WORCESTER COUNTY 



HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



A. D. 1886. 



AfflUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



To the Members of the 



Worcester County Horticultural Society. 



It is not the fault of this Society that the expei-iincnt of 

 holding Exhibitions every week, throughout the later Winter and 

 early Spring, has been crowned with but partial success. Of ne- 

 cessity dependence must be placed upon professional florists, 

 whose wealth of floriage has been largely exhausted by the de- 

 mands of society or fashion. Amateur and private conserva 

 tories are not in such plenty as to afford much assistance in our 

 time of need ; even were their owners always inclined to strip 

 them of their chiefest beauties to help out a brief display in 

 our halls. It is not to the point that a dozen Baldwins, or Hox- 

 bur}^ Russets, are available to illustrate the duration of the apple, 

 since no one disputes that they may be kept the year around. 

 We must not forget that the design of our creation as a Society 

 was, and so continues, to " improve the Science and Practice of 

 Horticulture." You must determine whether it is worth our 

 while to invite the community to an exhibition one week, of a iialf- 

 dozen plants of Priimda Sinensis; the week after to an equally 

 extensive display of Arum ; closely followed by a test of how low 

 the temperature to which Azalea Indica may be subjected and 

 yet survive the exposure ! 



It occurs to your Secretary if it would not be advisable to 

 try an experinumt of holding Exhibitions once each month, until 



