No. 4.] RETURNS OF SOCIETIES. 583 



assets, $482,089.96: real estate, $250,000; loan, $7,500; 

 bonds, $156,202.25; library, furniture, etc., $46,006.18; 

 bills duo and unpaid, $8,875.9:5 ; cash on hand, $14,105.60. 

 Total liabilities, $9,100 : premiums due and unpaid, $8,100; 

 mortgages or like liabilities, $1,000. Receipts in 1898, 

 $171,902. OS : bounty, $000 ; notes, $953.87 ; bonds, $5,105 ; 

 bank funds, $391.84; new members, $1,010; donations, 

 $144,333.33; other sources, $19,508.04. Expenditures in 

 1898, $32,956.56 : premiums and gratuities paid, $7,812.50 ; 

 current running expenses, $18,882.89; interest, $2,164.17; 

 other expenses, $4,097. The society offered $8,100 in pre- 

 miums, awarded $7,840.50 * in premiums and gratuities and 

 paid s7,812.50,* which went to 77 cities and towns. Three 

 hundred and ninety-seven dollars went to 13 cities and towns 

 outside the State. Two hundred and two f persons received 

 premiums and 116 f gratuities. Under head of farms $785 

 was awarded ; under head of farm and garden products 

 $6,717.75 was awarded. The society reports 738 members, 

 — 082 males and 50 females. Ten farmers' institutes were 

 held in Horticultural Hall, Boston: January 8, on "The 

 business side of fruit culture ; " January 15, on " Horticult- 

 ure in Holland : decoration in public parks, bulb growing, 

 nursery stock at Boskoop ; " January 22, on "Originating 

 new vegetables ; " January 29, on "Nuts and nut culture ; " 

 February 12, on "Some new notions about old insects;" 

 February 19, on "Trees in streets and elsewhere;" Feb- 

 ruary 26, on "The national flower movement; " March 12, 

 on " The relation of our public schools to rural and urban 

 life, and the value of nature studies in our system of public 

 instruction;" March 19, on "The resistance of plants to 

 parasitic fungi;" and March 26, on "Native ferns in New 

 England." 



MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING 

 AGRICULTURE. 



Incorporated 1792, Acts of 1792, chapter 33. 



This society made no returns to the Board of Agriculture 

 for the year 1898. 



* Offered and awarded in 1897 ; paid in 1898. 

 t Not including school gardeners. 



