74 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



teachers in our State have been trained in Maine I am happy to sa}'. 

 I am going to assume in behalf of the school-house grounds of 

 Maine, without knowing anything about it, that they may be some- 

 thing in the same condition as those in Connecticut. Almost all our 

 rural school-houses have very small grounds, in some instances, only 

 large enough to contain the school-house and a passage around it. 

 Now wouldn't it be a grand idea, in connection with Arbor Day, if 

 the people of each district would just move off in this matter by a 

 little subscription or contribution to enlarge the grounds to half an 

 acre or an acre to be devoted to thorough ornamentation Let Arbor 

 Day then be observed with zest and occupy that ground with trees 

 and also have beds prepared for flowers. I believe the boys would 

 like it ; I know the girls would, and I think 3'ou all would. I believe 

 your schools would be all the better. 



Another thing. We occasionally hear a lady say '^My grand- 

 mother when she was seventy years old helped set out that tree ; we 

 call it by her name ; it is a memorial tree" or "my grandfather" or 

 "my father," as the case may be. Plant these memorial trees, of 

 course getting something choice, something that you will not be 

 ashamed of, in connection with any of your friends, and then let 

 them stand as memorials. Some of you may have heard of the 

 great Weathersfield elm, which is claimed to be the best elm in the 

 United States. It has a spread of one hundred fifty-two feet, is 

 very symmetrical and very beautiful as well as very large. 1 will 

 just give a little history of that tree. One of the early settlers went 

 out to his pasture horseback one summer day, and as he passed 

 through the low ground he saw a very thrifty and beautiful little elm, 

 and he was so struck with its beauty that he got off his horse, pulled 

 the tree up by the roots, and took it home horseback. The name 

 of that man, in connection with that tree I think is better commem- 

 orated than it would be by marble or granite. It has found its place 

 in history and he will be remembered in connection with it. 



