The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-09-28

III oulS TOWN., OWuou DE ME. II. Aoii,
the Potato King" 1t is very simple
process. The potatoes come down from
great bin into the grinder. Iney
come out in the shape of brown pulp.
on to a shaking screen. stream OF
water takes the starch out of this, leav-
ing the skins and dirt. 1t flows away
through troughs, "A looking like skim
milk into great watts. These present
really beautiful appearance. They are
small ponds of heaped up foam. as soft
and clean and white as cumulus cloud.
Ina day the water is drawn of, the
starch having settled to the bottom.
1t is then dried, which completes the
process. In this mill steam pipes furnish
the heat, which is circulated under the
| starch by large revolving iron fan.
Mr.. Phair has just introduced This
method. He got the idea from the
similar method of drying lurhber out
West. He now uses it in three OF his SIX
| factories. Formerly he used wood stoves,
and during his business career has lost
by fire thereby no less thai ten starch
factories He will soon be making
40 tons of starch per day. Much OF 1T
goes to the great cotton mills, where 1T
! is used for sizing.
just outside of this village is the ceme-
terry. 1t contains the monument to the
memory of Daniel Stickney, the veteran
Maine editor, who died this year, aged
| 80 years, the Oldest editor in the State.
He erected this monument eight years
| ago, and inscribed on it the following
| statement, of which bears witness to his
eccentricity of character:
until Is years of age farmers BOY,
| 25 years mechanic and teacher OF COM
| mon schools, % years lay preacher OF
| the Gospel, as taught by David in the
| 23d Psalm, by Jesus Christ in his Ser
/ mon on the Mount, by Paul upon Mars
| III 10 ION n
| chapter of Romans. For half century
newspaper writer and for IA years pro-
prietor and editor of the Pressure Isle
| Sunrise. A Repu bilcan from his earliest
recollection to the day of his death. al
ways regarding the Democracy of
politicians with perfect contempt"
| \Over in Mapleton, few miles from
here, is rough new farm in the forest
which is worth mentioning. One reach
es it by narrow wood road, and finally
emerges into the clearing. There is an
| old log house, a boarded barn, a seven
acre field of potatoes, and half buried
| log structure, covered with sods, Tor
storing potatoes. Down beyond, up the
| other side of strip OF trees is an addi-
tional clearing. where there are four
acres of potatoes. Behind the log house
is an orchard covering about two acres.
| Is presents a striking contrast to the
primitive building, the rough fields and
| the all-surrounding forest. The trees
| are young, but covered with beautiful
are barrels and barrels of
| the Duchess" the ALEXANDER" the
"Snow" appless These are the principal
| kinds that can be raised on this soil.
| The Baldwins and similar apples will
not flourish here. This orchard will
| yield so barrels this year. which will
| average over SO barrel. So said the old
f1r,y GJa
is well built little man of sixty odd
| years, and his alert and courteous man
| ner, his regular, determined features,
gray moustache and piercing eyes are
more suggestive of oDe of Napoleon's
officers than of a backwoods farmer. He
| is cousin to the famous outlaw,
| Nadeau, who has so long defied arrest in
the county. His possession of this farm
involves the following story: The clear
/ ing was first made 36 years ago, and the
4 log house built. Twenty-nine years ago
| a man named Bean came back from the
war and bought the place. He has lived
there ever since. up to couple OF years
| ago. Both he and his family were Pc
culiar. His wife left hin long ago,
married another man, and has since
| died. His children have been SO unkind
| to him that last year, aged and almost
| helpless with rheumatism, he had the
| strength OF mind TO drive them from him
and the farm, and made compact with
the Frenchman, Nadeau, that if he
would MAINTAIN him the rest of his life
he would will to him the farm, which
includes 100 acres.
| Nadeau and his wife are taking good
care of the old man, and he is more COM
| Portable than for many years in their
home. So the old log house is not occu-
4 pied now except by Nadeau or one of his
| sons2d uring the apple season. A big
| dog is stationed in the orchard, and this
| years. crop is saved. Last years was
stolen. AS soon as possible Nadeau
will replace the old log house with a
better one, and locate on the farm. He
will realize several hun dred dollars from
| his potatoes this year.
1t was big risk for the old infirm
man to abandon his own children for the
family of foreigners, but he seems to
have profted by the change