Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1903-04-07
Farmers Institute.
WILL ATTENDED AND PROFITABLR
MEETING AT SOUTH PARIS.

WILL ATTENDED AND PRoFITABL
MEETING AT SOUTH PARIS.
There was good attendance of pr
gressive farmers of the vicinity in Par
Grange Hall Tuesday morning, whe
Commissioner of Agriculture China
opened the farmers institute appointe
for that day, at 1890 A. NJ.
After brief opening remarks Mr.. Gi
man introduced as the first speaker {
the day Professor Maynard of the Mass;
chusetts Agricultural College at Amhers
who has been in that institution owe
thirty years. His subject was Orchard
ing. The apple crop, said he, is on
most important fruit crop; immens
crops are grown in New England. Ar
we getting the best from our orchard
that is possible? Undoubtedly we ar
not. We are running our farms and lei
ting our fruit trees grow as they will
We make orcharding side issue, not
business of itself. We raise too much o
the poor quality of apples, and too man,
varieties that people do not want ant
that do not find a market. We shoul'
improve our product and get more none.
out of it if we cut down at least half tn
existing trees and took care of the res
as they should lie. Only three or fon
varieties can be grown to advantage fo
the general market, though if a loca
market is available other varieties ma.
be grown.
The profits of apple growing come onl!
from fine fruit, and to obtain that W.
must care for our orchards. Better ap
pies can be grown where the orchard i.
kept in cultivation. Apples can b
grown in grass, but don't expect YOU
orchard to bear a crop of grass and
crop of apples both. Some very sue
cesrful growers keep their orchards in
grass, but they never carry off pound
of the grass. 1t is cut and left on the
ground.
We plant our trees too. thickly. Forty
feet is near enough, or twenty feet il
every other tree is cut out later-a thing
the grower generally fails to do until too
late. We prune wrongly. We cut of
the side branches, until there is left a
thin high top, thirty or forty feet in the
air. Prune from the top, and do your
pruning with knife or your thumb and
finger. The proper shape for a tree is
and growing near the
ground. so that all the fruit may be
picked from a step ladder.
We must practice spraying. 1t will
save three-fourths of our wormy and
scabby fruit. Scab is propagated by
spores, which are destroyed by the
spraying. Bordeaux mixture is best.
Spray the branches just before the leaves
come out. Spray again as soon as the
flowers are fertilized, and again in about
two weeks; later if the conditions favor
able to scab-moisture and high tempera-
ture-appear.
Some of the most successful growers
thin their fruit, and they find
that with a little practice it does not
take longer to take off the poor fruit in
this way, when it is small, than it does
to pick it. sort it out and finally throw it
away after it is fully grown, while the
uuality of what is left is greatly i'm
proved.
The harvesting and marketing are i'm
portant matters, especially with small
growers. We make the mistake of try
ing to sell everything, when we should
make money by selling only the best of
the fruit. We must either grow on
larger scale, or we must practice CO.
operation. Put the apples from one
section together, take out the poor fruit,
and with the large quantity of good
fruit which YOU will then have on hand
you will have something with which you
IAN command something in the market.
Professor Maynard answered several
questions at the close of his talk. The
IRIS, one referred to the trypeta, and he
confessed that that was the one apple
enemy for which no specific remedy has
been discovered. The only thing to do
IS to remove the windfalls from the
ground Immediately, by hand picking or
he use of hogs or sheep, and that Will
10 some good.
An excellent dinner was served by
Paris Grange in the dining hall at noon.
The afternoon session was opened with
, talk by Mr.. Childs of Cornish, n. H.,
, noted butter maker in a creamery
which has carried off long list of high
est awards at several international expo
,itions. not to mention numerous smaller
iairs. Mr.. Childs said he was fully
satisfied that the butter is made in the
ripening of the cream. In fact, from his
experience of many years he could see
no possible reason for questioning it.
Mr.. Childs' allotted time took largely
the form of a question box, IN which he
was asked and answered regarding all
he details of the dairy work, from the
time the milk is drawn from the COW till
he butter is in the market.
Following this, a widely known Maine
farmer, r. W. Ellis of Embden, was in
troduced to speak regarding the care OF
the cow. Mr.. Ellis assumed at the start
that everybody present was familiar
with the necessary cleanliness, kindli-
ness and good treatment which should
be practiced in the care of the COW, and
made his remarks more applicable to the
treatment of the farm for the benefit OF
the cow. The greatest profit of the COW
is not in the cash income, but in building
np the farm. Too much OF our money
has been going west. The silo is one OF
the greatest blessings the dairyman has
ever had. We should plant more corn,
and SOW oats and peas. The oats and
peas are cut green and cured for hay.
Mr.. Ellis raised about thirty tons OF this
last wear, about three tons to the acre,
and finds it the richest kind of fodder
that he feeds to his cows. The matter
Of the oats and peas was discussed by
him with those present at some length.
The choir furnished music for the
afternoon session, and at this point Mr..
A. f. Morse was introduced to give Hol-
man Days poem, 1.-The Stock in the Tie
up" which he did SO acceptably that he
was recalled and gave, Don't give up
the Property"
Professor Maynard was then again
brought forward to close the session with
a talk on small fruits. The time remain
ing was not long, but Professor May
nard's talk was very practical, regarding
the culture of the strawberry, raspberry
and blackberry. His statement regard
ing the productiveness of the strawberry
nigh at first seem strong. On the same
area, he said, as many strawberries as
potatoes can be raised, and strawberry
plot has been known to produce at the
rate of 500 bushels to the acre. Keep
the weeds down in your strawberry plot,
and with good soil you are sure OF a
crop-nothing surer. The details OF
treatment of the fruits named were gone
over, with few remarks concerning the
care of plum trees.
A rising vote of thanks was given
Gilman and the other
speakers at the close of the meeting.
A GREAT SENSATION.
There was a big sensation in Lees
,,;,la Ind when w Fl. Brown of that