INAUGURAL MEETING \J 



It was very cold and rainy prior to the Show so that the Rhododen- 

 drons were far from their bloom, and to make matters worse it 

 continued to rain almost every day of the Show. It was indeed 

 most depressing. If I remember rightly, the one person who could 

 look pleasant during the last days of the Show was our good friend 

 James Wheeler who did his very best to help us out of our troubles. 



The Show was not supported by the public and under the circum- 

 stances the result was not surprising although terribly disappoint- 

 ing. Great thanks are due to Mr. Walter Hunnewell and Prof. 

 Charles S. Sargent for their exhibits of Rhododendrons, Azaleas, 

 and Wisterias, to Messrs. John Waterer's Sons Co. of England, for 

 a fine exhibit of Rhododendrons, to Mr. Thomas Roland for the 

 Roses, to Mr. John K. M. L. Farquhar for his collection of new 

 varieties of evergreens, mostly the result of Mr. Wilson's collections 

 in China and Japan in recent years, to Mr. Cooley, Mr. Webster, 

 Julius Roehrs Co., F. J. Dolansky, Mrs. Weld, and several others 

 for the Orchids, to Mr. Sim for his Pansy exhibit, and to numer- 

 ous other exhibitors all of whom exhibited, without expectation 

 of money prizes. 



As one result of this effort, I was obliged to call upon 19 members 

 of our Society who had underwritten various amounts in case of 

 a loss and as a result of their generosity our Society sustained 

 a trifling loss although the amount to be paid up was a good large 

 sum, so large that I think it just as well not to mention it. The 

 chances of bad weather necessarily make a show of this kind more 

 of a venture. I am glad that we gave the Show and certainly 

 hope that it may have done some lasting good to our Society. 

 The Show in itself was certainly most creditable, and the Society 

 is greatly indebteded to Mr. Thomas Allen for his efficient services 

 in connection with the arrangement of the same. 



At the Fall Fruit Show given in conjunction with the American 

 Pomological Society and the New England Fruit Show in Novem- 

 ber there was a fine exhibit of apples and a fair exhibit of pears, 

 grapes, and some other fruits. An instructive series of lectures 

 was given during the progress of the Show. Great interest is ap- 

 parent in the cultivation of the apple but there seems to be a 

 comparatively little interest in the growing and development of 

 the pear. Years ago in this Society there appears to have been 

 more interest in the pear than in the apple. 



