1866 ] president's address. 7 



observe the timidity with which coutributors from other towns have brought in 

 their fruit — a timidity resulting from a fear, more fancied than real, that the 

 attempt to compete with amateur cultivators in the city would only result in 

 disastrous failure. The premium list for this, and a few years past, showing 

 how many premiums go out of the city, will, it is hoped, have a tendency to 

 create confidence in this direction, and to interest all cultivators, in whatever 

 town in the County they may chance to reside, in our efforts, and command 

 their co-operation. We claim the whole county as within our jurisdiction, and in- 

 vite all within its limits to join us in our labors. And every local society which 

 springs up within our borders, we shall welcome as one of the children of this 

 parent society, and extend to it our most cordial welcome and hearty sympathy. 



The financial condition of the Society remains substantially unchanged. The 

 sources from which the Society derives its income are the same as heretofore. 

 The stores, from which a very large proportion of it comes, are occupied by 

 tenants, under leases for a term of years, wherein the rent reserved is very much 

 less than other stores, of no better accommodations and location, now command. 

 These leases will expire in April next, when it is confidently expected that a 

 much larger revenue will be received from them than is now paid. 



Meanwhile, the expenses of the Society are no less. Every thing that is in- 

 cumbent upon us to do, about the property of the Society, is at a very much 

 increased cost. Even our taxes are increasing to fearful proportions. Our 

 City Fathers, doubtless desiring to continue in the good graces of their con- 

 stituents, and at the same time spend money with a profuse liberality, point us 

 with an apparently triumphant satisfaction to the fact that they have succeeded 

 in diminishing the rate of taxation ; but thej Jorget to inform us, with what a 

 charming dexterity they have, at the same time, multiplied the thousands to be 

 taxed, making the burden more grievous to be borne than before ; a burden 

 which we cannot well escape, except by resorting to the popular mode, a verv 

 inconvenient one for us, as a society, to adopt, of disposing of our real estate, 

 and investing the proceeds in Government securities ! 



By a vote of the Society, passed at the last annual meeting in November, in 

 addition to the transactions for the year eighteen hundred and sixty-five, those 

 from eighteen hundred and forty-seven to eighteen hundred and fifty-one, in- 

 clusive, have been published in an attractive form, and are now ready for 

 distribution to members. It will be found that the records, during the period 

 last mentioned, are far from being complete ; for in compiling them, to use the 

 language of the first historian of the Society, " The sources of information have 

 not been easily accessible. ' Tradition's voiqe was sometimes lost in the distance . 

 The records of the Society were in more than one instance dumb ; and loqua- 

 cious files of newspapers talked of other things." But barring these deficiencies 

 which could not, from lapse of time, be supplied, we have now a tolerably con- 

 nected written history from the commencement of our operations to the present 

 time. 



I cannot but think that the action of the Society, in this respect, will be. here- 

 after regarded as wise — more wise than to allow so many years to pass without 



