Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1910-01-25
As Others Soc Us,

has been in the state for number Of
weeks sends the following notes OF bis
"trip to the National Stockmau:
Maine-the birthplace of Bill Nye,
Stephen Collins Foster, Sargent s. Prem
tiss and many others of no less note
boasts land she has right toy that there
Is a Patron of Husbandry for each eleven
of her inhabitants. That the Grange
has materially influenced legislation
along advanced practical lines there is
ample evidence as seen in the pure seed,
state dairy instructor and the apple pack
ing laws. not to say anything about
farmers institutes and dairy schools.
In the battle for pure seeds Maine mas
been the skirmish line with Kentucky as
the battle line. 1t is to be hoped that
more states will follow these two in pre-
venting the United States from being
the dumping ground for all the bad
seeds of Europe. Maine has state
dairy instructor whose duty it is to hold
schools OF instruction and to organize
COW testing associations, thus enabling
farmers to do better work and to elimi-
nate the star boarders from their herds.
The apple packing law was enacted in
| 1908 and is patterned after the Oregon
law. 1t will be strictly enforced next
year, and partial compliance has been
so beneficial to both producer and con
sinner that Maine apples are In greater
demand than ever Farmers institutes
are for the most part held in Grange
halls of which there are goodly num-
Der in each county and town. These
halls are large in size, nicely furnished,
with large kitchens and dining rooms
attached. The Pleasant Valley Grange,
No. 274, Knox County, is probably one
of the most complete in the state. The
social and educational features Of the
Grange have been pronOuncedly empha-
sized in Maine-beyond any other state
and this has been an uplift to the
farmers of a state where pure agricul-
ture for long time was supposed to be
side issue. This in turn has changed
the flow from to the farm and raised the
standard Of intelligence and morality in
the rural districts. All honor is due to
the Patrons of Husbaudry of Maine.
We are in Maine and have seen more
neglected apple orchards than in any
other state.
New England-the home of the apple
lis in the rear so far as spraying is con-
cerned.
The apple maggot is doing more harm
than any other insect pest.
The Japanese plums are badly infect
ed with the black knot, but are profit
able in some localities.
Apple trees live to great age In Maine
and all of New England but never get to
any great size. In the latter they are
very much like the Pacific Coast states.
More net money has been made out OF
the Ben Davis than any other variety
tree for tree. 1t bears and looks we'll.
The Mcintosh Red is a great favorite
with many orchardists, but all varieties
seem to be intensely local in all New
England.
There has been quite slump locally
for all varieties of apples during the last
fortnight. Abnormally warm weather
has been the cause.
Maine had more apples on exhibition
at the Boston Apple Show, October 10th
Gath, than all the rest OF New England.
Maine has a packing and labelling law
in which she has copied after the Cana
dian and Oregon law though not 80 radi-
cal as that of the latter.
With better care in tillage or mulch
ing, pruning, spraying, fertilizing and
the cutting out of trees that are not
even filters but pilferers, New England
as a whole should be and would be the
best orchard state 80 far as II relates to
the apple. So long as trees are neither
titled nor mulched, pruued nor sprayed
and are set like wind-break with no
system or order and such large per-
centage of seedlings and purely local
varieties are used the Ohio, Illinois,
Pennsylvania and New York orchardists
will have the market because of lack OF
competition.
The New England states have the best
local market and opportunity for cap
turing the foreign trade of any part OF
the United States because of the great
army of working people receiving good
wages and the large percentage OF mil
lionaires and her close proximity to the
shipping centers. Will she be equal to
the occasion?
One reason for the decadence of the
farmers orchard has been that fishing
was too good and summer boarders too
plentiful.
The Apple Exposition at Boston open
ed the eyes of all New England as to the
possibilities of growing apples profit
ably, and with the conditions named
above eliminated--they can be-New
England will come to her own-the
apple states of the Union.
LOWELL RoUDEBUsH.