STATE POMOl.OGICAL SOCIETY. 113 



Seventy-two charter members were reported at the time of the adop- 

 tion of the constitution. 



It was decided to hold the next meetinj^at Farniington, July 7-10, 1896, 

 and an entertaiuino; programme was arranged for the meeting. The 

 Maine Central R. R. and the Stoddard House granted special rates to all 

 members of the Society. By this recognition, as well as by the hearty 

 reception promised by the people of Farmington, the Society feels that 

 its efforts are already being appreciated in the State. 



METHODS OF WORK. 



The object of the society is primarily to stimulate an interest in the 

 study of botany in Maine. The methods employed in doing this will be 

 of two kinds. First, by holding annual public meetings where the mem- 

 bers may become personally acquainted and may discuss the problems 

 suggested by their work ; and where they may hear and meet specialists 

 upon various subjects of importance to the professional botanist, the 

 teacher and the agriculturist. A number of specialists upon branches of 

 pure and applied science, are natives of Maine, or spend their summers 

 within her borders, and many of them have given assurance of their 

 interest and willingness to co-operate in this work. Still others will be 

 ready at small expense to the society to attend the meetings and give the 

 members the advantage of their advice. The extent to which the society 

 may receive the assistance of these specialists must depend entirely upon 

 the encouragement and support of the people of the State, and very soon 

 the society hopes to show that it deserves both the intellectual and 

 material support of the progressive people of Maine. 



The second method by which good will be accomplished is through 

 working committees. The State of Maine has been peculiarly slow in 

 recognizing the value of careful scientific exploration. While many other 

 states have supported scientific institutions and surveys, the State of 

 Maine has recently given only the slightest possible recognition to such 

 work, and that only to the bi-auches which have an immediate and 

 material influence upon agricultural pursuits. The work undertaken by 

 the committees of this society will be at least an effort to bring the State 

 of Maine up from a position of absolute indifference to the value of 

 scientific work to a level where others may see that there is at least a liv- 

 ing interest in science within her borders. 



The work of the Committee on Plant Distribution is of direct impor- 

 tance to the agricultural interests of the State. The aim is to bring 

 together all authentic information and material which shall show the 

 ranges within the State of the native and introduced plants. Aside from 

 specimens of the plants of each region the committee is attempting to 

 secure accurate records of the climate and soils of each locality. Already 

 sufficient information has been collected to show that the limits of the 

 rich belt, of which ''the Aroostook" forms a part, can be readily 

 described by a knowledge of the plants of the region. That such sciea- 



