STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 107 



small apertures, in the two passes, for two dollars, in about two 

 weeks. Again somebody muttered — " red tape." 



What a blessing, when among strangers in a strange city, to 

 have the companionship of one that knows more than you do. 

 My friend suggests, that as we may go out at the gates ad libitum, 

 we may procure the needed photographs in the city for one-half 

 the money, and so save one dollar to help out in doing Philadel- 

 phia. We followed his suggestion — but " oh my !" such a face as 

 was to be seen in one of those passes ! 



Our worthy Secretary requested me to " report all that I saw 

 and learned at the Centennial, only withholding such things as 

 would not be proper for me to relate," — a very important desider- 

 atim, I can assure you. How very fortunate this Society may 

 consider itself to have such accurate discernment combined with 

 the unusual readiness of the pen, to jot down its doings. Well, 

 this together with certain orders from one high in authority among 

 us, whose pomological mandates, like the laws of the Medes and 

 Persians, are not to be disregarded, leaves me to make the humble 

 effort to tell you of some things I saw and learned. 



It would be a task too burdensome to go into detail, and as 

 tedious as the nightly waiting at the Belmot Avenue Depot for a 

 car-ride to Market Street. " Quicker home to go on foot," and 

 more endurable doubtless for you to procure snow-shoes and 

 strike out for your homes. We were inclined to complain of 

 friends visiting the Centennial, because they gave us no more 

 definite accounts and descriptions of what they saw there, but 

 once there you may comprehend the situation. One week, a 

 month even would be little time enough to record the names only 

 of the subjects and interests represented there. From the Old 

 World and from the Isles of the Sea came samples of wood, 

 almost numberless, with men to tell us all about their uses and 

 value. California and Michigan were there, too, to show us the 

 tall pines they grow, and the sleds, all loaded, on which they 

 draw them from the forests — as though a man from Maine had 

 never seen a pine tree, or a bob-sled ! Well, the fault was not 

 theirs, if fault was anywhere. This was as it should be. In the 

 Pomological Building were large displays of potatoes, some of 

 which we thought were grown on exceedingly poor soil, and in a 

 di*y season at that. We could have selected samples larger and 

 fairer on exhibition at our State Fair at Waterville ; but we did 

 not do it. So it was with many other things I must not enumer- 



