HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. J 5 J 



exhibited for five years, and the other member voted for the award without 

 conditions. The vote upon the pear was about the same. 



The Committee are further informed, that the first intimation received 

 by some members of the Fruit Committee that such awards were even con- 

 templated, was obtained from the printed Transactions of the Society. 



In the opinion of your Committee, this conduct on the part of a com- 

 petitor for the highest premiums of the Society ought not to pass unre- 

 buked. Not only is it subversive of all order and good government that 

 committees should be called together without proper authority, but the 

 offence is magnified when the person usurping the powers of the chairman 

 is himself the claimant before the committee — a party to a suit, before 

 judges whom he may select for himself, and the ex-parte advocate of his 

 own interests. The Society is wronged, because their rules are trampled 

 upon ; the Committee is wronged, because they are deprived of the benefit 

 of a full discussion and of time for consultation ; the unnotified members 

 are wronged, because they are allowed no voice in the decision ; the mem- 

 bers present are wronged, because they are subjected to the personal 

 solicitations and persistive pleadings of the applicant ; other competitors 

 for the premiums are wronged, for their claims are pushed aside ; the public 

 is wronged, because it accepts as the well-considered action of the Society 

 what is, in truth, but the opinions of one or two members, hastily convened 

 and hurried to a decision by the party most interested. 



If this instance of irregularity which has been brought to the notice of 

 the Society is suffered to pass without censure, your Committee believe that 

 the public will regard with diminished confidence the decisions of the 

 Society ; for they will, with reason, suspect that our medals and gratuities 

 for new varieties of fruit, flowers and vegetables are indices rather of the 

 adroit management of the applicants than of merit in the articles. The 

 number of exhibitors at our shows and of competitors for premiums will be 

 sensibly diminished ; for modest merit will have no chance against unscru- 

 pulous assurance. Already complaints, "not loud, but deep," have been 

 heard, that rules, which are stringently enforced against some members, are 

 broken with impunity by others. 



In view of the facts above stated, your Committee present the following 

 resolutions for your adoption : 



Resolved, That the conduct of C. M. Hovey, a member of this Society, 

 in procuring the award to Hovey & Co. of a gold medal for a Seedling 

 Cherry, and of a gratuity of $20 for a Seedling Pear, was irregular and 

 improper, and is censured by this Society. 



