The Somerset reporter., 1908-10-22
Skowhegan Grange Apple Evening.

okoWnegan orange apple Evening.
/ Yesterdays session of Skowhegan
Grange, in charge of Sheldon H
Beal, Lester G. Stevens, John A.
Swain and Ansel Holway, was de-
voted to the problems of apple
culture. A very handsome exhibit
of Somerset county fruit was dis
played in the banquet hall during the
afternoon, and transferred to the hall
on the second floor just before the
hour of the evening session.
The names of exhibitors and va
rieties shown were as follows:
l.. q. tevens-Farmers Reward,
/ Grimace HubOardstons, Believer,
Baldwins, Kings, Northern Spy and
two plates not named.
A. A. Jewett- BaIdwins, Ben Davis,
r. /. Greetings, Hubbardstons, OK
fords, Harvey Greetings, Blue Pear
mains.
J. A. Swain-Fall Jannettings,
Shows, Baldwins, Starks, Ben Davis,
Northern Spy, Talman Sweets, Veal
thy.
! Cony Sanborn-Talman Sweets,
King Tompkins. Baldwins, Northern
Spy, Ben Davis, Rhode Island Green
ings.
Levi E, Alexander and one
variety not named.
S. II. -Hubbardstons, Nun
such, Northern Spy, Believers,
Rhode Island Greetings, Parlin,
Canada Reds, Spitzenburg, Stark,
HafH lal1 Dbl u naN,
Davis, Kings and one variety not
named.
Chas. B. White-Coopers Market,
Stark, Fameuse, Roxbury Russell,
Northern Spy, Believer, Ben Davis,
Twenty Ounce and Seek No Further
A brief Grange session was held al
which Wilmont B. Whittier, who was
appointed chairman of the committee
OH the annual Grange Fair, to be
held on Wednesday, Thursday and
Friday, December 9th, 10th and 11th
announced his appointment of de-
partment committees as far as made
He is to complete the list at once and
it will be printed in a subsequent
issue of the REPORTER. On behalf OF
the Grange Social and Dramatic COM
mittees it was announced that the
first social under their auspices would
occur on Friday, October Both, open
to Grange members only.
At the conclusion of the Grange
session an open meeting was de-
clared and V. r. Gardner, assistant
professor of Horticulture at the
University of Maine, was introduced.
Mr.. Gardner received his early train
ing in the agricultural schools of
Michigan and Iowa, teaching for a
time in the latter state. He was
afterward one of the staff at McGill
University, Montreal, and from that
institution came to his present posi-
tion at the University of Maine,
during the past summer. The salient
points of advice, to those now en-
gagged in orcharding, or about to en-
bark in that business, were to locate
orchards 80 as to be readily accessible
to transportation facilities, select
high land of rolling character, avoid
heavy clay soils, buy three year old
trees, cut off all damaged rootlets be-
fore planting, prune all branches not
necessary to the final shape of the
tree, and cut those back to about
four inches In length, spray three
times during the season, cultivate
the soil about the trees, establish
cooperative associations for selling,
grade all fruit to accepted standards,
and pack all number one fruit in
bushel boxes.
An opportunity was given to pre-
sent questions and this lead to brief
discussion participated in by G. B.
White, @. H. Gardner, S. H. Beal,
L. E. Allen, and other apple growers
of this section, some of them among
the largest orchardists OF this state.
G.. A. Yeaton OF Augusta addressed
the meeting briefly, just before the
hour of adjournment. Mr.. Yeaton is
assistant to Professor E. F. Hitchings,
the state entomologist, and came to
Skowhegan yesterday for the sole
purpose of attending the Skowhegan
Grange apple evening.
The subject was a purely agricul-
tural one, of the kind that it is the
aim OF Skowhegan Grange to present
as frequently as possible. The even
ing must have been of great ad :
vantage to any one in any way con-
nected with apple growing