350 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETr. 



when four more clays were added. Now, it is impossible to count 

 on doing any editorial work during these exliibitious, and the 

 subtraction of four whole days from the time which can be given 

 to this work is not unim[)Oitant. Moreover, the Committee of 

 Arrangements have this year held twenty meetings (there having 

 never been more than nine in any previous year), and at all but 

 one of these I have been present and made the record. The 

 gratifying success of the exhibitions of this season has not been 

 attained without much incidental work in this department ; indeed, 

 it may be said that in whatever direction the operations of the 

 Society broaden, additional work in this department is involved. 



Second, as to the Library. When my last report was presented 

 the work of systematically rearranging and cataloguing the whole 

 Library was before us. The arrangement and classification has 

 now been completed, and, though far from the ideal, is certainly 

 a great improvement upon the past, and has received the commen- 

 dation of those best qualified to judge. All the books on anv 

 given subject have been brought together as far as space permit- 

 ted, though it has been impossible to carry this to perfection 

 without wasting too much space. It was, however, not long 

 before the progress of this work disclosed the fact that the book- 

 cases, witli all the additions recently made, are not more than suffi- 

 cient properly to accommodate the books we now possess without 

 any allowance for their increase. It is true that some empty 

 shelves, or parts of shelves, may be seen, but these would be more 

 than filled if all the books now placed behind others were brought 

 into the front row. By properly accommodating, I mean allowing 

 all the books to be arranged in a single row so that all can be 

 seen without taking out books in front of them. AVhen books are 

 arranged in two rows on a shelf the usefulness of the Library is 

 seriously impaired for the reason that many readers do not consult 

 the Catalogue, and do not know that a book is in the Library unless 

 they can see it on the shelf. But with all existing imi)erfectioiis it 

 is a great satisfaction to know that for the first time for years we 

 can find any book belonging to the Library without going out of this 

 room, and I trust that unless some extraordinaiy addition should ■ 

 be made to the Library, we may be able to accommodate them in 

 this room, as long as the Society shall remain in this building. 



After the books were arranged a count was made, which gave a 

 total of 6,018 books and 5,889 pamphlets. The last previous 



