Obituary

Mr. James Wilson, of the firm of Wilson, Thorburn ft Teiler, nurserymen, died in Albany, on the 29th of June, aged sixty years. Mr. Wilson came to this country from Scotland thirty years since, and by his honesty, industry and perseverance raised himself, from an humble beginning, to the possession of an ample fortune, and the good will of all his fellow citizens and acquaintances. Mr. W. was at one time gardener to the late H. B. Pierrepoint, of Brooklyn, and aftewards became connected in the nursery business with the late Judge Bad of Albany, to whom he succeeded in that line of life. He was a benevolent man and aided nobly the cause of education in his neighborhood.

Objects Exhibited Not .before Mentioned

Plants from B. A. Fahnestock's house - twelve plants: Acacia floribunda, A. graveolens, Azalea Bealii, A, triumphans, Burchellia capensis, Brachysema acuminata, Billbugia sp., Centradenia Jloribunda, Chorozema varium, Epacris canescens, E. alba odorata, and Kennedya monophylla. Specimen - Mahernia odorata, also eight Primula sinensis.

From C. Cope's houses - cut Camellias, Henry Fourth, candidissima, Prattii, Jeffersonii, Imbricata, Duchess of Orleans, Sarah Frost, Tentonia, Minuata, Princesse Borisschii, Duke of Brabant, and Fimbriata.

From John Lambert's, twelve cut Camellias, and by Peter Mackenzie, twelve cut Camellias.

Observatory of Art And Science

The Bostonians, with their vigor and foresight, are projecting a grand institution to be called the Observatory of Art and Science, on a piece of land belonging to the commonwealth of Massachusetts, now useless, but capable of being made ornamental, healthftil and useful, where exhibitions and museums may be located to teach and to improve the public taste. Success to the effort.

An Odd Coincidence

The Gardeners' Chronicle tells us that the war with Russia has already increased the price of garden mats; adding "the great consumers of Russian mats must find a substitute, for BAST is necessary to the business." We now clearly see the importance of the war to the interests of gardening; for is not BAST at least one-fourth of Se-bast-o-pol." - Ibid.

Odell's Large White Watermelon

This immense Watermelon originated with a negro man on the property of Col. A. G. Summer, of South Carolina.

Size, very large, sometimes weighing sixty pounds. Form, round. Skin, gray, with fine green network spread over its uneven surface. Find, nearly three-fourths of an inch in thickness. Seed, large, grayish black, and not numerous. Flesh, pale red. Flavor, fine. Quality, "very good." Productiveness, said to exceed that of most other kinds.

The large size and long-keeping quality, after being separated from the vine, will recommend this variety - especially for the market.

W. D. Brinokle, M. D., Chairman.

Odontoglosum Roezlei

A strikingly beautiful New Grenadan epiphytal Orchid, allied to O. vexillarium, and O. Phalaenopsis. It has oblong-compressed pseudo-bulbs, and linear-ligulate leaves, the peduncles supporting several large flowers, which have oblong-ligulate sepals, similar but rather wider petals, and a broad cuneate-flabillate bi-lobed tip. The color is pure white, the base of the petals being purple, and the base of the lip furnished with yellow crests and rich brown streaks. It is a free-flowering plant, which no collection should be without. It was awarded a First Class Certificate by the Royal Horticultural Society, in December, 1873. Introduced in England by William Bull.