The Press., 1913-04-02


 Mrs. Vaughan Brown and Miss
 Catherine Nelson of Monson were
 visitors in the borough last Friday.
 Rev. O. H. Puffer of Salem, Mass. :,
 well known locally, has accepted a
 call to Reading, Pa. MT. Puffer has
 been in Salem for the past 1 9 years
 and has been very popular. His
 people have been steadily with him in
 spite of the sensational incidents con-
 nected with his career. That this
 popularity is undiminished is evil ldenced by the number of farewell re-
 captions given him the past week and
 the large attendance at each. At a
 reception given him and his wife by
 his church over 600 people were pres
 ent and general regret was expressed
 that he was to leave. Receptions given MT. Puffer by his Essex chapter
 and by his Sunday school class also drew lot of people and the same spirit predominated as that evidenced
 by the church.
 At the annual meeting of the ec- clesiastical society of the Congrega-
 tional church last Wednesday evening the following officers were elected |: Member of the society committee for three years, F. G. Sanford, the two members of the committee holding over are R. w. Smith and Dr. James Stretch; clerk, Lewis Mclaughlin; !;
 nFer. H. E. Burwell; trustee of funds for three years, F H. Baker i; auditors, o. F. Chandler and O. H. Moore; pledge committee, members of society committee and BP Cooley, O. F. Chandler, Hannibal Alden; music committee, Dr. G. P. Bard, Dr. James Stretch, O. E. Brown; ushers, W. H. Heald, R. W. Smith, o. F. Chandler, o. H. Moore, F. B. Engley, J. F. Yare. The music con- mittee was appropriated $500 for the coming year, as usual. The treas urer reported all bills paid.
 Last spring the state board of agri- culture offered $50 trip to Washing ton to the boy in each county of the state raising the best acre or half acre of field corn, under certain conditions. Four boys among the contestants were awarded the trip, Ewart G. Healey of Woodstock, Andrew Schwab of Wallingford, Leslie Geer of Hadlyme and Herbert o. Plumb of Stafford. They startde for Washington on Saturday, going with corn contest prize winners of the other New Eng land states under the care of Score tary L. H. Healey of the state board of agriculture. Each boy had to keep an accurate account of the crop and submit it, with sample ears of corn, to the state board. The details of the raising of his crop, as submitted to the board by Master Plumb of this town, are printed below, and will be of interest to any boys who may decide to compete in the raising of a crop this year for a trip to Wash ington next spring. Besides the Washington trip, the board also offers generous cash prizes to boys in each county for best crops of corn and potatoes raised this year.
 The third week in May I received a circular from Secretary Healey. Af- ter consulting my father about it de- cided to enter the contest Father let me use half acre of land in fair This field, like nearly all the soil in the Middle river section, is very gravelly, sandy and contains boulders. The soil on the surface is thin, sandy and does not contain much humus. It was seeded to grass in 1910, and the sod was plowed just previous to planting with corn for this contest. The piece measured 10 by 748 rods and contained just half an acre. There were 54 rows north and south and Al east and west, making 2,2l4 hills. The first work was to spread by hand about one cord of good mixed stable manure, which had been wintered in tight cellar. As had to walk two miles over a mountain to and from school all the work of rais- ing the crop was done early in the and late in the afternoon. The manure was spread May 27 and 28. The blowing was done May 30, 31 and June l. Narrowing was done June and 4, and the field also marked June 4. In blowing, the turf was completely inverted and the big stones put on the ridges and after wards hauled of. A one- horse disc cutaway harrow was used, the field being gone over with half lap at a time. The field was narrowed length wise, breadthwise and then diagonal ly. Wherever ridges or uneven spots occurred, the discs were set at sharp angle to cut down and level off. When the field was finished the harrow left it very smooth, with no clods of turf 4s e -ss 4zsag 2 % s-& & s