38 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



something I looked forward to with a great deal of pleasure. I 

 regret that a larger number could not have been present to look 

 over the work they are doing there. 



It is very gratifying indeed that the public institutions in our 

 State, as a rule, are inclined to do so much horticultural work 

 and especially that which is of a decorative nature. 



The hospital grounds are very favorably situated for work 

 of that kind and the work done there is very complimentary to 

 the skill of Air. Allen, the gardener, and to those who direct his 

 work. 



The work of our society should reach out and encourage just 

 this sort of thing in the State. There are several things in which 

 our society is very deficient and it seems to me we are almost 

 culpably so in some respects. For instance, I do not know the 

 exact number of school-houses in the State of Maine, but we 

 have a great many. In the first place, many of them are on 

 small lots of land. Alany of them are on lots of land absolutely 

 neglected and uncared for. Others, while on larger lots of land, 

 nothing is being done to beautify them and make them attract- 

 ive. It seems to me one thing our society ought to do is to 

 encourage the decoration, the embellishment, the beautifying of 

 school-house grounds. 



One of the brightest and prettiest spots to visit in the city of 

 Boston is the school grounds of Mr. Clapp's school where he has 

 a great variety of wild flowers growing. He gives the pupils 

 the opportunity of growing the flowers, and while growing them 

 they are studying their botanical nature. Those boys and girls 

 really know more about the wild flowers of Massachusetts than 

 the people of the country who have lived all their lives among 

 them. The lessons they are learning there will be invaluable. 

 If we could have something of this kind started in this State, 

 how much brighter the lives of the boys and girls would be for 

 learning to love and care for them, and learning what they are 

 made for and thus opening their eyes to observe as they go about 

 the beauties of nature which are created for our enjoyment and 

 appreciation. I hope the time will come when our society may, 

 some way actively, either in premiums or otherwise, encourage 

 the schools in the State to do something of this work of embel- 

 lishment and decoration. 



