14 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1898. 



Voted to pay the railroad expenses of George McWilliams, 

 Judge of Flowers. 



Voted, as no definite plan could be decided upon in the mat- 

 ter of offering prizes to school children, as proposed in the 

 letters received from Dr. C. F. Hodge and John E. Lynch, to 

 lay it on the table indefinitely. 



Voted that the President, Secretary and Judge of Flowers 

 constitute a committee to decide who are florists and amateurs. 



No other business offered, it was voted to dissolve. 



In reference to the letters received from Dr. Hodge, of the 

 School Committee, and Mr. Lynch, of the Civic Club, your 

 Secretary does not see any practical way for this Society to 

 move in the matter. The school children rarely attend any of 

 our exhibitions, even when invited to do so specially or in the 

 general invitation for any one interested to be present. 



Then, again, until such time as some of the scholars of our 

 public schools exhibit something, either wild flowers, when 

 scheduled, or any plant, trusting to our system of gratuities for 

 their reward, I can see no reason why we should attempt to 

 force upon them the planting and care of flowers when during 

 the period when they should receive the mo!?t attention the 

 scholars are enjoying their long vacation and would not devote 

 that time to either the theory or practice of horticulture. 



There does seem to be a call among our members for some 

 instruction in botany, the arranging of flowers and a more thor- 

 ough understanding of the science of grafting and budding of 

 trees, and I would recommend that on Saturday afternoons such 

 instruction be given in the library to such as care to attend, 

 whether members of the Society or not, and that this matter be 

 placed in the hands of the Committee on Winter Meetings for 

 such action as they deem best for the good of all interested in 

 the subjects named. 



Received from Arthur J. Marble, a portrait of his father. 

 Freeman M. Marble, with the following letter : 



Worcester, Mass., Feb. 24, 1898. 

 Adin a. Hixon, Secretary Worcester County Horticultural Society : 

 Dear Sir.- — I herewith present to the Horticultural Society a por- 



