lO AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



ADDRESS OF WELCOME. 



Mr. Charles F. Flagg, President Portland Board of Trade. 



Mr. President and Members of the Maine Povio'ogical Society: 

 As we gather around these harvest tables like a great Thanks- 

 giving family, I want to tell you a secret. It was my privilege 

 to be present when the Mayor dictated your invitation from the 

 city a year ago, and in addition to testifying to the interest and 

 promptness of his action, I want to tell you of the undying ad- 

 miration with which I heard him successfully charge uj'.on that 

 word "Pomological," a word before which so many other good 

 men have gone down to humiliation and defeat. I want also to 

 say a word to you members about your president, Mr. Howard 

 L. Keyser of Greene. Pie is the smartest man 1 ever met. Last 

 summer in the midst of a prolonged drought, ]Mr. Rines and I 

 telephoned him about some details of this coming fruit show, 

 and in the course of the conversation we asked him jokingly 

 if he had seen any rain up there at Greene. To our surprise, he 

 said, "Oh, yes ; it has been raining two or three hours." Mr. 

 Rines asked him to send some down to Portland, and he .«^aid 

 he would. And he did. In half an hour it came: thunder, 

 lightning, hail and rain ; and the wind blew such a gale that 

 nothing but the fear of electricity prevented our telephoning 

 again to have him shut it off. Perhaps you have plenty of men 

 as smart as that up the State but they are rare down here. 



You come in distinguished company, you members of the Po- 

 mological Society, and we welcome with you these rosy cheeked 

 dwellers of the orchards of Maine and New England. Like 

 you they are products of the modern scientific world. Indeed 

 I understand that they consider themselves such quality that 

 they have a sovereign among them, and tliat Mr. Tompkhis 

 has put a crown upon his head and calls himself king. And, 

 Mr. Chairman, with your permission, T want to say, through 

 you, a word to King Tompkins and his subjects. 



Undoubtedly, King Tompkins, you have the most brilliant 

 company which has ever assembled in the new City Hall ; but 

 you have a great deal to answer for in the history of the world. 

 You turned us out of the garden of Eden, you upset the king- 



