62 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1875. 



any of their surpassing flavor. It was also noticeable that the Flemish 

 Beauty reappeared in more than pristine magnitilde and soundness ; 

 while the display of Beurre Diel and White Doyenne tended to encour- 

 age the new-born hoiie of a resuscitation of those superior varieties. 



The Vegetables were enough for the Hall of Ceres, whose cornucopia 

 has there found congenial and permanent lodgement. Had the season 

 been propitious for a later fruition of Tomatoes, no space would have 

 appeared vacant. As it was, with an arrangement slightly altered and 

 improved, the exhibition of Vegetables, conlined rigidly to specialties for 

 the first time, would have puzzled the judges and bewildered the observer. 

 In point of fact, the purpose of the Trustees in this, as in the other de- 

 partments, was crowned with substantial success. The Cabbage, the 

 Onion, and the Watermelon were no longer pitted against the Beet, the 

 Musk-melon and the Squash, in unuaturai rivalry. The Lima Bean— 

 (rood for six days in the week ; and the Pea, or Xavy Bean, edible upon 

 Sunday ; might hold high carnival by themselves. But they could no 

 longer challenge all comers, running a muck as it were ; or "standing up 

 to be counted," as in a late political example, where the enumeration 

 consumed no time and the enumerated were not legion. Individual ex- 

 hibitors may have failed of anticipated success, but the experiment itself 

 was vindicated. 



Yet, after all, claiming that the display in every department was of 

 exceeding excellence, and better and greater than the Trustees were 

 warranted in expecting as the result of such a radical change in practice ; 

 the question recurs to your Secretary, which has thrust itself upon his 

 mind repeatedly of late years, nor will "down at his bidding,"— Can the 

 Worcester County Horticultural Society propose to itself no loftier aim, — 

 attain no greater achievement than that which would seem to be the 

 object of our successive political contests? Which of these Cabbage- 

 heads is the thickest,~of these Onions, the most fragrant and savory ? 

 The Horticulturist, in its preface to the remarks heretofore recited, thus 

 introduces the subject :— "It has long been a disputed point whether 

 discussional meetings, or exhibitions of Horticultural productions, were 

 the more useful in disseminating knowledge that would assist in raising 

 the science, or practice rather, if the latter term is preferred, to a higher 

 standard." And sums up its judgement in favor of the system of exhi- 

 bitions because of their general popularity. But is this conclusion sound? 

 Subtract the major premise and of what value is the conclusion ? So far 

 as the experience of this Society extends, there can be no doubt that pub- 

 lic interest in a general Autumnal Exhibition has, for many years past, 



