pruning trees
and shrubs. They also attempted ornamentation by water, inter-
secting their gardens with canals. But these canals being filled
for the most part with stagnant water renders the eflect anything
but pleasing. But though little can be said for the taste of the
Dutch in the arrangement of their gardens they excel in a
knowledge of horticulture. They are especially devoted to the
cultivation of all the bulbous plants. In the seventeenth cen-
tury an insane rage took possession of them for the cultivation
of the tulip — to such an extent was it carried that it was named
tulipomania — fabulous sums were asked and received for single
specimens of tliis gaudy flower and fortunes lost and won in
speculations upon them.

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 47

I have thus briefly noticed, though not in chronological order,
for tliat would be hardly possible, all those nations, ancient and
modern, chiefly noted for the practice of the horticultural art ;
and the distinguishing features of their gardening ; until we come
to England from which nation we have most closely copied and
where we find the nearest approach to perfection in taste.

I recognize the force of the maxim "de gustibus non disputan-
dum," tliere must be no dispute about taste. And yet there are cer-
tain elementary principles upon which all good taste is founded
about which there can be 7io dispute. One is that the best taste is
always the nearest approach to nature. " The ranunculus
giacialis," says liuskin, " might perhaps by cultivation be
blanched from its wan and corpse-like paleness to purer white
and won to more blanclied and lofty development of its ragged
leaves. But the ideal of the plant is to be found only in the
last, loose stones of the moraine ; alone there, wet with the
cold, unkindly drip of the glacier water, and trembling as the
loose and steep dust to which it clings yields ever and anon, and
shudders and crumbles away from about its root." And herein
lies chiefly the superiority of the English landscape over the Ital-
ian and Dutch styles — the one is an imitation and the other a
distortion of nature.

Another test of the purity of taste is its universality.
" Hence," says the same authority, " false taste may be known
by its fastidiousness, by its demands of pomp, splendor and un-
usual combination ; by its enjoyment only of particular styles
and modes of things, and by its pride also, for it is forever med-
dling, mending, accumulating and self-exulting; its eye is always
upon itself, and it tests all things around it by the way they fit.
But true taste is forever growing, learning, reading, worshippi?ig,
laying its hand upon its mouth because it is astonished, casting
its shoes from ofi:'its feet because it finds all ground holy, lament-
ing over itself, and testing itself by the way that it fits things."
Judged by these standards we see the progressive nature of hor-
ticulture as a fine art.

Many of the fine arts among the ancients, like poetry, oratory
and sculpture, scarcely saw an infancy, but sprang like Pallas
from the head of Jove into full maturity and perfection. No pro-
duction of more modern times can surpass the early Hebrew and
Grecian poetry — the statues of Phidias are to-day the " Models of
all that is noble in expression, elegant in form and chastened in
taste," while in oratory Demosthenes will remain alone and unap-
proachable till the end of time.

On tlie other hand, horticulture as an art has passed through
not only a struggling infancy but a long adolescence, and who

4.8 WOECESTEB COOTTT HORTICULTURAL SsOCIETT. [1881.

shall saj that it has yet attained its majority ? Judged by the
standards I have named, who can fail to see that by as much as
the Eoman villa with its formal lines, or the Italian landscape
with its architectural accessories excels the gloomy Egyptian plot
of rectangular form, with its tanks of water and tufts of papyrus,
by so much are the English park, English lawn, and English
flower garden a triumph over those.

And it is on the suggestions of the English style that our own
horticulture and landscape gardening is for the most part based.
Bulstrode and Cobham Hall have been reproduced in the suburbs
of Boston and upon the banks of the Hudson.

^OT do we suffer by comparison. It is the judgment of spe-
cialists in horticulture — gentlemen of the widest observation and
experience, that for beauty and purity of taste, the ornamental
grounds of Mr. Hunnewell at Wellesley ai-e unsurpassed by any-
thing of a similar character in either the old world or the new.

Laid out like an English park with its sweeping avenues and
endless vistas of velvety lawns, its rustic arches and arbors cur-
tained by climbing vines, and mirrored as it is in the crystal
waters of that loveliest of inland lakes — Lake Wabau — nothing
in Nature or Art seems wanting to make of this charming spot a
terrestrial paradise.

At the last Convention of the National Pomological Society at
Boston, a few years since, the members were invited at the close
of the first day's session to visit Music Hall. Ostensibly it was
to be an Organ Concert, but the members of the Massachusetts
Society had" prepared for their friends a Horticultural surprise.
It was a feast of plants and flowers. Around the entire Hall
were arranged in endless profusion the choicest of flowers and
most exquisite of trailing vines. Its body was tilled with tower-
ing palms, foliage plants of infinite variety, and all the rare
exotics which the wealth of the tropics could furnish, while the
organ was embowered in ferneries, hanging baskets and rustic
stands. It seemed as though the greenhouses and conservatories
of the whole metropolis, with all its suburbs, had been emptied
ol their contents to make of Music Hall one great conservatory
for the gratification of their guests.

As we stood upon the platform, gazing upon the never-to-be-
forgotten scene, beautiful beyond description, a delegate from a
distant State, lost in admiration, exclaimed in a sudden burst of
enthusiasm, "I tell you Boston is the only city in the world that
could do this thinsc I"

This tribute, coming as it did from no mere tyro, but from a
gentleman of extensive travel and the highest culture, — the oracle
of his section, — was as significant and just as it was involuntary.

1881. J TRANSACTIONS. 49

But he might have added with equal truth, Boston is the only
city in the world that can boast a horticultural society like the
Massachusetts, and it is the Massachusetts Horticultural Society
that has accomplished these results.

And may not we indulge in some measure of self-gratulation
at the success attending the aspirations and the efforts of our
own society of Worcester County ? Of the success it has
attained in the pomological department in the introduction of
the choicest varieties of apples, grapes and pears, the impetus
given to the cultivation of tlie small fruits, of the habits of close
observation acquired by its members by attendance on its weekly
meetings, the excellence and perfection of fruit attained by
growers in their generous emulation for its prizes, the practical
and scientific knowledge disseminated by its valuable library and
by the annual reports of its accomplished Secretary, each one of
tliem a rare intellectual treat as well as a contribution to litera-
ture— of all these it is not my province to speak.

If I have construed aright the aims of the founders of this
institution, its mission is largely an aesthetic mission, the creation
of the beautiful, the adornment of houses and grounds with
those forms of beauty in which nature so profusely abounds,
which delight the eye and cultivate taste and elevate character,
raising man above the dull routine which a cold formal course of
an every-day business life has taught him. That this Society has
at least in some measure accomplished these results, let the ever-
increasing excellence of our weekly floral displays testify. And
let the new forms of beauty our city is taking in every direction
in lawns, and shrubl>eries, and in both its private and public
grounds bear witness. And yet it is hard for many to learn the
lesson, that the life is more than tlie meat, that the body is more
than the raiment.

To how many of this generation, still uttering the old lament,
" what shall I eat and drink, and wherewithal be clothed ?" does
our Lord's rebuke apply with tenfold force — " Behold the fowls
of the air, they sow not, neither do they reap, yet your Heavenly
Father feedeth them." " Consider the lilies of the field, how
they grow ; they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say
unto you that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed
like one of these."

This Society has been and doubtless always will be — all socie-
ties and all institutions, wliether public or private, for the spir-
itual and {esthetic development of man, always have been and
always will be — confronted by the Judas-like enquiry, prompted
by the same meanness of spirit : Why is all this waste ? Why
was not this money given to the poor ? Or by the old utilitarian

50 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

cry cui bono f For what good is it ? What is all this worth ?
How does all this expenditure of time and money pay? As
thono-h the habiliments of the soul, the garments which clotlie
the immortal mind, conld be bought with gold ! As though the
elevating influence of splendid architecture or the refining power
of some master-piece in painting or sculpture could be measured
by dollars and cents ! As though happiness and peace and that
intellectual pleasure of the true lover of nature and art could be
purchased by even wealth untold !

Why were these powers of the soul given us by our Creator —
this love of harmony and sweet sounds — this exquisite suscepti-
bility to beauty in every shape — this desire to reach after those
things which are above and beyond our present state of exist-
ence, higlier and nobler than the dull routine of daily life can
furnish ? Why should we feel such thrills of pleasure in the
contemplation of nice proportions and the delicate arrangements
of light and shade? Why revel in the pleasing fictions of the
imagination from the pen of the poet or novelist ? Why should
the laughter of the ocean-wave, the roar of the tempest, the
diapason of the thunder, the gorgeous hues of sunset, the incense
of flowers, produce within us such alternations of emotion from
quiet happiness to rapturous delight ? Why were these powers
given us unless to gratify and cultivate? And why should man,
made but little lower than tlie angels, created with all these sus-
ceptibilities and capable of this infinite variety of enjoyment —
why should he make of himself a mere machine, plod on day
after day, worsliip Mammon as the god of his idolatry, pass
through this earthly pilgrimage unloving and unloved, and die
with no more knowledge of those noble faculties undeveloped in
his soul than the merest clod beneath his feet ?

God made not man for such a fate. And he who shuts his
eyes to all the wonders of art, to all the beauties of the external
world, who will not satisfy these cravings of his immortal na-
ture— such a man but half fulfils the great end and object of his
existence. He refuses to glorify his Maker by a tribute of praise
and gratitude for all these manifestations of His benevolence
with which he is surrounded — refuses to employ those means
which the Almighty has placed in his power by which he may
not only render his earthly life more happy, but better fit him-
self for an eternal life when this his earthly life shall end.

REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN.

To TSE Members of the Worcestek County Horticultural
Society :

Your Librarian, in the discharge of the usual custom of report-
ing upon the condition and use of the Library, is happy to say
that the Books and Pamphlets are in good order, and none have
been lost. The number taken out during the year just closed is
452, being a small increase over the amount reported last year,
while the number consulted at the Library is very much greater.

Your Librarian in looking through many of the illustrated
works on Horticulture in the Library, has been surprised to see
the wealth and beauty of the illustrations, and I am sure tliat if
the members of the Society would acquaint themselves more
generally with these valuable books with which our shelves
abound, they would be the gainers thereby.

The additions to the Library during the past official year, by
purchase and donation, are as follows : —

Hand Book of British Fungi ; 2 vols.; with full description of
all the species, and Illustrations of the Genera ; by M. C. Cooke,
M. A.; Society.

The Esculent Funguses of England ; containing an account of
their classical history, uses, characters, development, structure,
nutritious properties, modes of cooking and preserving ; by Chas.
C. Badham ; Society.

History of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society ; 2 copies ;
Society.

New and Rare Ferns ; by E. J. Lowe ; Society.

Ferns — British and Exotic ; 8 vols.; by E. J. Lowe ; Society.

Department of Agriculture ; 1879 ; Report of.

The Grasses of Great Britain ; Blustrated by John E. Sowerby ;
Ed. by Charles Johnson ; Society.

Elwes' Monograph of Lilies; A Monograph of the Genus
Lilium ; by Henry John Elwes; a very valuable work; Society.

52 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

A general Index of the Agricultural Reports of the Patent
Office for 25 years from 1837 to 1861, and of the Department of
Agriculture for 15 years from 1862 to 1876 ; W. W. Rice.

Power and Movement of Plants; by Darwin; Society.

Proceedings of Portage Co. Horticultural Society ; Andrew
Willson, Secretary; Ravenna, O., 1879, 1880.

Curtis' Botanical Magazine; by J. D. Hooker; 1880 ; Society.

Transactions of Illinois Horticultural Society ; O. B. Galusha,
Secretary.

Proceedings of the Seventeenth Session of the American
Pomological Society; 1879; Marshall P. Wilder.

Revue Horticole ; 1879; 1880; Society.

Floral Magazine ; 1880 ; Society.

The Home Garden ; by Ella Rodman Church ; Society.

New Book of Flowers ; by Peter Henderson ; Society.

Transactions of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society ; in
two parts ; 1880 ; Robert Manning, Secretary.

Tick's Monthly Magazine ; 1880 ; Society."

The Garden ; an Illustrated Weekly Journal ; 1881 ; Society.

The Gardener's Chronicle; Vol.14; weekly journal; 1881;
Society.

The American Entomologist ; new Series ; 1880 ; 2 copies ;
Society.

The Agricultural Gazette ; London; 1881; Society.

The Villa Gardener ; 1881 ; Society.

The American Agriculturist ; Vol. 40 ; 1881 ; Society.

The Gardener's Monthly; Vol. 23; 1881; by Thos. Meehan ;
Society.

The Country Gentleman ; Vol. 46 ; 1881 ; Society.

The Fruit Recorder; 1881; Society.

The Massachusetts Ploughman ; 1881 ; Society.

Laws and Ordinances of Worcester ; 1881 ; E. H. Towne.

Worcester Directory; 1881; Society.

All which is respectfully submitted.

CHARLES E. BROOKS

Librarian.

Hall of Flora,

Novemler 2, 1881

AfflUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETiRY.

To THE Members of the Worcester County Horticultural
Society :

Twenty-eight years ago, the actnalJPresident of this Society ; to
whom, througliout the whole course of a long and honored life,
we have been as much indebted for diligent and untiring service ;
as for munificence, ample as that was ; drawing from the keen
experiences of a recent visit to Europe, contrasted the Exhibition
of our Society on the 23d day of September, in that year, with
shows of a like character which he had seen in England. He
took, for an example, the "Horticultural Exhibition of all Na-
tions" at Cheltenham, under the professed patronage of Queen
Victoria, Prince Albert, and the Emperor of the French : —

"In addition to a very large hall, there were four tents for exhibi-
tion, whose united length was 1300 feet, and the width of the tables
was nine or ten feet. Three bands of nnxsic, with different instru-
ments, played in turn in the beautiful garden." * * *

"The English show presented a variety of most rare and splendid
flowers, in such size and perfection as it is difficult, with any expense,
to attain in this climate. Except the Roses, and they were very
choice and perfect, and some new and costly Petunias and Verbenas,
and a few other flowers not easily to be procured, the flowers were of
the kinds cultivated with difficulty and great cost, by artificial heat.
The space occupied by the department of Fruit and Vegetables, in
this extent of 1300 feet of tent, was not, in ray opinion, larger than
one of the tables of this hall ; — not more than seventy feet.

There was but one plate of Peaches, which were large and beautiful,
raised by artificial heat, such as in the month of May were sold in the
London market at 10s. sterling, or about $2.50 for each peach."

"I do not remember any Pears at that show, and I saw few in
8

54 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

England. The season was said to be unproductive for that crop. The
Apples were few and inferior." ♦ * *

"There was but one plate of Tomatoes and this, in mid-summer,
though an excellent specimen, was not better than the box which our
Vice-President, John C. Whitin, Esq., of Northbridge, sent to me,
and I exhibited extensively to the members of this Society, in
February last. The result of the proposed comparison may thus be
distinctly stated. The English Exhibition was a display of rare luxu-
ries, which like the privileges of the favored classes in England, are
not ^within the reach of the great body of the people."

Doubtless the Foreign Exhibitions have been developed in
extent and variety, as well as in the interest of popular instruc-
tion. But it may well be assumed that our own Society has kept
more than a measured pace with that advance. Certainly,
within the last two (2) years, the progression has been rapid, and
marked, beyond precedent. I attribute this throbbing vitality —
which animates your associated action, to the policy adopted by
your Trustees, not so long since, of regarding excellence as a
sine qua non in every and all articles submitted for competition
and official approval. Mechanics Hall has been found too small
for your contributions, when your ranks were less rmmerous, and
the state of public affairs was not especially propitious. At
present, — you could easily fill the Rink to repletion, without
Orchard or Garden betraying any deficiency. It has been your
wise election to do better. And yet, — although your weekly
schedule was limited to perhaps a dozen specific articles, the Hall
of Pomona; larger than when the senior Salisbury delivered
that address ; has proved almost inadequate for the recurrent
displays, and their constantly swelling throng of admirers.
That matters are managed somewhat differently, at present,
even in conservative England, may be inferred from the follow-
ing remarks of a close observer and unsparing judge,* who
nevertheless leaves room enough for a suspicion that further
improvement is still possible: —

" For a well-managed Horticultural Society is not a grand patronage
affair of marquees and elephants, big prizes and military bands, wet
days and financial collapse ; but a broad-based, economically-managed

* Garden, The. Aug. 13, p. 211.

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 55

institution, whose sole aim and effort should be to engendei' and pro-
mote a genuine love of gardening : regarding the Annual Show as
merely an imperfect exponent of the work done, and not as its sole
aim and purpose. Successful Horticultural Societies do not depend so
much upon the length of the subscription-list as upon the bona fides
of the Officers and Committee. Permanent success is not to be gained
by the spasmodic efforts of people whose only motive is glory, or four-
penny bits."

That WHS somewhat of a random stone, yet it cracks glass
across the Atlantic, The Qhairman of the Floral Committee,
ignoring tlie marquees and elephants, yet retains visions of
Rinks and Electric Lights ; — of a darkness alike palpable or visi-
ble, and of a heat indisputably infernal; of gold medals for
instruments evoking aught but harmony; and of a male rivalry
wherefrom the element of good breeding was painfully lacking.
His apology for getting mired in that morass, — holding the
official relation to you that he does, may be summed up briefly : —
loyalty to a friend who was true as steel in time of trial; and an
inexhaustible willingness to spend, and be spent in the service of
"Worcester — City or County. But — those " wet days " and the
consequent " financial collapse " ! is it prophecy ?

Advance our standards ! is not simply a poetic pl]rase : but
rather an injunction, or viot d' ordre^ — which flies along the
ranks, inciting each to do his utmost, to gain and uphold a worthy
position. If those of you who visited Boston, upon a recent
memorable occasion, were surprised, it could not have been with
any painful emotion. For now you cannot help but know and
realize ; what I have so often insisted upon in these Reports ; —
that Worcester can grow as goodly a crop as any garden since
Eden ; that her soil is still fecund ; and that her yield is exhaust-
less : — whether the demand is to till the halls of State witii
Judges or Governors, or exacts that more beneficent harvest of
Flower, and Fruit, wherewith a bounteous Nature maketh glad
the heart of man. In whatsoever we are inferior, it will be our
privilege to supplement deficiency : but, at present, the members
of this Society may well decline to concede to any, a position of
superiority, as sincere and successful votaries of Ceres, Flora,
and Pomona.

And why should we not take and maintain the lead in the

56 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETT. [1881.

