Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-11-01
Farm Notes. New. and Comments

lhe "etttIu part VI tue toWu. anu WHICH ~
proposed to call the Leighton. 1t is fal
apple, an annual and prolific bearer, and il
of so good q quality that it deserves to b,
disseminated. There is none of the coars.
almost unpleasant flavor to it generally OBJ
servable in seedlings, and il is better thar
good, in eating quality.
The Penobscot County Farmers Club vii
hold its first meeting for the fall season a
North Newport, Wednesday, Nov. It'll
1t is expected that the attendance will b,
very large as the club members have beer
waiting patiently Tor this first meeting. Thii
club is the most vigorous organization of it.
kind in New England, and most worthily
keeps up the good work which the old farm
ers' clubs commenced years ago and contin.
ued down to the period of the organization OF
the grange, which last has taken the work
of the clubs and in, in general, doing it bet
ter than it was ever done by them.
| The press of the State, when is has said
anything in regard to the late fair held in
this city, has generally spoken with extreme
kindness and good feeling. This has been
true of public journals In this city, Halo
we'll, Gardiner, and even by some in more
remote parts of the State. Thus far we
have noted only two exceptions TO this rule.
A paper published in the valley of the An
droscoggin, and which makes quite a claim
to being State paper in the interests of
agriculture, threw out sur about 'cen-
trail Maine fair" that exhibited so much
| Jealousy and ill feeling as to be unworthy of q
paper attempting to represent with fairness the
interests of all parts of the State equally. A
Cumberland county paper also, whoie inter-
est is wholly for an agricultural society in
an adjoining town, though in another county
managers of fair at Augusta last week, to
| induce the Legislature to constitute a Cen
trail Maine State Fair, will kill out, if it sue
ceeds, all State Fairs. The whole thing is
bosh, if it does not involve something of a
more serious nature. The object Of all fairs
is not to multiply places of exhibition, but to
concentrate in general assemblages for pur
poses of comparison, and imparting aad
gaining Of information from the largest
number of exhibitors" Now we can inform
the Brunswick Telegraph that the managers
of "a fair at Augusta" have made no at
tempt to induce the Legislature to consti-
tute central Maine State Fair They can
build a track, as they have done and hold a
successful fair, as they have done for two
years; and pay premiums if they please.
without asking the Legislature to give its
consent But should the managers of "a fair
at Augusta" see fit to ask the Legislature for y
part of the State bounty now given to agri-
could not consistently refuse the request
How could q fair at Augusta kill out the
State fairs at Lewiston or Bangor? Such an
idea certainly looks like "bosh." Bro. Tenney
and the farmers in Brunswick can step across
the bridge at that town into Sagadahoc cOun-
ty and have the advantages of one of the
best county fairs in Maine. But farmers in
Augusta Hallowell and Gardiner, all within
six miles of each other, three busy, thriving
cities and the centre of fine agricultural
section, at present have no share in the
States money offered to all agricultural
societies in Maine. unless they drive their
stock and haul their products to Readfield, a
distance of from twelve to fourteen miles ;
or to Waterville, a distance of from egh-
teen to twenty five miles Aud we think
even Bro. Tenney, with all his abundant
good nature, which is proverbial among the
newspaper fraternity of the State, would be
tired of going these distances to a fair every
year; and if situated as the farmers in the
central Kennebec Valley are, would be
among the first to sign petition asking the
Legislature to constitute fair somewhere
within a less distance than fourteen miles
from three large cities in Maine, which
should have just share of the State boun-
ty paid for the encouragement of agricul-
ture.
The criticisms contained in the quotation
are in measure true, as pertaining to some
of the towns in the eastern part of the
State. THE commission merchants in this
city who handle fruit say that the Maine
farmers do not understand how to prepare
their apples to make anything out of the
sale of them. The farmers take no pains
in sorting them but bring in a badly mixed
barrel of apples and expect to realize Just
| <.o d. tb>
for first class fruit. The result is that they
! find much difficulty in disposing Of them at
all. j. B. Aver 4 Co. of this city have
been obliged to send to New Hampshire and
buy 100 barrels of Baldwins for their trade
in this city and vicinity because they could
not buy first class goods from the Penobscot
county farmers. The latter should take
more pains and be able to supply their own
locality at the least" From what we know
of the orchards in some portions, at least, of
| Piscataquis and Penobscot counties, they do
not rank so high As commercial orchards, as
those in the central and western portions of
the State. That is to say, there are few
orchards where five hundred barrels of
Baldwins Greetings, Bellhowers, or any
standard variety can be obtained for shipment.
| Indeed, 4 few years ago the statement
was made at fruit growers meeting by Pis-
cataquis county fruit grower, that he doubted
if car load of any one leading variety of
apples could be loaded at his station on the
Bangor and Penobscot road. The growing
of too many varieties has gone on; whereas
to get money from an orchard these days, de-
mands that attention be given to the growing,
careful sorting and good packing Of those
standard, late keeping sorts required by
the great markets. We hope to see the
methods of the great kennebec apple grow
ers, adopted by the orchardists of Penob-
scot and then, excepting in localities where
! the Baldwin does not succeed, we hope it
will not be long before Bangor merchants
will not have to send out of the State for
good apples.
The County Commissioners were in ses-