STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 191 



of a remarkable combination of character, genia! and pleasant The 

 last time I met him was in Chicago, when some six or eight years ago 

 the pomological convention met there. I had not attended their meet- 

 ings for a number of years, as they were held in the east and I was 

 then fixed at Chicago; but 1 spent the day with him and met some of 

 ray old friends. I had been engaged in laying out parks in Chicago 

 for some years then, and of course took a great deal of interest in 

 showing my old friends what I had been doing there, and they rode 

 around with me and we spent the day together, and had a very pleas- 

 ant banquet in the evening, which was attended by the merchants of 

 Chicago. 



In 18S2 I was invited to read an address on forestry to a committee 

 of the Massachusetts legislature. A petition had been sent to the 

 legislature for an experimental forest, under the auspices of the state, 

 and the committee to whom it was referred invited me to read a paper 

 on the subject, which I did. Afterwards the Illinois department of 

 agriculture asked for it to be published in their transactions; I sent 

 them a copy and they published it. And I sent copies of the pamph- 

 let to different friends, and among them one to Mr. Wilder. He sent 

 me the following characteristic letter in reply which I want to read to 

 you. It was the last co nmunication I had from him; here it is: 



, LETTER from: MARSHALL P. WILDER. 



DoRCHESTEi^, July 4, 1882. 

 "Thanks, my old friend, for your excellent document on native 

 forests. It is a capital paper. (Jo on with the good woik; it will be 

 a blessing to future generations. Received horticultural documents. 



Yours as ever, 



Marshall P. Wilder." 



As I say, the Illinois department published this pamphlet. I have 

 given them away as opportunity has offered. I don't like to give 

 them where they are not appreciated, for I don't approve of "casting 

 pearls before swine," but I felt so sure they would be appreciated here 

 that I brought a lot of them, and which I beg that the gentlemen 

 present will help themselves to if they care to take them home. 



President Elliot. This is very interesting to me, especially, as I 

 have had the privilege of meeting Marshall P. Wilder at several of 

 these pomological conventions. This incident brings up many mem- 

 ories in my own mind of a pleasing nature. We hardly realize the 

 great loss the country sustained in the death of Marshall P. Wilder, 



