138 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



library, furniture, and glass-ware, railroad stocks, and 

 cash in the treasury, made a total of $266,241.54. Be- 

 sides the mortgage debt of $100,000, the Society owed 

 a floating debt of $41,355.55, making the net property 

 $124,885.99. 



At the beginning of the year 1869 the amount of 

 the floating debt was $11,000, which was paid in that 

 year, together with $6,000 of the mortgage debt. At 

 the close of the year 1875 the mortgage debt had been 

 reduced to $60,000, at which amount it still remains. 

 A floating debt of $12,000 has since been incurred, 

 which, with the amount of the Stickney Fund, payable 

 to Harvard College in 1899, makes the total debt of the 

 Society at the close of the year 1878 $84,000. The 

 property of the Society at the same time was estimated 

 to be, in real estate, furniture, and exhibition ware, at 

 cost, $256,585.56, library $18,067.45, and railroad 

 bonds at par $1,500, making a total of $276,153.01, 

 and leaving the net property $192,153.01. 



If we seek for the causes which have given this 

 Society a financial position superior to that of any other 

 institution of this kind in the world, we shall find that 

 they are mainly these two, first, its fortunate connec- 

 tion with Mount Auburn, which has been already men- 

 tioned ; and, second, the integrity and skill with which 

 its revenues have been administered by its finance com- 

 mittees and treasurers. The Society, on its part, has 

 testified its appreciation of the faithfulness of these 

 officers by the long time during which it has continued 

 them in service. The Finance Committee was estab- 

 lished in 1835 ; and the first chairman, Elijah Vose, 

 held that position for ten years. Josiah Stickney 

 served upon this committee from 1847 to 1857, and 



