298 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



be called to account and their action or inaction be laid before the 

 Society for its consideration. 



The halls are not commodious enough for our great shows, and 

 are also very difficult of access, particularly for aged persons, 

 and there is no place for rest after anyone gets into them, except 

 by climbing a third flight of stairs to the gallery. 



We would recommend action in the immediate future with a 

 view to acquiring a property of half the value of the present hold- 

 ing, and having a hall of easy access and of suflicient capacity to 

 accommodate an}^ and all of our exhibitions, and at the same 

 time capacious enough to contain a large audience comfortably, 



We have much pleasure in referring to the numerous commen- 

 dations of exhibitors of Roses that we have received since we 

 changed from the cumbersome, dirty boxes heretofore used in their 

 display, to the clean bright glass vases owned by the Society. 

 The change is decidedly to the advantage of this noble class of 

 flowers. 



We are also pleased to record the forming of an auxiliary 

 society to ours called the Boston Mycological Club. This will be 

 of immense advantage and value to all lovers of Mushrooms, as it 

 will educate people to distinguish the Edible Fungi from the 

 Poisonous. 



There are at present great quantities of the edible kinds left 

 uutasted for fear that if eaten they might kill, but when the com- 

 munity is taught by object lessons to distinguish the good kinds 

 from the bad, tons of this esculent vegetable will be consumed for 

 food wiiich now "goes to waste its sweetness- on the desert air." 

 We consider this as some progress in the right direction which we 

 are making in the noble art of Horticulture. 



The receipts for admission to the two exhibitions at which fees 

 were exacted were larger than last year, but not nearly as large as 

 they ought to be with proper facilities to make our shows attrac- 

 tive to the public. 



The amount of money placed at the disposal of this Committee 

 for extraordinary expenses has been judiciously expended and for 

 the furtherance of the best interests of the Society. The halls 

 have been well arranged during the season and in so judicious a 

 manner as to produce but little friction among the numerous 

 exhibitors. 



