Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1911-05-23
New England Awakening.

ocrat. Paris, Ne.
New England Awakening.
a Lecture Delivered at Boston by John q
| Hale.)
The taking up of many of our smal
and semi-idle farms by newcomers from
the north of Italy, who, just as quickl,
as they are well settled on the land
plant vineyard, is bringing about som,
remarkable results in grape production
Especially in Massachusetts,, Rhode Is
land and Connecticut, where five e
eight tons Of grapes per acre are annual
ly being taken from lands considered al
most worthless before. This so clearly
indicates the great commercial possibili
ties Of grape culture in New England a
to lead to the belief that before many
years grapes now coming from othel
states will largely be replaced by those
of higher quality of our own growing
for there is no question that fruits growr
on the rocky hill lands of New England
are richer in quality than similar varie-
ties grown elsewhere. Those who, not
so many years ago, sold out their New
acre, aud because of alluring advertise
ments, went to remote sections of the
country and paid higher prices for land
to grow fruits on, are waking up to the
fact that the "stay at homes" and the in
coming foreigners, who had faith in New
England lands, are, with the aid of mod
ern horticultural science and practice,
reaping far greater cash rewards from
the cheap lands Of New England than
are those on the high-priced lands so far
away.
The cost of transportation alone takes
from one-third to one-half of the gross
sales. IL costs me S4l5 for freight and
packages to place a car of my Georgia
peaches on the New England market,
while the same quantity Of Connecticut
peaches can be placed for s75, making
$40 per car in favor of New England; !;
and the unification Of our railroads,
through the practical consolidation of
the New York, New Haven & Hartford
and the Boston & Maine means much TO
us in the way of better and quicker dis
tribution. The Connecticut Pathological
Society, starting twenty years ago with
seventeen members, now has nearly 100,
and its summer field meetings, where
around tree, plant and vine, its members
and visiting horticulturists discuss prac-
tical fruit questions, is perhaps the one
greatest factor in our awakening, fol
lowed up as it is by associations Of kin
dred nature in the other states and sup
plemeuted by farmers institutes and
grange meetings to the extent OF several
thousand each year, all eliminating in
that great New England Fruit Show
held in Boston in October, 1909. So sue
cessful was Ii that one of far greater
magnitude likely to be held this coming
fall is attracting the attention OF the
whole country.
This horticultural awakening has
found its greatest opportunity In the
apple, the best, yet most neglected OF
all our fruits, which, in spite OF more
than 250 years growing in sod without
feed or culture, and only an occasional
butchery for pruning, has given to New
England in reasonable abundance fruits
of inferior appearance, yet so much
superior in flavor and keeping qualities
to apples from any other section OF the
country as to clearly indicate New Eng
land as the home of "the apple Of quail
ity"
Beautiful apples from the far West,
graded and packed, coming to
our markets in recent years, tlling the
show windows of fruit stores, so that
they and the fruit-stand displays have
taken on a touch of color never before
dreamed of, have crowded all else into
the background This tempting of con-
sumers through their eyes has stimulat-
ed the apple market more In the past
ten years than in the whole century
preceding, and has finally awakened the
owners Of thousands of New England's
old apple trees, so that culture and feed
ing Is rapidly displacing the old-time or
chard robbery Of moving and pasture.
And as spraying, that prime necessity
for the production of good fruit, can not
be well and economically done three or
more times each season on the old high
top trees, developed through more than
two centuries of neglect, process OF be-
heading or "dishorning" is now being
practiced, by taking out from ten to
twenty five feet of the central top OF
each tree, smoothing up and rounding
off the edges Of all large cuts and paint
ing them heavily. Leaving on all lower
branches and suckers, cutting out all
dead wood, scraping of the rough bark,
then while in dormant condition the tree
is thoroughly sprayed with lime and
sulfur, to be followed during the grow
ing season with two other sprayings OF
self boiled lime and sulfur to which four
pounds of arsenate of lead Is added to
each 100 gallons of spray mixture.
Very old trees 30 treated put on q
wondrous new growth, and BY thinning
out the suckers and shaping the tree
little each year thereafter, broad, low
headed, vigorous, productive trees are
made in two or three years out OF these
old fellows, so that thirty to forty bush
els of high-class apples per tree are pro-
duced where none grew before. len
thousand young trees in one orchard In
New Hampshire and l4,0O0 in my own
Connecticut orchards, and many or
chards of 200 or 800 trees each all over
New England, are being cared for on the
best modern lines, and while am not
able to speak for others, one of my Or
chards of twelve-y ear old Baldwins pro-
duced three to five barrels per tree this
last season. Owing to their being modern,
low. headed trees, 90 per cent of the fruit
was harvested without the use Of lad
ders, and because Of three perfect spray
ings, 9S per cent of the fruit was mar
ketable. Six per cent OF the lowest
grade was good enough to sell at sS to
$3.50 per barrel, 70 per cent No. 2, sell.
ing at IS to $3.50. while 66 per cent Of
the entire crop of 5000 bushels graded Al,
selling early In the winter at 81 80 per ff-
ty-pound box and 81. so and 81 per barrel
and now a s. a barrel and IS q box retail
ing in fancy fruit stores at 70 cents to VI
per dozen, as against 80 cents per dozen
for Florida and California oranges and %
to 90 cents for western apples. In ship
ping these Connecticut apples to con-
sumers in twenty-five different states,
every one has reported in substance,
"Best apples we ever had"
A recent letter from q Wholesale fruit
firm in New York which handles Oregon
and Washington apples by the tens OF
knwaa uAe far wa