STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 35 



by the chairman. It was one of his last and written during his 

 sickness. The paper follows : 



In answer to the letters of the Secretary of the State Pomological 

 Society, proposing to hold their winter meetings in this cit}^ stating 

 that it was their desire to hold it where it would be best appieciated 

 and likely to do the most good, I did not hesitate to inform him that 

 he need look no farther, but fix dates and arrange a good programme, 

 and if '.he society did not find an attentive, intelligent and appreci- 

 ative audience here, there would be but one to blame, and that one 

 the member of the board from Penobscot. 



No doubt the query suggested itself to the mind of the Secretary : 

 ''If, as the writer intimates, the farmers of Penobscot county are an 

 intelligent and wide-awake class, how could they have made such a 

 mistake in selecting their member of the board." 



Of all the occupations men engage in for the purpose of gaining a 

 livelihood, by the application of capital, there is not one in which a 

 varied and accurate stock of knowledge is not only desirable, but so 

 absolutely necessary for obtaining the greatest returns, as in farm- 

 ing. The farmer's operations are not few and unvarying like the 

 manufacturer, who is not affected by heat or cold, wet or dry, snow 

 or frost. The farmer, necessarily, lives apart, which prevents him 

 from seeing much beyond what he does himself, so it is onl}^ through 

 reading and attending these meetings that he can receive the bene- 

 fits of the successful and valuable experiments which are constantlj' 

 being made. 



The subjects to be discussed at these meetings are of the deepest 

 interest to the whole community. A comparison of methods and 

 results, failures and successes, the interchange of ideas help those 

 engaged in the various branches of agriculture to receive the full 

 benefit of their untiring attempts to succeed. 



Farm life, from the effects of these gatherings, is constant!}' grow- 

 ing more social and attractive to old and young. The farmer now 

 takes with him his wife, sons and daughters, that they may share 

 the benefits of social interchanges of thought and action ot the out- 

 side world. No thoughtful man, no intelligent woman, no bright 

 bo}' or girl who has become familiar with the benefits and plea-urt s 

 derived from these meetings, will neglect them without the besi of 

 reasons; they are of common interest and universal benefit; they 

 not only help the farmer to raise the best and most perfect fruits, 

 flowers, vegetables, grains and grasses, but to fill his position as a 

 citizen honorably. 