Horticultural race ? The nnwasted vigor of youth is with us ;
and the flame of emulation burns, it may be, perhaps too
brightly. The City, it is true, keeps growing: but tlie country
is not yet so far repelled, that distance and time are factors to
be computed in estimating our chances. The venerable Massa-
chusetts Society labors under some disadvantages ; at present
weighty, and, in the nature of things, sure to prove more oner-
ous ; from which we are likely to be exempt. For unless
Worcester shall attain the magnitude of Boston, — the time is in
the dim future when the Halls of this Society shall not be
accessible from Gardens and Farms, if not immediately contigu-
ous, yet but a short and charming drive distant. Veterans of
the Massachusetts Society have confessed to your Secretary
that they could discern but slight prospects that their places, in
the order of Nature soon to be vacated, will ever be filled. The
eager attendance upon our Exhibitions of the last two years ; so
much animated by youthful ardor ; dispels from my mind, at
least, any similar apprehension for the continued welfare of this
Society. Should it, at last, after an honorable rivalry, be our
proud fortune to achieve the first place; as the second has often
been conceded by an authority from which there can be no
appeal;* our friends, who will simply not have retained the lead,
may find partial solace in the lines of the poet : —

"To teach his grandchild draughts then, his leisure he'd employ;
Until, at last, the old man was beaten by the boy."

And as much in the reflection that Elijah did not drop his
mantle — on a descending grade : nor, at all, until a worthy
successor was found.

But just at this hour of writing, as in the Autumnal Equinox
the natural equilibrium is jostled ; and, amid hurricane, drought,
with fierce conflagration, man begins to mistrust the Promise that
"seed-time and harvest shall not cease" tlie tolling bell and dull
boom of artillery startle our ears, warning us that fruition again
disappoints — that the fairest hopes of a Nation are once more
blighted. The growth may be symmetrical ; — its development
from one year to another stately and tall ; — until, at last, when

♦Marshall P. Wilder.

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 57

we anticipated with the completest assurance protection and
shelter beneath its spreading branches or beside its massive
trunk ; it falls ! stricken at the root by something beyond our
calculation of probabilities — so inconceivably despicable is it — so
foul and loathsome ! The parallel comes home to us — Horticul-
turists. Yet, by whatever light it may be viewed, the lesson is
always the same.

" Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might."

" In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not
thine hand : for thou knowest not whether shall piosper, either this or
that, or whether they both shall be alike good."

In the remoter centuries, thus spake the Preacher. For well
nigh Forty Years you have followed his instructions. As citi-
zens,— or associates of this Society, — what better can you do
than to adopt them as your guide through remaining life ?

" Would it had struck me instead !" was the outcry of that son
of thunder* — our own Boanerges, — as tiie lightning from heaven
shivered the dying Oak before his very door. Did he not do it
with his might ? With his hand to the plougii, — when was he
known to turn back ? The inwrought convictions of himself,
and of men perhaps similar yet not actually like him; leavening
the whole lump; made it possible in this Republic to have a
President worth choosing. Without his active career, and that
of those his iirst tierce adversaries and subsequent disciples, it is
doubtful if we should have had, for many another dreary year, a
President worth lamenting. True and thorough : when his life-
work was done ; though he would never own it — possibly did
not see it; he became almost as devoted, in more placid days,
to the work which is so usefully prosecuted in these Halls.
Apt, — as diligent, to learn ; he was always cheerful to instruct.
Ready to advise, if solicited ; he had also the infinitely rarer
quality of being a patient listener.

In these sere days of Autumn, this chaplet is laid upon his
fresh grave by one who seldom agreed with him in opinion
upon public affairs; but who had learned, amid the conflict and

* Stephen Symonds Foster.

58 WORCESTER COUNTr HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

Storm of political passion and prejudice, to estimate and duly
prize the rugged tenacity and sturdy uprightness of — possibly
the Last of the Puritans.

" After life's fitful fever, — he sleeps well."

The development of the Strawberry market, throughout the
City and County of Worcester, has continued with, if possible,
accelerated momentum. Whether as much has been gained in
the production of better varieties, — or in widening and deepening
the knowledge of methods of improved culture, — may be
doubted, — loith emphasis. This latter statement can be modi-
fied, perhaps, if demonstration shall crown audacious experi-
ment; and success result from the problem now on trial at the
base of Newton Hill. But the Goddards did succeed along the
newer Holden road ; and there should be no insuperable obstacle
to the triumph of a similar enterprise, on a far larger scale, when
undertaken by the " Sovereign of Industry.''

Yet, with reference to varieties, what real advance has been
made % The Charles Doimiing is even more generally approved :
but it has been known, and commended, for years. Its wider
acceptance only goes to show that the common vision is clearer, —
the public appreciation more acute, — than in the days when the
Wilson was esteemed good enough for that pet and pride of
Massachusetts Ornithology, the Turdus 7)%igratorius. We have
now, it is true, an endless list of recent seedlings ; tested by our
vigilant members who would have the most prolific; without
objection to quality, if combined with fecundity ; and who, to
that end, feel obliged to " prove all things." Might they like-
wise— " hold fast to that which is good " !

Your Secretary sometimes gets discouraged as a preacher of
the true evangel. He remembers, however, that, in days of
yore, he once or twice essayed the political conversion of the
sturdy Free-Soil dogmatists of Worcester, — City and County, —
to the use of the pure milk of grade-Democracy. What then if
he now fails to persuade you that everything which is novel in
Garden or Orchard ; — and proclaimed to be the one thing need-
ful, by those who get gain from the blowing of rams' horns ; is
not inevitably, nor necessarily, an improvement upon the old?

a-

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. V^^®

What berries were shown, A. D., 1881, that surpassed, if tlT
equalled, those superb specimens of Inomphe de Gand wliich'"
our honored associate — the late Charles Richardson — first, and
so repeatedly, commended to your notice ? Of that foreign
variety which, in the Pomological Catalogue is so widely starred,
Mr. F. M. Hexamer said, at the recent Session of the American
Society, that " he considered it one of the finest shipping varie-
tiet of Strawberries in the world. He thought growers, in
selecting varieties of Strawberries to be shipped, should select
those of a firm texture," tfec, &c. Yet not a quart of the
Tinomphe was visible, this Summer, upon our tables. Take, as
another illustration, the Jucunda ! so prolific and thrifty along
Olean Street ; — yet which is but sparingly tested, elsewhere, in
the City. Can there be found — can one of you name ? a better
Strawberry ; — one of firmer texture, more shapely form, — one
cleaner or handsomer ? But you say that you cannot succeed
with it ! Have yon ever tried its cultivation in hills, — in suita-
ble soil — with proper care taken of the plantation ? If yes, —
and you then failed, you did right to search for something better
adapted to your peculiar, local conditions.

I would be the last person to advocate, or use, a road because
of its ruts. It is the old road, — Via Appia, — well-built, — built
for all time, — over which I would have you travel oftener,
even tiiough you may occasionally profit by a short cut. It was
not bad counsel to be off with the old love before you are on
with the new. Those who grow Berries, or any other fruit — to
sell ; — find it imperative to try each and all the novelties that
are introduced. If a genuine prize is sometimes discovered ;
more often the stranger turns out to bo an old acquaintance, —
newly christened. But this Society does not consist solely of
those who grow fruit for the market. The majority cultivate a
rod or two for private consumption ; and lose nothing if they
fail to achieve, — because not tempting, — Fortune. For all
such — experiment is worse than idle : the tests were made long
since. They may amuse themselves in developing new kinds
from the seed : — possibly, like the tyro at gaming, profit by a
lucky chance. But it will be chance ! For who can enumerate
the myriad disappointments that have clouded the origin of the

C. \

60 'WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

universally approved varieties which may almost be counted
upon the fingers of one hand ?

Can Strawberries be grown for the market, at a profit ? — in
this City and its vicinity ; — is a question mooted as often as the
leisure of Winter loosens the tongue. That some of our mem-
bers believe their cultivation to be remunerative, cannot be
doubted by any one who has kept his eyes open, as he traversed
Park Avenue; or three at least of the countless roads to
Holden. But have any — the most enthusiastic of our local
Fragarians, — the assured faith and easy contentment of that
facile writer and most extensive grower of small fruits,* in
Western New York, — who declares that so long as he can get
ten (10) cents per quart for Strawberries, he will continue to
produce them, and make money at that ? Supplied at any such
rate — who shall put a limit to the consumption ? Who will buy
corned beef, or even porter-house steak, — in the torrid days of
.June, — when a quart of first-rate Strawberries can be procured
for the same or a less sum ? He is the truest Horticulturist who
shall first demonstrate the fact that this delicious fruit can be
afforded thus cheaply. For he will have brought a health-
giving luxury within the reach of the very poorest among us ;
supplementing the meagre list that so quickly expresses and
exhausts the capabilities of our wretched American dietary with
the choicest of all viands. And, all the while, growing no
poorer in purse.

The fruition of the Peach crop, A. D. 1881, scarcely equalled
the promise held out during the preceding year. There was no
single plate of specimens to rival that noble lot of Early Rivers
from West Boylston ; and the Yellows had finally disposed of
two or tliree hap-hazard seedlings, of a flavor to justify the
flourish of trumpets wherewith they were introduced. Others,
of perhaps equal expectation, have succeeded to their place.
And your Secretary is as thoroughly convinced now, as he was
prior to the advent of the Yellows, or to the lethal frost of A.

