50 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE LIBRARY. 



For the Year 1869. 

 BY THE CHAIKMAN". 



Puring' the pist year the Library Committee have continued to direct their 

 efforts to the improvement of the class of books in the Library. 



It has been their aim to purchase only such books as would come into con- 

 stant service, rejecting those which, although of great value, were of less use 

 to the practical gardener, or only remarkable for the beauty of execution or 

 elegance of illustration. These latter works, though of much value and 

 greatly needed in our J library, must be the acquisitions of future years, when 

 our funds are more ample and larger appropriations can be made. 



The sum appropriated for the expenses and increase of the Library during 

 the year 186'i was mostly expended in the purchase of valuable standard 

 works, and the partial completion of imperfect sets, of which our Library con- 

 tained many. It is a catise for great congratulation, that the Committee have 

 been able during the past two years to procure so many of the missing num- 

 bers ; the completion of Curtis's Botanical Magazine, of which mention was 

 made in the last report, v^'as a piece of singular good fortune, as unexpected 

 as it was remarkable, — fur this we are indebted to the exertions of a member 

 of the Committee. 



A large part of the appropriation for the present year was required to meet 

 this call, and the expenses of periodicals and binding being also larg'3, the 

 fund for new purchases was greatly reduced. 



The Committee can note with pleasure, the gradual but steady improvement 

 of the Library, both in quality and quantity of books. The additions of the 

 past few years have supplied wants in many departments, and with only equal 

 additions, our Library will, in the course of a few years, be one of which we 

 may well be proud. The Library of a Society like our own, is one of its most 

 potent means of success and usefulness ; it is an aid to, and contributes to the 

 efficiency of all the other departments, and we trust the time will soon come, 

 when the appropriation for its support and increase, will be at least equal to 

 that given to any other department. The money spent in prizes and gratuities 

 for fruits, flowers, and vegetables, is doubtless productive of much good, but 

 its permanent benefit, both to individual members and to the Society, is but 

 small compared with that derived from a well stocked and carefully selected 

 library ; from that the benefit is permanent and continually increasing, reach- 

 ing all and ever growing in value. It is a well known fact, that no better 

 investment, pecuniarily considered, can be found, than a Library of choice 

 standard works ; in this connection it is well to consider, that botanical works 

 are of a class which soon grow out of print and become scarce, gaining new 

 value with every year. Although the event of a sale of the Society's Library 



