REPORT 



OF THE 



COMMITTEE ON THE LIBRARY, 



FOR THE YEAR 1875. 



During the past year no large addition has been made to the 

 Library of tlie Society. The purchase of the magnificent copy of 

 the rare Flora Danica, in the latter part of the year 1874, not 

 only exhausted the ai^propriation for that year, but drew heavily 

 in advance upon the funds of 1875. 



Although a special appropriation, recently made for this object, 

 has placed the Committee in funds, there have been but few 

 desirable works offered, and a balance will remain to the credit of 

 the Committee. There is one feature peculiar to all great scientific 

 works, which accounts for their scarcity. The first cost is great, 

 and the edition is usually small. Once out of print (and they are 

 seldom stereotyped), they are rarely again produced. The result 

 is that the copies soon find permanent resting places on the shelves 

 of libraries, and are seldom found in the market. At times, 

 however, when an old private library comes under the hammer of 

 the auctioneer, an opportunity is offered of obtaining such rare 

 works, and it is to such opportunities that our library owes many 

 of its choicest acquisitions. To enable your Committee to avail 

 itself of such occasions, it is advisable that funds should always 

 be at its disposal. It is a good rule never to neglect an opportunity 

 to purchase a rare and desirable book, if the price is not exhorbi-. 

 tantly high ; for it is the worst of economy to delay for another 

 chance which may never come. The aim of our Society should be 

 to place upon its library shelves every obtainable volume on 

 horticulture, or kindred subjects. Let it be understood that any 

 such volume can be found in our library, and that fact at once 

 gives a position of influence to the Society. It is true we may 

 thus accumulate many books for which there will be little call, and 