* Mr. A. M. Purdy, of the Small Fruit Becorder.

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 61

D. 1860-1, that better Peaches* can be grown in Worcester
County than in Delaware or JSTew Jei'sey ; — can be grown with
as much certaint}'', and with the absolute assurance of a ready
market for all that are not wanted at home. Since home appe-
tites, at home firesides, should first receive consideration.

Of course there will be failures. Some will plant trees whose
latent unsoundness cannot be detected until after the lapse and
loss of years. Many will be induced to set an orchard in the
first spot that comes handy ; ignoring, or scorning the knowledge
that there is a place for all things : and that the exposure and
soil which best suit the Strawberry, or Pear, are not necessarily
as well adapted to develop the Peach. Temperature ; — the
direction and force of the winds at the period of inflorescence ;
nerve to withhold the pruning-knife and saw ; (the besetting sin
of the average Yankee being, to abuse a sharp tool whenever he
gets hold of one;) each and all are conditions to be weiojhed in
the location and after-care of such an orchard.

We cannot, indeed, overlook the fact that much of our land
has been cultivated so long, that many essential elements must
be, in great measure, lacking. Yet, as new genera succeed, after
the felling of an ancient forest, flourishing with equal vigor ; so
do we find an order of profitable sequence in the production of
field and orchard crops. It was wisely ordered that monotony
should discourage, by poor returns ; as well as ofifend the taste
from very sameness. There are hill-sides, and pastures, in
plenty, — upon which chestnut-burs no longer prick the chubby-
fisted urchin ; from whose slopes the White Pine was long since
hewn, shaped, and sunk ! — in First Mortgages or Preferred
Shares. There, — might be the habitat of the Peach : — of the
Apple ! if you prefer that sturdy old friend, whose past is known
of all men that ever enjoyed a New England home ; and whose
future should expand and strengthen with the growth of tliat
foreign trade over whose threshold we have barely stepped.

*Tlie Secretary is too modest, by half ! Why does he limit his claim to
Peaches? Worcester County is the home of the Apple,— largely the place of
its origiu. The Sterling; Sutton Beauty; Leicester Sweet; Worcester Spy;
Mother; and Hubbardstou Nonesuch constitute a list that may well challenge
supremacy, if it does not defy competition. E. W. L.

9

62 WORCESTER COUNTY IIOKTICULTL'RAL SOCIETY. [1881.

As I look around this Hall, and upon this audience, I can but
sadly realize the changes which the seasons have brought, with
their inexorable recurrence, during a generation that has passed
away. Of Thirty-Five (35) contributors, l)y whom Ninety-Two
(92) plates of Feaches were shown, A. D. 1853, but Two (2)
were represented in any, the least degree, at your Weekly Exhi-
bitions throughout the year jnst closed. A. D. 1856, three years
later, — One Hundred and Fifteen (115) plates of Peaches were
placed upon your tables by Thirty-Three (33) contributors. Our
esteemed associate, from West Boylston ; and our Junior Yice-
President ; out of that number, are all to whom we have been
indebted for evidence of unflagging interest in the Snmmer of
A. D., 1881. The men, — our valued friends, — have left us:
but, — by their fruits, we still know them. For the varieties
which they cultivated are yet grown, from choice : and Cooledge ;
the Crawfords ; with George lYih ; gratify the palate, as they
commend themselves to a more modern and fastidious judgment.
Crawford'' s Early ^ and Late^ Melacoton ; as they were styled in
our earlier Transactions, upon their first introduction ; were rich
repayment for whatsoever trouble their origination cost. Only
in the same way, — by sowing the pits of choice and healthy vari-
eties,— can we hope to produce kinds that shall be named for us
and endure after us. A majority may be worthless : but, if we
can originate a Peach like the Cooledge^ will it not be ample
remuneration, of itself To sow and to hybridize ! the lesson
which Nature is constantly teaching us : as it is the early, the
uniform, and the latest injunction of Marshall P. Wilder, in
his advocacy of new and suitable fruits for the American Conti-
nent. To that laudable end, shall not each of us contribute some
portion of sustained effort and energy ?

A. D. 1880, Apples could scarcely be given away. During
the present season they have been in scant supply for the baby
of the family. Those Gravensteins and Porters that come so
handy in the forenoon, as a half-lunch ; that are indispensable,
after dinner, to those who have once tasted them ; and which are
never base metal, notwithstanding the proverb, at any hour of
the day ; are conspicuous by reason solely of their absence.
Without Rhode Island Greenings, or even Baldwins, the pros-

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 63

pect for Thanksgiving pies is forlorn enough, while that " de-
licions maid " must perforce seek the initials of the coming man
through some readier response than she is likely to extort from a
casual involution of the paring. Yet, there may be a compensa.
tion. The overburdened trees are resting, as well as storing up
vigor for the crop that may be calculated upon, with reasonable
certainty, in the course of the next even year. Shall that crop,
if pe rmitted to be excessive, be wasted, like too many that are
within memory ? Or rather shall not the Horticulturist control
this drain upon fecundity, by regulating its exactions, thinning
out poor and more especially superfluous specimens ? And in-
flexibly adiiering to a fixed purpose of putting a limit to the yield
of each tree in the entire orchard ? Will it require too much
labor ? Possibly, if that labor is not remunerated. But has any
one present ever tried the experiment, for a series of years, so
as to determine, with absolute assurance, what effect, if any, such
heroic treatment would have upon an orchard ? The writer has
gathered ten (10) barrels of the Baldwin from a single tree ; a
yield which is often exceeded. Suppose now that one-half of
that crop had been picked, shortly after they were formed !
Does any one doubt that the select remainder would have filled
as many barrels ; would have drawn, perhaps, as hardly upon
the vigor of the tree ; but still, through superior size and en-
hanced conditions of flavor and form, would have commanded a
higher price in the market ! Suppose, however, yet further, that
the yield were restricted to what the tree ought to bear ; and
who ever had, or will have the courage to thin to that extent ?
have you not faith that a demand would arise where none existed
before ; and that the very tempting appearance and evident high
quality of the specimens must attract and secure purchasers ?
What return do you expect from an acre of land set in Apple
trees ? Has pomological covetousness no other limit than that

"They shall get who have the power;
And they shall keep who can ? "

Will not one dollar per barrel, net, pay a fair return, should

you get five (5) barrels from a tree ? But if, contenting yourself

with a less yield, of still improved quality, you could manage to

obtain such a return each, instead of every other, year, can you

64 WOBCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

derive an easier or better livelihood from the ensilage of Maize,
or a pedigree in direct descent from Eupidee or Maximum ?
Compute the proper number of trees to the acre* and you have
the sum to answer for itself.

And, with the stern compulsion of necessity constraining us
have we, — as Horticulturists, — any alternative? Is it not already
manifest that a market exists for the entire produce of our or-
chards, on condition only that we will earn and merit coniidence ?
For your inspection at leisure, and that you may duly appreciate
the opportunity which the orchardists of' Worcester County may
take at the flood and follow on to fortune, 1 have collated the sub-
joined tables from the London Garden ; asking you to mark
especially the absence of certain varieties, from these tables, like
the Huhbardston Nonesuch for example, that might seem to be
of the first value for commercial purposes ; and the undue pre-
valence of others to which here, in Worcester County, we attach
little or no value :

Apples — Exportation during nine one- half (9^) months, from
August 1, 1880, to May 14, 1881.

From New York barrels 599,200

" Boston " 510,:-i00

" Philadelphia " 9,872

" Montreal " 145,276

" Halifax " 24,250

« Portland " 39,908

" Annapolis " 20,000

1,348,806

Between the 15th and 22d days of December, A. D. 1880,
there arrived at Liverpool 27,785 barrels of apples. To the mid-
dle of May, A. D. 1881, there had been received, at that port,
the enormous aggregate of 692,550 barrels against 240,550 in
the year 1880. Now you will be curious to know what return
they made after travelling so far. The prices current for dif-
ferent varieties, January 1st, A. D. 1881, were thus stated :

*At a distance of thirty (30) feet between the trees there could be planted :
Imperial acre, 48 ; Scottish acre, 60 j Irish acre, 79 trees.

1881.] transactions.

American.
Newtown Pippin,

Good to fine, 15s Od 28s Od

Ordinary to fair, 8s 8d 14s Od

Baldwin, Ds Od 14s 6d

Greening (R. I. [?]) 98 Od 12s 6d

Russet, (Roxbury [?]) 10s 6d IBs Od

Golden Russet, . . I2s 6d 14s 3d

Spitzenbcrg, 12s 9d ISs 6d

Seek-No-Further, 1 1 s 6d

Lady, 18s Od 34s Od

Vandevere, lis 6d 14s 9d

King of Tompkins Co., Os Od Os Od

Northern Spy, Os Od Os Od

Canada Red (Nonesuch),.. Os Od Os Od

Phoenix, , Os Od Os Od

Pennock, Os Od Os Od

Swaar, Os Od Os Od

Talman Sweet, 12s Od

Twenty Ounce, Os Od Ob Od

65

Canadian.

No Quotations.

