22 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1884. 



13, A. D. 1867, On motion of Hon. John Milton Earle it was 

 unanimously 



" Resolved, — that the thanks of the Society be, and they hereby are 

 tendered to Hon. Stephen Salisbury for the renewed evidence of his 

 liberality and of his interest in the success of our efforts, as evinced by 

 the munificent donation to our funds, whereby the Society is placed in 

 a state of comparative pecuniary ease and enabled greatly to extend 

 the sphere of its operations. And that our gratitude is also due to 

 the gentlemen who so liberally co-operated by the gift of time and 

 money." 



Beyoud that resolution, there is no formal notice of an act 

 whereof, if practically consummated by others, the sura and 

 substance was comprised in the initiation, by Mr. Salisbury, of a 

 movement that relieved this Society from an onerous burden and 

 placed it upon a secure foundation. Ex-President Hill has told 

 you the story, which may well be put in more enduring shape. 

 Our indebtedness had been reduced to about Eight Thousand 

 ($8,000.00) Dollars. Mr. Salisbury proposed, through Mr. Hill, 

 to assume the payment of one-half of that amount if others, — 

 Members and friends of the Society, — would contribute an equal 

 sum. Mr. Hill did not tell you of the v?)luminous corres- 

 pondence conducted by himself, nor of the generous responses 

 which he received, — notably from the Whitin Brothers. Per- 

 sonal knowledge enables your Secretary to supply that omission, 

 and to testify that without the indefatigable eiforts of Mr. Hill, 

 supplemented by the individual solicitations of John C. Kipley, 

 the whole effort would have proved futile. To them may be 

 ascribed all credit for the collection of the moiety of the amount 

 needed ; with which Mr. Salisbury, satisfied that it was the 

 utmost that could be done, expressed himself content and carried 

 out his original purpose to that modified extent. By frugality 

 of expenditure, by increase of revenue from our investment since 

 the war, our indebtedness has been steadily diminished; although 

 the decrease was checked, for a time, by the necessity of an 

 addition to our real estate. The absolute extinction of all 

 existing liabilities should be kept steadily in view as our settled 

 policy, not only because wise in itself, but out of regard for the 

 memory of those who uniformly advocated and contributed 

 toward that end. 



