Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-12-31
Maine Apples

/ filed with the governor and council
Monday. The pears. plums and
! cherries suffered to a certain extent,
some dying entirely and others hav-
! ing buds injured SO that practically
no fruit set
/ In a few sections, says Mr.. Dud-
: ley lit is a sorrowfui sight to observe
! the damage done to Baldwin or
/ clards cue to winter killing.
'"TweiVe years ago this winter
damage occurred from this same
/ cause. though in much less degree.
( At this time it is hard to estimate
! the loss to the State.
II have visited many orchards IN
| Franklin. Androscoggin. Cumberland
! ana kennebec counties, and should
/ Judge tie loss in Franklin county
alone to be at least 100000. One
prominent orchardist of that county
| estimates his loss at $4,000.
| Il find that the trees were winter
! killed IN varying locations and under
widely different conditions. The eX
! posture. whether north. south, east or
| west apparently made no difference,
as the damage is found to be as, Sc
/ we're on trees having an eastorly en-
poSure as those having a northerly
on westerly exposure. 1t was thought
, Nv some that the trees which bore
heavily last year were more suscep-
tiblo. but it has been found that the
damage is as severe on trees that
! bore lightly. and made good growth.
, Trees set i'll sod and which have
| made small growth apparently SUI
! fered as much as those that were un
dor a good state of cultivation.
I'm order that the disaster may
! not be repeated. as it is liable to he in
any severe winter. it has been
! thought wise to suggest the planting
of some variety of apple to take the
! place of the Baldwin in this State. 1t
! is desirable TO find Il variety which
! shall possess the good colorinG, size
and fine quality Of the Baldwin. This
must be a good keeping variety. and,
! lastly. it should be variety which
may he depended upon to with
| stand the Maine climate.
! 'ITndcr these conditions II becomes
necessary to suggest TO the orchard
! is: some one variety filing these re-
quirements instead of leaving him to
! purchase a mixed assortment which
might be recommended to him by
different parties and which. owing to
tie many varieties. might not be as
salable. At the annual meeting OF
! the Maine Pathological society at
| Portland, the committee made the
! following report "In localities where
| the Baldwin was not winter-killed.
t the planting of this variety be con-
| tinued."
! I'm sections where it is inadviSabie
! TO continue the planting of the Bald
| win, il is suggested that the Tolman
Sweet. Arctic. Pewaukee. Fallawater,
or natural fruit be planted. These
are sturdy varieties onto which
grating can be done, but they
should be left ungrafted until few
more winters have demonstrated
whether or not the Baldwin is going
70 continue to be winter-killed. The
Mcintosh Red was strongly recon-
mended for local markets, but not as
4 commercial variety, as it does not
stand shipping well.
In all sections where any stand
ard variety of high color and good
quality withstands the severity of our
! winters, we urge their increase"
Marketing Of Fruit
ITO assist the orchardist in dispos-
ing of the product of the orchard,
| organized two more fruit growers
! associations and rc-organiZed a third
during the past year.
.. 1T has been considered that Maine
apples are the best for the foreign
| markets. AZ they stand shipment bet
ter than those from other sections Of
the country. Therefore, the orchard
lists of this State should organize and
be in readiness to supply the foreign
market For many years the mar
kets of Europe must look to America
almost entirely for their apples. The
trees Of fair France, blasted by
shrapnel and hacked down by the
Huns. now lie in ruins. The orchards
Of Italy have suffered the same fate.
Russia has through it's decentralization
eliminated itself from competition in
this line.
II have prepared blanks to he filled
out by q number of orchardists in or
der to get at the cost Of production of
apples, the value of the orchard be-
ing estimated and an itemized ac-
count being kept Of materials bought
for the orchard as well as the amount
received for the product. 1t is
planned to continue this for a term
Of years in order that the department
may possess definite information.
Orchard Polarization
The Ben Davis being a self sterile
variety requires some other variety
like the McIntosl, Red TO pcl!enize il.
Some Of the varieties which arc more
or less self-sterile are the Yellow
/ Beethoven. RoXbury Russet, Tolman
Sweet. Gravenstein. King. Northern
Spy and Red Astrachan. Growers Of
these varieties will see that they
, must be pollenated in .ome manner.
Certainly the bee is the cheapest
agency for polarization of the or
, chard. not asking, but giving re-
turns for its labor
1T has been demonstrated that in
sects Of some kind are almost i'm
! perativc if the orchard Is to be per-
| fectly pollenized. Wild bees and
some other insects are more or less
useful in the orchard if they are
abundant in the community. The
most successful way for the proper
DISPOSAL OF pollen is to keep q stand