1897.] ANNUAL REUNION. 61 



for the past twenty-five years. Who could be associated with such a 

 noble character without gaining inspiration for one's life's work ! and I 

 realize what a great responsibility is coming upon the j'ounger men of 

 this Society. Let us take up our work fully realizing the responsi- 

 bility that is laid upon our shoulders; let us take it up earnestly, 

 ycung men and women, and see that it does not suffer at our hands. 



Mr. Parker. — There is another gentleman here to-night represent- . 

 ing the Massachusetts Society to whom tiiis Association is indebted 

 for papers at our weekly meetings, for he is one of the most accom- 

 plished entomologists in the State. I take pleasure in presenting to 

 you Mr. E. W. Wood, of West Newton. 



Mr. Wood. Mr. Toastmaster, Ladies and Gentlemen : — It was my 

 privilege to be present at your first banquet, five years ago. It 

 struck me as one of the most pleasant and memorable occasions I had 

 ever attended. I made the statement that the crowd you gathered 

 that year was for the novelty of the thing, but I am glad to see that 

 my predictions were not fulfilled and that your numbers seem to be 

 limited only by the capacity of the hall. As you lose your active 

 members from year to year, you will have no difficulty in replacing 

 them by the other members as they come along. The work of the 

 Massachusetts and Worcester Horticultural Societies has been sub- 

 stantially in the same line. We copied our mode of exhibiting fruit 

 from the Worcester Society. Our exhibitions were made in classes of 

 20, 15, 12, 6, 3. Our committee first saw this method of exhibiting 

 fruit in classes at Worcester, and then it was adopted by the Boston 

 Society at the next meeting. Concerning the new crops or orchards, 

 there is no place you can gain as much as in the exhibitions, there is 

 no place where such a good idea of success or failure can be gained ; 

 those of you who have not been in the habit of doing this your fruit 

 will shrink most terribly when you come to exhibit it. A gentleman 

 in Eoxbury told me one day, "I never was so disappointed in ray 

 life as I am to-day. I have been growing Scckel pears for an exhibi- 

 tion which I thought was next week. I have pears that are a third 

 larger than any that are exhibited here." "Well," said I, "if you have 

 pears like what you say you have go right home and get back as soon 

 as you can." He took the cars and went home as soon as he could, 

 and the committee was told what he had done. "I will be back at 

 12.30, so keep an eye out for me." He came with a little basket 

 under his arm, walked up to the table where the pears were, lifted 

 the cover of his basket, and how the perspiration started when he saw 

 that those pears were more than half as large again as his ! I said to 



