116 FIELD DAY AT LINEBROOK. 



Rev. B. F. McDANiEL, of Salem, made an humorous 

 reference to his attempt to reach "Pulpit Rock," which he 

 presumed, from a specimen taken from it, was a kind of 

 porphyry common to the neighborhood. He said there 

 was much to be seen and investigated, in a geological 

 point of view in the stone walls hereabouts, and gave ad- 

 vice in the direction of encouraging geological and min- 

 eralogical investigation. He suggested that specimens of 

 the various rocks in the town be collected and sent to the 

 Museum of the Peabody Academy of Science in Salem, 

 and he promised to do his part in arranging the same. 



Mr. SIDNEY PERLEY, of Boxford, was the next speaker, 

 He made a lengthy presentation of the state of society that 

 preceded the Revolutionary period, especially referring 

 to the houses, domestic appliances, food, dress, educa- 

 tion, etc. 



Hon. J. J. H. GREGORY, of Marblehead, made some 

 practical suggestions about our common weeds. He said 

 that some botanist should make a specialty of weeds com- 

 mon to our pastures and fields, and give the benefit of his 

 observations to the farmers and people of the county. 



Mr. A. C. PERKINS, formerly of the Phillips Academy, 

 Exeter, spoke of the importance of habits of observa- 

 tion among the young, and how satisfactory it is to know a 

 plant or flower when seen. He told the story of the 

 country storekeeper, who placed on his counter a nicely 

 arranged bunch of the blossoms of the common potato 

 plant, and then as the farmers, his customers, generally 

 came to his store, he asked them if they could tell him 

 what the flower was? Of course, all of them had seen 

 the potato blossom year after year, but no one recognized 

 it and wondered what the beautiful specimens were. 



Mr. Perkins said that such meetings were of great 