Os Od

13s 6d

13s Od

17s 6d

158 Od

16s Od

13s Od

los 3d

16s Od

18s 3d

148 6d

168 9d

14s 6d

17s 6d

Os Od

18s 3d

Os Od

18s 6d

13s 9d

14s 9d

17s Od

17s 6d

17s 3d

18s Od

Os Od

Os Od

Os Od

14s Od

Os Od

14s Od

Os Od

Os Od

Mark how justly Pennoek's Red Winter is valned and tlien
calculate — the privilege of every Yankee with a pedigree ! —
whether or no the Lady Apple can be grown in Worcester
County and laid down in Liverpool for from four (4) to eight (8)
dollars per barrel. There is no law to prevent your exportation
of other varieties ; — such tirst-rate and good keeping kinds, for in-
stance, as the Huhbardston Nonesuch and Porter. Receipts for
home-made pies, as well as for long and short sauce, would add
little to the charge for freight, and would be a handy thing in
the home of John Bull who has behaved, for him, unusually
well of late ; — not even obstructing our catch for fish-balls.

Five months later, when the supply must have been restricted
to what stock had been kept along in cold-houses ; the chances
of decay during an ocean voyage, throughout the vernal months
being too great to risk ; the quotations in Covent Garden betray
marked appreciation. I would simply say of one variety — the
Momanite — held at ISs 9d, that if it is what was known by that
name, along the Ohio River, forty years ago, when and where
your Secretary first and last saw it, no member of this Society
would tolerate it in his orchard. Bat, you await the figures !

66

WORCKSTER COUNTT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

[1881.

Canadian.

9(1

24s 6d

16s Od

20s Od

Od

18s 6d

los Od

21s Od

9d

14s 3d

los 3d

17s Od

Od

18s Od

16s 9d

26s 6d

Od

18s 6d

16s Od

23s 3d

Od

16s Od

16s 3d

198 3d

168 6d

208 Od

Od

22s Od

9d

Od

18s 3d

Od

American.

Newtown Pippin, 1 2s

Baldwin, 14s

Greening, lis

Russet, 14s

Spitzenberg 16s

Spy, Northern, 148

Seek-No-Further

Russet, Golden, 198

Ronianite, 18s

Phoenix, !, ... 1 6s

Canada Red (Old Nonesuch) 18s

This, upon May 21st, A. D. 1881.

The whole aim and tendency of this Society, more especially
during the last decade, has been in the direction of quality, as
opposed to quantity. To that end, we discarded generalization,
preferring rather the distinct species within which we would
choose that comparison should be restricted. Each variety has
stood upon its own merits, if any it had, and the perfection of
the specimens became, as it should, the sole test of pre-eminence.
Baldwin was contrasted with Baldwin, and not with Fennock's
Red. In short, ploughing was no longer done with " an ox and
an ass together."

Nor were imperfections tolerated, as a rule. Wormholes ;
specimens, perfect save from the casts that alone gave outward
indication of ravage ; knurly, or cracked, as many varieties
appear to be, in recurring seasons, without evident prevention or
remedy; all have been deemed fatal defects and, as such, incurred
the just penalty o'f inferiority. So that now a premium won, in
our Society, means actual desert :

" Palniam qui meruit, ferat."

Is not excellence everywhere appreciated? Do you suppose
that John Bull — stolid as he is assumed to be — attained his place
at the head of the commercial world because he did ?iot know
how to transact business ? Think you that shoddy is an Ameri-
can monopoly, or that only Yankees can properly do what is at-
tributed to Deacons! To show tliat the careful selection of
sound specimens, from the best varieties, would meet with its
due reward, let me adduce the opinion of Mr. Walter Draper, of

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 67

Covent Garden, London,* to whose firm most of the apples
going to the London market are consigned.

" He says that there would be no objection whatever to the apples
being classed, and that sales could be readily found for more than
one class, but that the ones, twos, and threes, should be rigidly and
conscientiously separated, and kejit so in the barrel." * * '' Speak-
ing of the state of the packing of the immense number of apples
coming from America, during the past season, he referred to the
great loss and disappointment incurred from bad packing, brands
found to be deficient in that way being evaded by the purchaser.
The Canadian apples are much better."

There can be no valid excnse for the improper packing of

fruit, whether for exportation or storage at home. The only

plea in abatement may be — a saving of elbow-grease. But to

this comes in the inevitable demurrer that the lubrication of the

pocket nerve is thereby rendered uncertain. Men will toil,

year after year, throughout the sweltering heat of Summer, to

secure a ton of liay from an acre of ground. Let them have

forty (40) apple trees upon the same amount of land, and they

would esteem themselves ill-used were they reproached for not

taking proper care of them. Yet the excessive crop might be

thinned, at the pleasantest season of the year — a labor in which

children could be trained to bo particularly useful. Nor would

it appear to be a great hardship to gather the mature harvest

during an Indian Summer. It is doubtless true that the orchard

cannot be the sole reliance of our Terrse-culturists. They must

live by everything that the earth can be coaxed, or coerced, to

yield.

" And the earth brought forth grass, and herb, yielding seed after
his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after
his kind ; and God saw that it was good."

Worcester County is a good place to live in : — there can be
found, in the wide world, none better. But it is no land of
tropical profusion and, as well, tropical shiftlessness. It requires
some vexation of spirit to wrest a livelihood from our rugged
soil; and therefore it is that diversities of cultivation and of crops
should be welcomed, and new markets discovered, to be there-
after retained. There ought to be no limit to the demand for

*Garden, The, p. 592, June 11, 1881.

68 WORCESTKR COUNTT HOKTICULTURAT> SOCIETY. fl881.

our Apples and Pears. The world is ransacked for new varieties
of the Orange — unquestionably more palatable to us because we
cannot grow it at home. Why should not the products of our
orchards be equally desirable, in climates where, from extremes
or vicissitudes of heat and cold, they have been proved of ditficult
or impossible cultivation ?

It is to be regretted that our Premium Schedule exacts such
frequent revision. Stare decisis would be as sound a motto for
such documents, as for the more rigid mandates of the law. But
therein lies the problem, always vexed and, as would seem at
times, of almost hopeless solution — What is decided f After long
conference, and comparison of views, we entered upon the
official year that has just closed so prosperously, with confidence
that, at last, something like absolute assurance was attained.
The very first Exhibitions demonstrated the fallacy of such hopes;
and rendered it even surer 'than skepticism had predicted, that,
80 long as men are of such dififerent minds, no single acceptation
of even the clearest phraseology can be expected. Of course,
there will be some who incline to cavil, even as the sparks fly
upward, and whose casuistry is inspired by all the ardor of
selfishness. Their name is not, however, Legion, and their number
is far exceeded by the roll-call of the honest majority, whose
doubts are entitled to the respect ever accorded to sincerity.
Our holy religion was to the Jews a stumbling block and to the
Greeks foolishness. How then shall a mortal committee, with-
out the gift of tongues, expound to the satisfaction of all the dis-
tinction of varieties that are often, to themselves, without essen-
tial difference — Onavtriav for Ofioiovo'iav — salvation contingent
upon a vowel ! — or make manifest that the call for Flowers,
Seedlings of 1881, is not fairly answered by the display, at the
end of July, of blooms from plants that were forced under
glass !

Take this very instance of a call for varieties : can it, by any
possibility be productive of accord or satisfaction ? Just reflect
upon the almost infinite number into which the sub divisions of
species degenerate and are lost, and behold ! the difliculty. As
of yore, in your classification of Fruit, when sweet was contrast-
ed with sour, the boast of Summer with the cull and pride of

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 69

Autumn : you have to compare flowers which resemble each
other in nothing : — without contrasting or even salient features
wherefrom to frame a scale of pre-eminence. It might be far
more to the purpose, as it would be much more practicable, to
call for stands of distinct species. If you had them not, you could
procure them and, sooner or later, achieve the prize. And then
there would be diversity enougli to save contributors and com-
mittees, alike, from mental perplexity and worriment. At
present, tiie great trouble about the varieties is, tliat they do not
vary ! Take a stand of Late Phlox, for example, on the 22d of
September, ulto., with the contents of seven (7) bottles, out of
forty (40) identical. Scattered throughout the collection, it is
true, for effect, in a sort of irregular skirmishing line, but yet
all of one and the same variety. If you will determine that
duplicates shall not be allowed, hereafter, in any case, a great
part of the present causes for embarrassment may be avoided.
That is the course which an honest ambition to secure the best
displays would suggest, and it is a rule which your Floral Com-
inittee for A. 1). 1881, are unanimous in urging for adoption.
While a thing of beauty may be a joy forever, it should not be
overlooked that there may be too much of a good thing ; bulk
and loveliness being scarcely convertible terms.

With reference to the common practice of holding a court of
review, after the decision of Committees, because of individual
disappointment, it may be worth the while to occupy a moment.
Let the Exhibition of July 28th furnish an illustration. Upon
that occasion your Trustees offered three premiums for Stands of
" Cut Flowers," explicitly requiring them to be " Seedlings of
1881." The obvious and natural meaning of the requirement
would appear to be, that the flowers shown must be grown from
seed sown in the open ground — en ple'uie terre — as our Horti-
cultural confreres in France would say, and during the current
year. Wiiy else wait so long ? If a seed will not germinate
and develop before August, when will it ? Apples, Peaches,
and Pears, bud, blossom and mature ; and the Earhj Harvest,
River, Doyenne cT Ete, with an occasional Citron des Cannes^
have crowded your tables in profuse succession, ere the advent
10

70 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

of the Dog Star witli its baleful gleam. An honest purpose
conceals no furtive aims. Your Committee did not doubt that
the germination and growth of plants might be accelerated by
artificial methods. They simply decided that the employment of
such methods was not within the contemplation of the Trustees
when tlie schedule was adopted.

