STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 101 



pine trees, some of them niuety-two feet long. We do not know 

 very much about those now, but our children ought to learn about 

 them. 



"We should select the pine first, then, on account of its historic 

 value ; and secondly, we should select it for its beauty. As I 

 came over the ground this morning and saw the pine in the forests 

 I thought, riding through the State in the winter we cannot see the 

 golden rod, but we can see the pine ; it is perennial, always green ; 

 and so should our State emblem be. A few weeks ago I was con- 

 fined to a sick room and a friend sent me some pinks with the 

 pine ; and I thought I never saw the beauty of the pine, as it was 

 shown in combination with the pinks. And thirdly, we should 

 make it our State emblem for the sentiment connected with it, if 

 for nothing else. It is engraven in the hearts of our people. I 

 found in looking over a paper a notice of a meeting of Maine peo- 

 ple in Chicago, and it included a poem, from which I took this lit- 

 tle extract : — 



"To-nigbt across my senses steals 



The perfame of the piue; 

 O ! sweeter far to liomesick liearts 



Then ilranghts of fragrant wine. " 



If any of you have ever been homesick out of the State of Maine, 

 the thing you wanted to see was the pine, and the aroma you want- 

 ed to smell was the pine. The people of Ohio have for their 

 emblem the Buckeye or Horse Chestnut, and they love that just as 

 we love the pine. A few weeks ago they had a convention and a 

 little poem was read, — I give you this snatch : 



" O ! the tasseled corn for the whole broaO laud. 

 For the Union no power shall sever; 

 But theBuckej^e brown for the Buckeye State 

 Shall be our badge forever." 



And I think that we in Maine can say : 



" O ! the tasseled corn for the whole broad land, 

 For the Union no power shall sever; 

 But the piue tree green for the ' Pine Tree State ' 

 Shall be our badge forever." 



Mv. Sampson, the principal of the academy here, very kindly 

 consented to lend his co operation with reference to this meeting 

 and to use his influence to have his pupils attend the meeting, and, 

 for one, I feel very grateful that he did so. I am particularly 

 gratified with a feature to which he has incidentally called by atten- 

 tion, which is this — while the pupils come here ostensibly as listen- 

 ers they also come here as students, and one of the duties which 



