STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 93 



originated at the Congress of Women in Chicago during the World's 

 Fair. Since our country is so vast, our interests so diverse and 

 our climate so varied, it was proposed that our national floral 

 emblem take the form of a garland composed of as many flowers 

 as there are states, these to be chosen by the popular vote of each 

 state and legalized by the different state legislatures, and then 

 presented to the national congress for final ratification. The plan 

 was enthusiastically adopted and endorsed by Mrs. President 

 Cleveland, Senator and Mrs. Frye, Mrs. Garfield, Mrs. U. S. 

 Grant, Congressman and Mrs. Dingley, Governor Cleaves, Mrs. 

 Robert E. Lee, Mrs. Jefferson Davis, and hosts of others in our 

 country. The movement was thoroughly organized last year and 

 some states have already chosen state flowers. Vermont the red 

 clover, Iowa the Indian corn, California the poppy, Wyoming the 

 sunflower, and eo on. 



The Maine Floral Emblem Society has been engaged the past six 

 months in bringing the selection of a State floral emblem before our 

 people, who have not forgotten the beautiful object lesson supplied 

 in the recent procession and battle of flowers at the September meet- 

 ing of the Maine State Agricultural Society. On November 24th 

 the ballot was opened to the State. The voting is being conducted 

 through organizations like the Maine State Grange, the Sons and 

 Daughters of Maine in other States, and the Women's Federation, 

 and through the newspapers, which, with patriotic appreciation, 

 have published a blank ballot. No reader of Maine's newspapers 

 need be ignorant of how and when to vote. It is not my desire to 

 influence, but onl}' to inform my hearers, so I present the arguments 

 for the various candidates proposed just as I hear them. 



It has been argued by some that the pine cone and tassel consti- 

 tute the natural emblem of the State in both an historic and a 

 poetic sense. Those who antagonize the adoption of the pine cone, 

 saj' that the pine cone is n<)t a flower. The lovers of the pine can 

 appeal to precedent, for neither is the shamrock a flower, yet it is 

 sacred to the Irish nationality. Botany must surrender some points 

 to history, and selecting anything but the pine might give us two 

 emblems afield, thus imperiling our identity without enriching our 

 nosegay. The pine cone is indelibly connected with the history of 

 our country', for it was emblazoned on the first flag which ever 

 represented the United States. However, the pine is fast disap- 

 pearing from our Maine forests, although it is to be hoped that 

 arbor culture may in the future revive our pine forests. But we 