The London Garden^ of July 30th, ult., published, as you will
observe, within two days of the date when this question arose
among ourselves, referring to a superb dish of Gloxinias, quotes
from Messrs. Sutton, the Florists who displayed them, as follows :

" We always treat the Gloxinias as annuals, that is to say, we sow
the seed in January, and toward the middle and end of June we have
well established plants with several flowers on each such as those sent
you. These plants seed and form good, sound bulbs the same season.
We thus produce seed and bulbs in one year, instead of sowing one
summer for flowers the following summer, and we save, of course, the
trouble of one winter's storing."

" We treat them as annuals" — which tells the whole story.
Whatsoever may be done with the Aquilegia, Sweet William, or
Z^oZZ^/Aoc^^' call them biennial, if you choose, and not inquiring
whether they can be forced into premature activity ; we have for
our own purposes, as Florists, compelled the Gloxinia to mature
in the same season that the seed was planted. Your Committee
concluded that the Trustees had no ulterior purposes in view;
that "Seedlings of 1881," was an honest phrase, with no latent
interpretation ; and that a frank invitation to all involves no lurk
ing snare for one. It is matter for regret always, when individ
nal measure of its own desert outweighs the general estimate.
It was the misfortune of the fly not to calculate with greater
precision the momentum of the cart-wheel. Entering upon this,
the Forty-Second year of a prosperous, and, may we not claim ? a
beneficent existence, the Worcester County Horticultural So-
ciety may hope to survive the chilling influence of chagrin, from
those who should know better, or the open manifestation of
pique, in cases wliereof, so far as this Society is concerned, the
least said the soonest mended.

" Where ignorance is bliss
'T were folly to be wise."

Another curious idiosyncrasy has developed itself witliin the

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 71

past twelve months. Tlie Committees have completed their
tasks and the public are admitted. Do competitors ascertain the
awards — acquiesce — and cordially admire the display made by
each other ? Such may be the fact in rare instances. But how
is it with those wlio, finding that the first premium has been
awarded to their rivals, do not thank the Olympian Jove that
Sparta has worthier children than themselves ! Who even as-
sume to call the committees to account, as though the best pre-
miums were their especial, indisputable perquisite ? whose wan-
ton with-holding or non-award involves flagrant injustice to the
Society as well as to themselves ! Tradition assures us that such
persons have existed; and Science, in its record of the precession
of the equinoxes tells us that the laws of Nature abound in repe-
tition. Trials by jury are not always satisfactory. But appeals
to the mob are more senseless, and carry witli them less consola-
tion than an invocation of the Goddess of Un-Reason. The
judgment of the tribunal is not invariably approved: but chronic
discontent is transparent, and its motives are ever accredited
with the selfishness that is their obvious inspiration.

Your Trustees have ordered that Flowers should be displayed
with their own foliage. That rule is so eminently proper
that the Floral Committee of the New England Agrimiltural
Society, last September, instructed their Chairman to advise its
adoption at any future exhibition in the Kink. Might it not be
well also, now, to determine in advance to what extent Art, or
artifice, shall supplement Nature ! Whether, in short, to scrimp
material, or in its default, wire may be substituted for the stalk
or stem of flowers when cut. If you should conclude that this
trick of the Florist, who reduces the bulk of a bouquet at the
cost of its life, may be tolerated, you certainly will not sanction
the use of such appliances in the arrangement of baskets or
other loose floral combinations. Capillary attraction is an essen-
tial condition of plant-life, and, without its aid, the bud or blos-
som, severed from its parent stalk, must quickly wither and die.
Suffer Art to foster and develop Nature : never accept it
instead.

Your Corn,mittee would also submit for consideration, by the
Tkustees, whether it might not be better to defer, as was our

72 "WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

former custom, the commencement of Floral Exhibitions to a
later date. They are not strenuous about it, but simply suggest
that, held concurrently with meetings for Essay and Discussion,
the Exhibitions are relegated to a position of inferiority and
scarcely repay their cost. Were they used for purposes of
demonstration by practical Botanists, there could be no question
of their absolute utility. As it liappens, a bouquet is brought in;
and now and then a creditable fuchsia or geranium. Should it
not receive pecuniary recognition, the committee are blamed for
inability to appreciate a modest merit that might as well have
continued to bloom unseen. Later in the year, when the Hall of
Pomona is literally crowded with deserving articles, the gratuities
that were lavished upon the altar of good nature, during Janu-
ary and February, are sadly missed. Our old practice of initiat-
ing the series of Floral Exhibitions with a display of Azalea
Tndica, seemed to work well. Possibly Primroses and Hyacinths
might anticipate the Azalea by one or two weeks. It will be for
the Trustees to determine if anything is gained, by an attempt
to combine the visual observation of one thing with mental in-
struction upon another, that is widely dijQferent, if not wholly
alien.

The Floral Committee of the JVew England Agricultural
Society^ of which your Secretary had the undesirable honor to
be Chairman^ were painfully impressed by the meagreness, or
utter lack, of offerings for many of the choicer species of
Flowers. Our own Schedule, great as was the care bestowed
upon its construction, was noticeably deficient in that respect.
Take, for example, the Sioeet William ! always a favorite ;
which, latterly, has been invested with a brilliancy and variety
of color that might almost challenge rivalry. And then, too,
the Antirrhinum — or Snap-Dragon ! with even greater diversity
of light and shade ; — ranging from buff to magenta, — and com-
pelling attention were it merely from the peculiarity of its flori-
age. Three Dollars is the munificent sum proposed, in two pre-
miums, for the best six varieties of the Genus Lilium ! to whose
pristine glory, thousands of years since, the magnificence of
Solomon was declared inferior. The Pumpkin Sweet Apple
gets as much.

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 73

A perfect Schedule may be beyond our attainment. It is
worth striving for, liowever ; and the very effort to secure it
must be productive of advantage. If a competent sub-Committee
could revise the list of premiums as established for A. D. 1881,
reporting their conclusions, if thought desirable, to the entire
Committee of Arrangements ; a decided amendment might be
hoped for and, in all probability, realized. Confidence must be
reposed somewhere. And you need not go far astray, with the
ample ability and experience from which you can select.

And now, with reference to the proper appointment of Com-
mittees of Award; — your Secretary desires to repeat advice
which is based upon long years of observation. Why should
you not choose two persons ; — one, and one only, for each, to act
upon the respective Committees of Plants and Flowers, and
Fruits and Vegetables ? The work would be better done ; —
done more promptly : while your Secretary^ and Librarian^ left
to their appropriate duties, would yet be able to afford the assist-
ance that is occasionally required in the suitable arrangement of
articles. The persons, thus selected to dis(;harge an onerous and
thankless task, should be paid a reasonable sum for the time
spent in your service. This is a matter that you cannot longer —
in justice to yourselves or others — postpone or heedlessly neglect.
Gentlemen have purposely refrained from competition in tlie
Floral Department, during the past year, whose earned awards
in former seasons were quite considerable. For a competent
Judge, — you need and should have an expert and active Florist.
In Fruits and Yegetables, you would not require to look far to
find one suited, both by long practice and shrewd insight, to
meet all the exacting requirements of the position. In both
departments, — the advance of the Society has been and continues
such that you are in imperative need of the very best talent that
you can command.

Not so many years have elapsed since the good taste of our
members was rudely offended by the display of what were tech-
nically termed Floral Designs. Severe criticism and a more
rigid judgment excluded them from our Schedule ; and, left
without the stimulus of pecuniary encouragement, they have
ceased to disfigure our tables. At the Hink, recently, a few

74 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

were found, in response to the invitation extended to them ;
notably a horse-shoe, which met with its proverbial luck. The
Chairman of the Floral Committee protested, in vain, that the
shoe alone was not a type of original design : the opinion of his
colleagues concurred against him that the foot in it * must be
imagined.

At a late Exhibition of the Horticultural Society, of New
York City, a Floral Grand Piano, upon a bed of White Pinks,
was the centre of attraction. No envious competitor • seems to
have thought of the infinite possibilities to be developed from
the Harp of a Thousand Strings. Tiiere are always, upon such
occasions. Mortuary Pillows with their inevitable Requiescat.
But why does no one fancy a sweet thing in Coffins ! upon a bed
of Mourning Bride ! Why not idealize a Pyramid, combining in
the representation a life-size Mummy recumbent upon the sacred
Lotus ! Faugh ! the whole thing is without meaning and in
wretched taste. The evidences of Design are omnipresent in
Nature. Tlie work of imitation involves no exercise of genius
or originality, and should never be encouraged. Flowers are,
of and in themselves, the highest work of Art ; — whether you
consider the lilies of the field, or those strange Orchids of trop-
ical climes, that are such a puzzle and wonder to the eye. Em-
ploy flowers in all tlieir native grace, in whatsoever skill or style
of arrangement or combination. But do not entitle distortion
symmetry, or resort to the stable or charnel-house for symbols
of beauty!

