The Republican journal., 1909-10-28

somewhere, and announcement was
made that every child would get ar
apple. Not since the peace after Apo
mattox has there been such jubilation
The children danced for JOY, and threat.
ened to. mob the distributor of Maine
favors, but were kept in line, and re.
ceived their apples in orderly fashion.
Some of the children at once put their
teeth into the choice fruit, others kept
them for luncheon, and one little girl,
who couldn't have been more than five
years old, wrapped her apple carefully
in corner of not too thick shawl, and
hung to it with grim determination to
get that apple home somehow.
81 haven't enjoyed anything so much
for a long time," remarked Mr.. Cum
mings, as the last child filed by. And
that his pleasure was shared by other
generous Maine men was evident. At
once preparations were made for fresh
supply for tomorrow, when some 400
school children, accompanied by their
teachers, will visit the hall, and every
child will get an apple.
Maine really leads the van in the Fruit
Show, so far as the big display is con-
cerned. The Dirigo men have brought
down fifty barrels and 600 boxes of ap-
pies Baldwins predominant, but there
are Rhode Island Greetings, Northern
Spy, Gravensteins, Hubbardston, King,
Blue Pearmains and many other varie-
ties. The Oxford County Pomona Grange
has big exhibit, and the Maine State
Pathological Society is well represented,
President William Craig being one of the
principal exhibitors, and others are R.
L. Cummings, F. H Morse, A. ]. Pike,
John Wallingford and W. ]. and T. A.
Kicker.
THE 'MIsSING LINK" APPLE.
An interesting novelty shown in the hall
Wednesday morning was collection of
primitive apples from Asia Minor, grown
by jackson Dawson of the Arnold Arbor-
etum. The largest of these is the size of
crab apple and the smallest that of a
pea. From these primitive fruits have
developed the mammoth specimens shown
in the hall, like the Wolf River, measur-
ing II IL inches in circumference. An
other novelty was the missing Link
apple, of which specimens of the present
crop were shown beside some of the 1905
crop kept in an ordinary cellar without
cold storage,
A JUDGING COMPETITION.
There was judging competition this
morning between teams of three from
three colleges. The students marked their
judgment of certain classes on a scale of
points and the one coming nearest to the
expert judges award will get the prize.
The teams were:
University of Maine-A. K. Gardner,
George j. Wentworth, H. B. Sweetser.
Massachusetts Agricultural Colleges.
c. Brooks, W. R. Clark, A. W. Holland.
New Hampshire Agricultural College
H. E. Hardy, Shannon Wright, H. T.
Converse.
PRESIDENT ELLSWORTH ADDRESS.
On the opening day President Ellsworth
made brief address explaining the pur-
poses OF the show and reviewing his OBJ
servations in the apple growing district
OF Oregon. He said, in part:
The climate of the Hood river valley
corresponds very closely to that of New
England in the matter of temperature
and the dates of the last frosts in the
spring and the first in the fall. They
have more sunshine than we, and have
absolute control of the water supply,
their apples being all raised on land
which is irrigated in their practice three
times year. But our rainfall in New
England is sufficient in almost any wear
for the needs Of an orchard, but certainly
with thorough cultivation and soil well
maintained as is the practice in modern
orchard management, we should never
suffer for lack of moisture.
''ln view of the natural ADVANTAGES
which certainly do not lean toward the
west, it may be asked why the western
apples have been able to nearly monopo-
llze our best markets. The answer is a
hard blow to our pride in New England,
but we are here to look facts squarely in
the face, and to suggest the remedy, not
to gloss them over or deny their exist
ence. The western apple growers have
been able to send their apples 5000 miles
to New England markets at an average
cost OF SIPS box, including freight and
charges, and drive our apple growers out
OF the fancy trade, because they have
been business men, workers, scientific
orchardists, and above all honest with
their customers, while there are but few
apple growers in New England who have
combined all these characteristics.
I'VE may still win back our best mar
kets by reason of the quality of our
| fruit, if we will take care to produce
the best appearing apple that we can and
grade and pack it with the same scrupu-
lous care that our western connections
use.
1--WE need not stop with the winning
back OF our own markets, for there is q
great and increasing field in the export
trade. The apple has made it's way but
slowly in European markets, but it is
| now being RECOGNIZED at it's true worth.