18 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1889. 



earthy ? Your Trustees propose four (4) premiums in almost 

 every class of Floriculture; thereby evincing a liberality quite 

 akin to profusion, and such as it extends, in like measure, to 

 neither the Fruit nor Vegetable Departments. Yet latterly, there 

 has crept or crawled in a practice of ignoring the fundamental 

 purpose of our Society ; of deliberatelj' declining our challenge to 

 friendly competition ; and of awaiting, with such Christian and 

 feminine grace as might be held in superfluity, the reluctant 

 bounty of the judge. This method of exhibition, seemingly 

 growing in acceptance throughout these latter days, is little better 

 than an evasion of tlie spirit of our rules. Competition is essen- 

 tial to our healthy existence, and without it we must stagnate 

 and die. It is the better of two or more lots of flowers or fruit, 

 to which we intend to award our premiums ; and the palm of 

 excellence can be determined in no other way than by compari- 

 son. The gratuity sliould never be bestowed as a matter of 

 course. Its original design was to smooth the sliglit asperities 

 consequent upon that strict adherence to form without which no 

 Society can exist in sound vitality. But when the award of gra- 

 tuities has become numerically, if not intrinsically, superior to 

 the premiums, wherever or to whom is especial merit assigned ? 

 That lofty standai-d of supreme and unquestioned excellence that 

 has been maintained unswervingly for well-nigh fifty (50) years 

 is ignominiously abased ; — and all for what ! That this or that 

 exhibitor, who confesses inferiority by declining to enter into 

 equal and honorable rivalry with associates endowed with no 

 greater advantages, may get fifty cents ! Shade of Daniel 

 Waldo ! was it for such a final consummation that you bequeathed 

 the generous sum whereon were secured, firm and true, the 

 foundations of this Horticultural Hall! 



This Society was represented in accordance with its usual cus- 

 tom, at the late session of the American Pomological Society in 

 Ocala, Florida. The very interesting report of your delegate 

 has been submitted, and should be published in your Transac- 

 tions. It would appear to be a duty that we owe to our acknowl- 

 edged high repute among cognate organizations to co-operate 

 with all who have the true interests of Pomology at heart. For, 



