THE INAUGURAL MEETING. 9 



To accomplish all this we must increase the income of the Society. 

 Right here it is perhaps fitting 1 should speak of the finances of 

 the Society. From figures obtained from your Treasurer I find 

 that the income and expenses for the last few years have been as 

 follows : — 



For the year ending Dec. 31, 1906, the income was $21,710.71; 

 the expenses were $24,112.73. For the year 1905 the income 

 was $17,811.37; the expenses were $20,588.27. For the last four 

 years the average expenses were $22,042.32 and the average income 

 was $19,372.05. 



No business concern, whether incorporated or not, can be run 

 successfully with such figures as these. We must cut down our 

 expenses to our income, or increase our income. 



There are various ways of doing this. One is to increase the 

 use of our building by letting the same for purposes of fairs, lectures, 

 etc. There is no building in Boston which has a better location 

 than ours for a public hall, and there is no reason why our halls 

 should not be more in demand for public uses. Possibly a small 

 sum of money will have to be spent in improving the appearance of 

 the lecture hall and in making the acoustic properties better. I 

 imderstand that in one of the fairs the halls were hung with tapestries 

 and that the acoustic properties were then perfect. 1 would suggest 

 the appointment of a committee of gentlemen who can take this 

 matter up and give it the attention it deserves. The rental this 

 year has been about $4969.00 against $1970.00 last year. 



Another method of increasing our income is by increasing the 

 membership. Still another method is by doing all we can to get 

 our friends and all persons interested in horticulture to leave us 

 funds by will. I will read you the following letter to show that by 

 interesting even people who are not members of the Society in 

 horticulture and in the work of the Society they will often remem- 

 ber us when they die. 



(COPY) 



50 Congress Street, Boston. 



Massachusetts Horticukiiral Society, 

 300 Massachusetts Avenue, 

 Boston. 

 Gentlemen: — 



Under the will of Charles E. French, of which I am one of the execu- 



