32 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1879 



cultural Exhibition in this city ; nominally of the New England 

 Agricultural Society, but in fact and substantially, furnished by 

 our own members ; your Secretary expressed his deliberate 

 opinion that this Society should consider the matter well, before 

 deciding to participate, by active or passive co-operation, in 

 another similar Exhibition held at nearly the same date. " If 

 " the New England Agricultural Society should determine to 

 " repeat its visit to Worcester, as is more than probable ; there , 

 " can be no doubt that it will be neither courteous nor politic 

 "for us to propose an Exhibition in antagonism. Yet the 

 " best interests of Horticulture, in this region, are measurably 

 " committed to us ; and we have no right to be recreant to the 

 " trust. Wherein, save in the domain of Flora, is not and 

 " would not a Horticultural Exhibition, during the first week 

 " of September, be premature .-*" 



Your Trustees, accepting this suggestion, voted without 

 material dissent, to relinquish, at least temporarily, the usual 

 Annual Autumnal Exhibition of this Society. An Exhibi- 

 tion was however held, during the first week of September, 

 nominally under the auspices of the New England Agricultural 

 Society, which was successful in the collection of gate-money. 

 A misapprehension evidently prevailed, on the part of the New 

 England Society, whereof you should be advised, that you may 

 do no injustice to its officers. It is properly deemed intrusion 

 for a minister to officiate in a foreign parish without invitation 

 or consent. Some have inferred that the New England Society 

 was thus intentionally discourteous. But the Massachusetts 

 Ploughman, its of^cial organ, in its issue of August 30th, evi- 

 dently anticipated your co-operation, for it says that "The 

 " Massachusetts Horticultural, the Worcester Horticultural, as 

 "well as other Societies and numerous individuals celebrated in 

 " botanical and horticultural science, have promised most liberal 

 "contributions to this part of the Exhibition." 



Again, on September 6th, when summing up the results of 

 the Exhibition, just closed, it observes that "the Members of 

 " the Worcester Horticultural Society, under whose auspices 



