6 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



age, in various parts of the State. This plan appears to be an 

 excellent one, as it is in the line of extending our influence. 



The Library contains one of the largest and best collections of 

 books in the world relating to horticulture and kindred subjects. 

 These books are frequently consulted by students and specialists 

 in the preparation of horticultural and agricultural publications. 

 Members are free to withdraw books for home use. Upon request 

 to the Librarian, books can be sent by mail postpaid, though when 

 returned to the Library the borrower must pay expense of return, 

 a privilege which is not used as often as one would expect. 



The cataloguing of books has been done from time to time. 

 The first catalogue of the Library, enumerating 190 volumes, was 

 published in the New England Farmer, in 183L Later lists of 

 books were published at intervals until a catalogue in pamphlet 

 form, enumerating 414 volumes, was issued in 1854. Another 

 catalogue, enumerating 1290 volumes, was published in 1867, and a 

 complete catalogue was printed in 1873, occupying 155 octavo 

 pages. Since that time no complete catalogue has been printed. 



In April 1919, an alphabetical list of authors and titles of the 

 entire Library, enumerating some 22,000 volumes, was published 

 and called Part I. Letters have been received from many persons 

 in England and the LTnited States commending this publication. 

 One letter says : " It is a splendid bit of work beautifully turned out 

 and owing to its comprehensiveness of infinite value to book col- 

 lectors, students of horticultural literature, librarians and workers 

 in horticulture generally." Another letter from the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society, of London, says : " This catalogue of the Library 

 of your Society will be of very great value and interest to us and 

 our large body of Fellows." 



Part II, which is to be a classified arrangement of the same 

 material contained in Part I under subject headings, is now ready 

 for publication. As soon as it is possible to do so, the Trustees 

 intend to publish this part. This should have been done at the time 

 Part I w&,s published, but owing to the disturbed condition of the 

 printing trade and the increased cost of printing, the Trustees 

 wisely felt that publication should be deferred until a more favor- 

 able time. 



A new feature of the Society's work has been the publication of 