The Trustees, by their formal vote, a year since, authorized
the Finance Committee to dispose of such property, including
furniture, table-ware, &c., as might not be needed for the use of
the Society. Nothing has been done under the sanction of that
vote, for good and sufficient reasons. The question arises ; —
would it not be better to sell all of that property, whether needed
or not ; supplying the wants of the Society by the purchase of
something better adapted to our present requirements and, at
the same time, more tasteful in appearance. Our plates are old-

* The foot in it was that of His Excdlency the Governor of the Common-
wealth, who, having stepped upon the horse-shoe, apologized for the faux
pas with characteristic readiness and grace. E. W. L.

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 75

fashioned in form ; and cannot compare, for an instant,"with the
shapely dishes of modern invention and manufacture. Having
dispensed with the cumbrous Annual Exhibitions, we should not
need the ampler equipment that was essential when we essayed
to gather in all the fruit of Worcester County. Our Weekly
Exhibitions will increase in magnitude, it is likely : but Three
Hundred plates now may do the work that would have demanded-
as many Thousands, ten years ago. Our apples of gold are not
required to be set in pictures of silver. But the credit of the
Society seems to render it imperative that the superb specimens
of later years should be fairly presented to the eye. Facilities
would thus be afforded to exhibitors, who are now put to
unnecessary trouble in arranging tiieir articles ; and a saving of
time nn'glit result to the Officers of tlie Society, that could be
employed to your exceeding benefit. We will not, in our pros-
perity, despise the day of small things ; but, when Seckel Pears
get to weighing more than a quarter of a pound, on an average ;
as happened with every lot, at their appointed exliibition ; it is
pretty evident that the time has come for " old things to pass
away, all tilings become new."

An invitation was earl}^ received by your Secretary, from
President Marshall P. Wilder, conveying an official request that
this Society would send delegates, in such number as it might
elect, to attend the Eighteenth (18) Session of the American
Fomological Society to be held in Boston during three days of
September. In accordance with that invitation, and pursuant to
authority conferred upon him, your Secretary in due time issued
credentials to the following named gentlemen :

President, Stephen Salisbury, Jr., Vice-Presidents, Stephen
Salisbury, Philip L. Moen, O. B. Hadwen, and Messrs. Francis
H. Dewey, William T. Merrilield, George E. Francis, James
F. Allen, Charles E. Parker, Alexander H. Bullock, Calvin
L. Hartshorn, Frank J. Kinney, John C. Newton, Sylvanus
Sears, Henry Phelps, J. Henry Hill, James Draper, William
H. Earle, Henry L. Parker, William W. Cook, Charles E.
Brooks, Edward W. Lincoln, Frederick A. Blake, Adin A,
Hixon, of Worcester ; with J. P. Lynde, of Athol ; Paul
Whitin and George Cruickshanks, of Whitinsville ; F. M. Mar-

76 "WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

ble, of Grafton ; Joseph C. Lovell, of West Boylston ; Newell
Wood, of Millbury ; Jona. 1), Wheeler, and William H.
Wheeler, of Grafton.

An aj^reeraent with the Boston & Albany R. R. corpora-
tion was effected, whereby an infinitesimal reduction of fare
enured to the benefit of delegates. Could a large attendance
be assured, it was stated that a less price would be exacted.
Tlie argument that a less price would, of itself, tend to swell
the delegation, met with no response. That great corporation
contents itself, as it has perforce been satisfied throughout the
Summer, with the meagre portion assigned to it of a six dol-
lar ($6.00) fare to Chicago. It has transported })olitical and
religious bummers, pot-house politicians and theological sectaries
up and down the Commonwealth for what could be got, and,
at this hour of writing, finds it profitable to organize excur-
sions to Boston, upon its own account, at a marked diminution
from its regular rates. A half-million barrels of Apples were
shipped from the port of Boston during the past year. It
would seem that anything which might tend to foster, or
stimulate the exportation of Fruit, from the famed orchards
of Worcester County, over their especial lines of rails, would
meet with prompt recognition from a sagacious management.
The late President Lincoln — eminent Horticulturist that he
was — not being possessed with the devil of " through connec-
tions " to Kamschatka or Timbuctoo; and appreciating "terminal
facilities," with nothing to send forward, at their true value; was
always keenly sensitive to such local possibilities. Meekly grate-
ful for the smallest favors, which we will trust may not perma-
nently impair the semi-annual rate of dividends, let us bear with
resignation the assurance that a new and competing line will
soon open fresh ways of transit and traflic between Boston and
Worcester, and simultaneously, perhaps, eyes that are now wil-
fully blind.

Your delegates generally express themselves satisfied with
their reception and benefited by their attendance. New varieties
of fruit were seen, for the first time, by many, which had been
brought from afar and, as such, became objects of interest, al-
though unsuitable for cultivation among ourselves. The dis-

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 77

cussions at the formal meetings of the Pomological Society, were
a source and centre of attraction, listeners deriving pleasure and
profit from the frank narration of experiences sometimes similar,
but more often foreign to our own. It might be regretted that
the delegates from this Society were so diffident of their position,
or so chary of imparting the knowledge derived from years of
personal labor and rigid' trial. In considering " Grape Culture,"
for example, gentlemen from Boston or its immediate vicinity,
magnified or depreciated, exalted or pulled down, in the name of
Massachusetts, varieties that some of us, in Worcester, gather
fully ripe, every year. Your Secretary^ not hearing those state-
ments, of course could not essay the correction of erroneous im-
pressions. But he takes this occasion to declare his implicit faith
in his own ability to mature perfectly, in the open air, for suc-
cessive years, with as much certainty as the Pear, the Delaware^
the best of the Rogers Hybrids^ aye and even the lona. True,
some have a sunny exposure throughout the day and are besides
sheltered beneath a broad coping that, jutting from the wall, is
thus constrained to be of service as well as ornament. Others
are allowed and will be encouraged to twine around and over
trees, even the Seckel pear tree being surrendered to their em-
brace. None of you can have forgotten the cold — extreme for
the early date — which proved so destructive on the 4th and 5th
of October ult. Four days thereafter I plucked Grapes — a
Rogers — in ripe perfection, and as unharmed by the frost as
though the mercury had never indicated a degree more frigid
than sixty. Should the Seckel finally succumb to the Lindley,
the dead trunk may be trusted to support the vine. But they
are getting along amicably, to all appearance, and there is some
ground for the faith that the shade and warmth of the vine
leaves exert a reciprocal and beneficent influence upon the pear.
The foliage and clusters of the vine vibrate with the passing
breeze, and the circulation and currents of air appear to ward off
the attacks of mildew, which in the judgment of many, is as
much the result of stagnation as of aught else. But then, if you
must grow your grapes and pears separately, what can be easier
or simpler than to plant trees especially for the support of vines ?
Reasoning generally, and as to the sum of advantage to be de
11

78 "WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

rived from the Eighteenth (18th) Session of the American
Pomological Society, it is believed that your delegates would
unanimously concur in and perhaps adopt for their own the
conclusions of the Boston Advertiser :

" The meetings at Hawthorne Hall have been especially profitable,
and will result in promoting the still more rapid development of one
of the most wide awake and progressive arts of our time."

At Agricultural Institutes ; at the stated meetings of Town
Societies ; and at every reunion of the local Granges ; discus-
sion is th spirit, good or evil, that possesses the occasion.
Science and speculation ; practice, or theory, — term them which
you will ; contend, in more or less profitable rivalry, to enlighten
or confound the audiences then and there gathered So many
and so various have been the themes essayed, that it may almost
as well be asked, as it was Two Thousand Years ago, — " Is any-
thing whereof may be said this is new ?"

" Threshing that old bundle of straw again !" exclaimed the
astute Editor, as the orator designated " Honest," to denote the
difference between his fellow-townsmen and himself, brought
down his well-worn flail upon the empty sheaves of a Prohibitory
Tariff.

"Some brilliant flashes of silence!" said the reverend Wit,
summing up in an epigram the unwonted deportment of Macau-
lay at a fashionable dinner.

" There is too much gab, already !" replied the quiet graduate
from Yale, when solicited to contribute for the foundation of a
school of Oratory at his Alma Mater. -

And, to come to the point ! are the calling to order ; the
installation of a Chairman ; the formality and starch of a set
meeting ; listening to what you are told and believing what
accords with your previous convictions, — "only that and nothing
more"; are these, one or all, fundamental conditions of Horti-
cultural existence ? Do not the Summer Exhibitions answer as
good a purpose ; with their freedom from ceremony or con-
straint ; whereat the tongue wags at will, and people come and
go, moving hither or thither at their convenience, as best suits
them !

A list of the topics that have been considered, during the last

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 79

two or three Winters, is elsewhere given in this report. The
great majority were instructive ; having been prepared with care
and study ; and evincing the sound judgment and matured expe-
rience which established the fortunes of their authors ; consti-
tuting them, at the same time, expert witnesses upon the subjects
that they were invited to explain before this Society. A few
were treated with less precision of statement than we were war-
ranted in expecting. And it is exact information that we crave :
of speculation, and inference from baseless premises, there is
more than enough. For no silo is yet invented, to provide for
mental decomposition and ferment : were such even wholesome
intellectual food.

A suspicion has once or twice perplexed your Secretary^ that
gentlemen might anticipate that they were to address an audi-
ence from the rural districts ; and that elaborate preparation
would be thrown away upon fat-witted clod-heads. The frigid
response to immature thought, or crude preparation, must con-
vince such, if. such exist, that study is a good investment ; and
one which, sustained by ripe judgment, will never lack apprecia-
tion in " provincial " (if that is correct cockney \) Worcester.

