Mr Holden is from a one-horse town, Birch Tree, while his opponent, Jim Talent, is from the St Louis sprawl.

ECONOMIST: America��s focus group

Delegates walking past the Brighton Centre were surprised to be handed the gift of a sapling silver birch tree in a bag.

BBC: TODAY'S AGENDA

The first step is figuring out how much sap can be extracted from the average birch tree in the Northeast using modern practices, she said.

WSJ: Birch syrup explored as add-on to maple industry

But it could find a future claim to fame in birch syrup, a nontraditional but increasingly popular product pulled from New Hampshire's state tree.

WSJ: Birch syrup explored as add-on to maple industry