The Somerset reporter., 1890-07-24
For the Reporter.
gvenfs Of Old.

handsome residence and business town,
supplied with electric light, telephone,
water works and sewerage system. Itis
the county seat Of Fremont County, with
the State Penitentisry and mineral springs
Of great value. The town is noted for It's
substantial business blocks, nne resi-
dences, and the handsome grounds that
surround them. 1t has well sheltered
location and an equsble climate. making
1t favorite resort for tourists and In
yalids. Recent Reports for the Signal
service prove It to have the mildest
winter climate In the State. Within half
q mile of the Court House and Post Of
fee are tbs Soda Springs, . healthful and
palatabls water for sick or well; and At
the Hot Springs, mile from town is the
Invaiids' Hotel with ample accommoda-
tions for baths of all kinds. 1t would be
easy to enlarge on It's smooth, shaded
streets and other attractions, and its re-
ligious and literary privileges; but the
object OF this writing Is to give the
amount Of small fruits shipped by express
from the station In 1889.
Strawberries, 77,4Oo qts.
Grapes. 1920 900 los.
Other berries 1882 crates of "a boxes
| rs, lI6 lbs. These were raspberries, goose
berries. currants, and cherries. The APP
| pie crop in the county Is estimated 10 be
worth s3o, 900.
In 1856 man from this county paid
twelve dollars In Denver for barrel Of
! apples. From the seeds, he planted an
orchard OF twenty acres. 1t was nearly
twenty years before they came into bear
ing, but are now bearing freely, and he
reckons 81 distinct varieties, some very
fine and most of them fair
| 1t may not be known 10 the younger
Part of the population Of Skowhegan that
there WAS once good amount Of excel
lent pine timber In the town. There was
quite q body Of IL in the south part Of the
town on the road leading from the river
to Canaan village, and scattering al Jng up
the river. The first saw mill was 10 that
vicinity. Then near the mouth Of the
Wesseruusstt, and on the plain between
the Great Eddy and Malbone's mill, was
a wide growth of pine. But the best and
most valuable tract suppose, was o0 the
Madison rosd for q considerable distance
along by the Fair ground. More than 10
| years ago was there to witness horse
race, in company with large number of
the most respectable gentlemen Of the
village; only remember Hon. David Kid
der and Josiah Parlin, and that EleaIer
Eddy rode one of the horses. But what
took my attention most was the big pine
stumps, standing SO near together, and the
abundance Of wiptergreen berries which
ripen under the snow; and this happened
In the spring. l could have picked pint
of them In five minutes.
A few years later there was a season Of
excessive drouth in Maine and extending
to New Brunswick. One dsy towards the
last of August, IRE got among these dry
stumps, furious north wind sprung up
driving the blazing pieces OF bark and the
outside layers Of decaying wood, and
kindling other stumps, till there were,
don't know how many acres, perhaps a
hundred all ablaze, and the Are driving
on towards the village. Great and not
groundless alarm was felt. There were
no means Of checking the fire, and II 1t
had once reached the first building q
perfect shower Of burning shingles and
even large pieces of boards driven by the
violent wind would have carried devas-
-,eti,s. ia the river and across to the south
side, and almost the whole village would
have been swept to destruction. Provi- |
set. ard the danger was averted.
The soil on the south side Of the river |
was different, and adapted TO hard wood
growth. There was one monstrous pine
tree on my mothers farm, on the west
side of the road and near the southern
boundary. 1t was torn up by the roots,
and when l was old enough to remember
1t distinctly, 1t was so large at the butt
that / could not climb up on to It, 1t
must have been two and a half feet
through at least. And there was one
SOLITARY and Alone" on the ten acre
island, nearly two feet through aud 90 or
70 feet high. There may have been pines
in other places, but those are the only
one of any size that ever saw on that
side of the river.
These islands two and three miles be-
low the Falls had some peculiar produc-
tious. On the west bank of the ten acre
island was patch of blackberries, two
or three rods square, of an unusual kind,
the stem ten or twelve feet long lying |
FIAT on the ground, 'procumbent' the
botanists call 1t, with upright branches a
foot high bearing the fruit. suppose 1t
was Rubus hispidus, but Gray and Wood
describe that species as "stem, slender
and ''fowers and fruit small" but this
had . strong stem and very large berries
of a peculiar shape. The stem end wss
very large, and tapering In nearly straight
lines almost to a point. Pasturing with
horses and sheep killed the whole patch.
The beach plum also grew on this island
in the gravel where it was overlooked
yearly. The fruit In size, color and taste
resembed the black cherry. 1t was low
shrub.
On the south bank of the small island
separated by narrow channel from the
Great, or Wyman's island, there was one
single grape vine the fruit of which was
as large IS almost any cultivated grape,
and of much milder acid than the com
mon wild grape. l can hardly think it
was indigenous, but probably the seed
was brought by some bird Of passage
from some garden far away to the south.
II any reader of this knows Of any fruit
similar to these, please let US hear from |
him through the columns Of the Reporter. |
The mention of David Kidder's name
In speaking of the horse race recalls an
incident. On the l4th of Dec. 1874 a
robin was seen by several persons In
Skowhegsn village. Without calling at
tention In any way to his remark, In his
usual q:iet tone and manner Mr.. kidder
said Treaty of peace between United
States and Great Britain signed this day
In those days of slow sailing vessels 1t
was near the last of February that the
news came that the treaty Of peace was