Shall those meetings be continued through another season %
They are certainly worth perpetuating, if they can be kept up to
the standard hitherto maintained. But the Society has a repu-
tation— to lose ! and cannot afford to assemble, week after week,
merely to advertise those who aim to push themselves into noto-
riety. Topics of vital importance to the " practice and Science
of Horticulture " have been well considered during the last
three (3) Winters. It may chance that the supply of themes is
not yet exhausted ; that essayist and lecturer may still fall a
helpless prey to the untiring energy and cunning wiles of our
artless Chairman of Arrangements. One or two subjects, acci-
dentally omitted or left incomplete, last Winter, might supply a
firm foundation whereon to rear a noble fabric of instruction,
should it be your ultimate decision to persist. But we must
resolve to be content with nothing that does not tend to aug-
ment the sum of precise knowledge; not al)solutely rejecting
hypothesis, but regarding or admitting it solely as a possible
method of detecting the true from the false.

80 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAT. SOCIETY. [1881.

Tour attention has been invited, in former Reports, to the
invidious discrimination against the Real Estate of this Corpora-
tion which is practised by the Assessors of AVorcester. The
Constitution of Massachusetts declares that " it shall be the duty
of legislators and magistrates, in all future periods of this Com'
monwealth, to cherish the interests of Literature and the
Sciences, &c., to encourage private societies and public institu-
tions, rewards and immunities, for the promotion of agriculture,
arts, sciences, commerce, trades, manufactures, and a natural
history of the country," &c., &c. In observance of that injunc-
tion, the General Statutes of the Commonwealth exempt from
Taxation : —

"The personal property of literary, benevolent, charitable, and
scientific institutions incorporated within this Commonwealth, and the
real estate belonging to such institutions occupied by them or their
officers for the purposes for which they were incorporated."

The Wo7xester County Horticultural Society was incor-
porated, A. D. 1842, " for the purpose," as explicitly stated in
its charter, " of advancing ihe science and encouraging and
improving the Practice of Horticulture." From that time to
this, it has received legacies and been the object of benefactions
from good men and true ; of whom some were living when the
Constitution was adopted, while all were thoroughly imbued
with its spirit ; as well as persuaded of the wisdom of that
especial provision, just cited, favoring "rewards and immunities"
for tlie promotion of " agriculture, arts, sciences," &c., &c. Yet,
throughout the entire period ; as soon as, by foresight and thrift,
this Society became possessed of a house of its own, wherein the
more efficiently to prosecute its " purpose " and thereby justify
its existence ; its property has been mulcted in sums amounting,
at this date, to more than the original cost of our Hall.

In the early Winter of A. D. 1880, the Trustees of the
Society arranged a series of meetings, upon successive Thurs-
days, for the express " purpose " of more effectually " advancing
the science and encouraging and improving the practice of Hor-
ticulture." Topics of universal concern were selected ; and gen-
tlemen, thoroughly informed, were secured to introduce and

Januarj

r 29.

Februai

T 5.

a

12.

(C

19.

((

2Q.

March

A.

a

11.

u

18.

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 81

elucidate them. To refresh your memories, — a list of those
topics is subjoined : —

A. D. 1880.

Exhibiting and Judging Fruits and Flowers.

Manures and Fertilizers.

Growing and Marketing Small Fruits.

Window Gardening and Winter Flowers.

Out-Door Flowering Plants.

Orchard and Vineyard Fruits.

Does Horticulture pay ? And how ?

Trees and Shrubs for Ornamental purposes.

A year later, a similar series of meetings was lield, w.iereat
the themes assigned for consideration, were as follows : —

A. D. 1881.

January 6. Birds and Insects injurious to Horticulture.

*' 13. Fruits and Flowers of Tropical America.

" 20. Chemistry.

" 27. Roses and their Culture.

February 3. Orchard and Garden Fruits.

" 10. Cultivation of Small Fruits.

" 17. Evergreen and Conifer trees.

" 24. House Plants for Winter.

March 3. Esthetics of Earth Culture.

And, preceding either series of meetings, with their prelimi-
nary essays and subsequent discussions, you had procured, and
offered to the community, a course of Lectures on Botany, by an
eminent Professor in the University at Cambridge, an authori-
tative abstract of which was afterwards published in your Official
volume of Annual Transactions.

During those three years, at least, if at no other ])eriod! —
years replete with Exhibitions ; and affluent with the rare and
ripe fruits of learning and scholarship grafted upon experience ;
were you " advancing the Science and encouraging and improving
the Practice of Horticulture ?" By accepting your Charter, you
took that Trust upon yourselves. If you have discharged it
faithfully, and to the best of your ability, your property is
exempted from taxation by the Statutes.

The Assessors of Worcester are evidently of opinion that you
have not fulfilled that Trust : since they have doomed your
entire Estate, which they would not otherwise have done, as

82 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1881.

" magistrates " enjoined by the Constitution to " cherish the
interests of Literature, and the Sciences," &c., &c.; to encourage
private societies and public institutions, rewards and immunities,
for the promotion of agriculture, arts, sciences," &c., &c.

Some, who are disposed to concede your right to " immunity,''
would yet restrict it to the bare Hall of Pomona ; as being that
portion of the Real Estate of the Corporation wliich is most
largel}' used for your technical or scientific purposes. But the
rest of your Estate is permanently leased, as the whole is occa-
sionally ; because your necessities compel : because the rents
derived therefrom constitute your only means for stimulating
research and rewarding successful achievement ; because, if one
per cent, can be levied lawfully, one hundred per cent, might be,
to the extreme of confiscation : — in that way violating the theory
of the Constitution and evading its letter which would " cherish "
and protect such " immunities."

I have also, in former Reports, asked you to take notice of an
apparent lack of impartiality, on the part of the Assessors, in
the allowance of actual exemption from Taxation. It does not
appear, from the books of the City Treasurer, that a dollar is
received from assessments upon the property of any Religious
Society in Worcester. Yet such Societies are notoriously, — even
ostentatiously engaged in rivalry with " private societies and
public institutions," which have no other resource than their
rents wherefrom to supply " rewards for the promotion of agri-
culture (Terrae-culture ?) arts, sciences," «fec., &c.; and even
maintain kitchens for the pious delusion and snare of the unwary
who anticipate, in a theological soup, somewhat more than a gill
of oysters to the quart of water ! Thin ! do you say ? " Too,
utterly, too "!

The Statutes relating to " houses of religious worship " enact
that " portions of such houses appropriated for purposes other
than religious worship, shall be taxed at the value thereof to the
owners of the houses."

At Puritan " Chapel " a woman lectures upon " the develop-
ment of character in schools — tickets 15 cents." All the while
there are spacious entries and halls, unused ; in the High-School
Building, which cost a Quarter-Million ; that might seem pecu-

1881.] TRANSACTIONS. 83

liarly appropriate for such disquisitions, were Schools the proper
place for developing " character." " Suffer little children to
come unto me !" at iifteen cents each.

Yet again, — at Jeru ? — salera "Church " a Concert is advertised
of " Mendelssohn Four Part Songs," " with Cornet and Yiolin
Solos, Songs, Duets, and Readings. Tickets 25 cents." It is
unquestionably according to the canons to " make a joyful noise
unto the Lord !" but that the "noise" should be in four parts
argues a division savoring of dissonance, and warrants a doubt
as to the share that the Lord may have in it : — more especially
when it " is set to the tune of twenty-five cents ! But — the
while, — the Assessors, like Baal — were deaf ! or had gone to
Oak Bluff's ! and, not being at hand, could not detect the
" appropriation to purposes other than religious worship."

Once more we are among the Puritans ; but, on this occasion,
in a " Vestry ;" and the " religious worship " is restricted within
the somewhat contracted outlines of " English Literature and
History." The theme is more dignified and the price is varied, —
to correspond. For "Three Dollars"! you can spend your
evenings at the Mermaid, with Shakespeare and Ben Jonson;
sip at the wells of English, — pretty thoroughly defiled by the
minor play-wrights of the Elizabethan age ; or go on a jaunt
with Chaucer's pilgrims. Waiving inquiry into the present
validity of the Apostolic injunction : — " Let Woman keep silence
in the churches !" it may not be impertinent to ask wliether she
should hasten to uplift her voice in a recital of the Wife of
Bath's Tale !

And, still ! no " portion of such house " not even that
" vestry," is " taxed, at the value thereof, to the owners."

In the opinion of your Secretary^ you are imperatively
required, by every dictate of reason, — every sentiment of self-
respect, to recover the sums that have been unjustly extorted
from you. Acquiescence in such exactions may not lead to
greater wrong : but it would be an admission, on your part,
that Horticulture is not a " Science "; or that you are not
" advancing " it,— the " purpose " for which you were chartered.
And, — if you are not fulfilling the objects of your organization ;

84 •WORCESTER COOTTr HORnCULTTRAL SOCIETY. [1881.

the sooner that you dissolve the Corporation, and cease flaunting
an impostnre before the Commnnity ; — the better for yonr own
good name and the common weal !

All which is rospectfnlly submitted, by

EDWARD WIXSLOW LINCOLX,

Secretary.

HoKTICUUURAL HaLL,

Worcester^ MassachusettSy JVov. 2df A. D. 1881.

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