18 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1859. 



A-DDRESS 



OF 



D. WALDO LINCOLN, President. 



Delivered at the Annual Exhibition., 1859 ; in Review of his 

 Official Term, and in farther Notification of his Intention to 

 Retire from the Presidency of the Society. — Wdh a List of 

 Pears by him recommended for Culture. 



Ladies and Gextlemex of the Worcester County Horticultural 

 Society : 

 I liave the pleasure of congratulating you upon the success which has 

 attended another of your exhibitions. Although, in some of the depart- 

 ments, owing, in part, to an unfavorable season, and partly to the severe gale 

 which took place a few weeks ago, and which destroyed so much of our best 

 fruit, the exhibition falls below the standard of former years, taken as a whole, 

 it quite equals any former exhibition of the Society. One feature of the exhi- 

 bition must strike every visitor. And, although it may be somewhat flattering 

 to our local pride, no one can regard it otherwise than as unfavorable to the 

 interest of the Society, and the cause of pomology in our county. In reading 

 the accounts of some of the town exhibitions, we see that fifty and more 

 varieties of Apples are frequently shown by a single individual, a number equal 

 to that exhibited by our most extensive orchardists. This Society should offer 

 premiums sufficient to induce cultivators in every part of the county to bring 

 their choicest fruit here. The labor of collecting specimens from large 

 orchards, the expense attending its conveyance, and the additional fact that 

 most of this fruit is given to the Society and sold for its benefit, often realizing 

 an amount greater than the premiums bestowed upon it, are reasons why 

 special encouragement should be given to this, our most valuable fruit. The 

 Pears, like the fast horses in the Agricultural Society, will take care of them- 

 selves. I recommend to the Trustees to consider whether it is not for the 

 interest of the Society that, in addition to the premiums for apples now offered, 

 premiums liberal in amount and number, should be given to competitors within 

 the county, but not belonging to the city of Worcester. In this connection, I 



