26 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



No novelties of particular value were shown the past season and 

 the solitary Silver Medal allotted for vegetables was awarded at the 

 November exhibition to the Thomas J. Grey Co. for an excellent, 

 well-arranged, and varied display. For an exhibit of peanuts 

 grown on Cape Cod Howard Marston was awarded a Certificate of 

 Honorable Mention. The William B. H. Dowse Trophy was 

 awarded to Thomas W. Little of Dedham whose exhibits through 

 the year were all of commendable excellence. 



The committee favors the continuance of the summer exhibitions 

 and would suggest the desirability of holding a large combined fruit 

 and vegetable exhibition in the autumn of 1923, one which would 

 attract skilled growers from a distance. The committee would 

 suggest also that it would be a good plan to ask the vegetable com- 

 mittee to draft a schedule for the year as soon as the number of 

 shows and amount of money available for premiums has been 

 decided upon. If this plan were adopted some of the vagaries in 

 past schedules could be eliminated. A further suggestion and a 

 very important one would be that schedules be printed and dis- 

 tributed on or about January 1 as was formerly done. The late 

 date of issuance of past years has been a handicap to would-be 

 exhibitors. 



Children's Gardens. 



The Committee on Children's Gardens, through its Chairman, 

 James Wheeler, reported a continued interest in this branch of the 

 Society's activities. Every j'-ear the standard of this annual exhi- 

 bition is higher in quality and arrangement. It is creating a love 

 for horticulture and agriculture, developing better citizens by 

 beautifying their homes and towns and teaching them to conserve 

 their products through the canning clubs. The appropriation for 

 prizes at this exhibition was $307 all of which was awarded to 

 children representing 26 towns and districts in eastern Massa- 

 chusetts. A list of the entries at the exhibition, held iVugust 27 

 and 28, will give some indication of the interest shown. There 

 were 97 plates of string beans entered, 63 of tomatoes, 79 of beets, 

 51 of carrots, 38 of potatoes, 38 of corn, 85 in the class for any other 

 vegetable, and 21 in the class of preserved vegetables. 



Through the interest of several members of the Society the com- 

 mittee was enabled to offer a Challenge Cup for the largest and 



