6 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1867. 



of your President have brought upou his predecessor, and its unpleasant 

 results, I think you will bear me out in the opinion, that he can do nothing 

 less than to pass over the pay and emoluments of the office to those who bear 

 its burdens and discharge its duties ; since he can, at the same time, preserve 

 the honors of it intact, to himself. 



But these misfortunes rarely come without some redeeming feature to relieve 

 them, and the present one is no exception to the rule. The occasion affords 

 me an opportunity of performing a most agreeable duty, which I am happy to 

 avail m3-self of; that of announcing to you the flattering and greatly improved 

 condition of the financial affairs of your Society ; a duty, all the more agree- 

 able, in that we find in these days, so rarely the opportunity of making 

 such announcements. The tendency is rather towards the increase of debt, 

 than the liquidation of it — rather to see how much we can possibly stagger 

 nnder, than to see how clear and free we can keep fi'om it. 



Something more than "a year since, a gentleman who has been connected 

 with the Society, as one of its most active and most useful members, from the 

 first, and who has, from time to time, during its history, given evidence of his 

 interest in its welfare by substantial tokens of his munificence, made, with his 

 well-known tact and modesty, a proposition of great liberality, having for its 

 object an early extinguishment of the Society's debt. The proposition was 

 met in the same liberal spirit by a few gentlemen of the Society who appreciated 

 its generosity, and the terms of it were promptly acceded to. In consequence 

 of these acts, the debt of the Society, which one year ago, was about eight 

 thousand dollars, has been reduced to a sum less than four thousand. In addi. 

 tion to this, the rental of the stores has been doubled, taking effect on the first of 

 April last. The Society has been placed in a position, therefore, by which, with 

 the exercise of the same degree of care and prudence that has marked its past 

 management, it will be enabled, very soon, to extinguish its permanent debt 

 altogether. The effect will be to increase its means of usefuluess to a very 

 great degree, and if proportionate beneficial results are not hereafter perceptible, 

 it certainly will be no fault of those gentlemen* who have so generously con- 

 tributed of their means to place the Society in its present desirable position. 



Of your present Exhibition, there seems but very little need for me to speak. 

 It is before, you and speaks for itself. In quantity and quality it exceeds any- 

 thing we have had since eighteen hundred and sixty-four. In the Apple 

 department, particularly, is this true. The number of entries is almost double 

 that of any year since then, and the whole appearance of the display furnishes 

 very gratifying evidence, that we arc about returning to a more abutidant sup- 

 ply of this staple and almost indispensable fruit, promising pleasure and com- 

 fort to tne housekeeper, while it affords very little consolation to speculators. 

 The Peach, also, with its delicately pencilled cheek and delicious flavor, seems 

 to be throwing off, in some measure, its late coyness, and to be coming to your 

 tables with something approaching its old profusion. In(.leed, so fine a display 

 has not graced your Exhibitions for many years ; and I am quite sure that 

 there is no fruit whose return will be welcomed with greater or more hcarUclt 



