8 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1865. 



While congratulating ourselves upon our past success, — and no one will deny 

 that we have earned the right to exchange congratulations, — we cannot, if we 

 would, shut our eyes to the field of labor before us. We have but just entered 

 upon our work. While we can reach back, as it were, with our hand, to the 

 point from which we started, we have a field of almost illimitable extent stretch- 

 ing out before us. We have just ascertained, in some measure, the capacity of 

 our soil and climate for the production of many desirable fruits. We have now 

 to put that capacity to a practical test, in its various forms, for our enjoyment 

 and the enjoyment of those around us. We have more luxuries within our 

 reach, and at our command, than we have many of us hitherto dreamed of. 



A twelve month or more ago, a gentleman of no mean attainments in horti- 

 cultural pursuits, as your own tables for many 3-ears will abundantly testify, said 

 to me, " the time for Horticultural and Agricultural Societies is past — they were 

 all very well in their day and have done much good, but their work is accom- 

 plished." Now how extensively this error may prevail no one knows ; but 'tis 

 none the less error, and that too, of a very mischievous description ; and the 

 sooner some corrective is applied the better. Had the assertion been made that 

 our people had lost their interest in such institutions, it would have been more 

 plausible. It is sometimes said, that one of our national characteristics, 

 (and not without some show of justice,) is, that we are eager for results, and 

 impatient of all plodding and exhaustive research ; — that we jump at conclu- 

 sions, leaving the surer and more laborious and circuitous modes to fossils and 

 fogies. As in everything else, so in horticultural pursuits, we take the shortest 

 route, and adopt the first successful experiment, whether resulting from acci- 

 dent or chance, as the rule for future action. True, we have countless theories, 

 in different departments of the science, which upou fair trial have been reject- 

 ed as worthless ; — we learn nothing from the lesson, but are as devoted to half 

 developed theories as ever. This is the reason we have so little comparative 

 skill, generally shown in the culture of fruits. We are very apt at the first suc- 

 cess to imagine we are in possession of the whole mystery, and straightway make 

 the claim broad enough to cover every thing — " Eureka" — " We have found 

 it." But it too often proves to be the case, that echo with her skeptical sneer 

 " Jbrind it ! ^' comes nearer the truth — that there is more significance in the 

 echo than in the claim. 



"Found it ! " Where is the evidence of the discovery ? Is it with our fruit 

 dealers with their plates of peaches, placarded thirty cents each, and pears fif- 

 teen ? There is nothing at all satisfactory in this kind of proof, to the multi- 

 tude, that fruit culture has arrived at any great degree of perfection, or in which 

 they take any very high degree of satisfaction. Only a few are able to indulge 

 in such luxuries. They may feast their eyes upon it, but the culture of fruit has 

 not become general enough to admit of any thing further. Examine the farms 

 within your own reach, and see how few of them are supplied with fruit, or have 

 any promise of it for the future. It will be found that our farmers too often 

 regard the returns for fruit too far in the future ; that the compensation for their 

 labor is too much delayed. They demand quicker results and more speedy 



