88 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1878, 



that be must be counted among permanent foes wherewitb we sball 

 have to strive in future. Would that all the Insect-Foes of the Terrae- 

 culturist were as easily met and vanqished ! 



At their last Annual Meeting, the Trustees voted to hold an 

 Autumnal Exhibition, as had been customary since the organization of 

 the Society. Subsequently, in the early Spring of A. D. 1878, upon 

 representations from a Committee of the Worcester Agricultural 

 Society, that an Exhibition, to include the products of Horticulture, 

 was contemplated by the N'e^v England Agricultural Society, within 

 the City of Worcester, the Trustees, reconsidered their action and 

 relinquished the proposed Exhibition. They also, with entire unanimity, 

 voted : — 



"That the members of this Society be requested to help towards the success 

 " of the proposed Exhibition of the New England Agricultural Society, in what- 

 " ever way they can. And that the officers of the Society be authorized to 

 " furnish such aid as is in their power, without subjecting the Worcester 

 " County Horticultural Society to any pecuniary or other responsibility." 



In obedience to this decision, the Tables and other furniture of our 

 Society were transferred to Mechanics' Hall, at the proper time : the 

 Secretary himself attending, to render service, and to put in use the 

 various appliances that long years of experiment and test have shown 

 to be essential to the successful conduct of a large Exhibition. Valuable 

 aid was rendered, as required, upon the Committees, by veterans whose 

 approved knowledge has so often guided our awards. In short, it may 

 be asserted, with full confidence, that nothing was omitted that would, 

 in any way whatever, help towards the success of the proposed Exhi- 

 bition. And, in some respects, it was a success. It yielded a reasonable 

 return in money, which was proclaimed to be the chief end in view. 

 It attracted a large crowd of visitors : of whom many that came 

 simply to be amused might have gone away instructed, if benefit is 

 to be derived from object teaching. Moreover the various articles, in 

 their respective classes, were subjected to the judgment of thoroughly 

 competent Committees ; so that not even Florists should have pretext 

 .or excuse for captiousness or cavil. Of the actual advantage of the 

 Exhibition to the best interests of Horticulture, there may be some 

 question. No one can determine how much of what success there was 

 should be attributed to extrinsic causes. Their own likenesses, in the 

 photographic collections, seemed to be a load-stone to numbers. The 

 works of high and low " Art," in unequal measure, proved a fascina- 



