Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-10-05
0LD-FASHI0NED CORN
HuskING AND SWEET
CORN MEET,MERCER

Mercer, Me, Oct. 4H(Special)-An
old fashioned corn husking and a
sweet corn growers meeting was held
Monday evening at the home of Al
bert Yeaton in this town and with
a125 people present, it was surely
like the "old times" One thousand
bushels of as fine flint corn as can
be grown anywhere were husked and
then the people turned to and car.
ried every bit of it to and stored it
away in the cribs. Red ears were
frequently found and all the formal
tiles of a huskine were carried out.
The evening was a merry one. The
sweet corn growers were unanimous
in their decision to stand by the as
sociation and only plant corn when
the right price can be secured.
Mr.. Yeaton was formerly a large
producer of sweet corn but like many
others of the large growers failed to
find satisfactory return, so is now
making use of his lands. machinery
etc, in producing one of the coun-
try's most staple crops
Many former sweet corn growers
we're present and the opinion was
freely expressed that although in a.
favorable year the sweet corn gave
them more immediate returns, in the
end production of flint corn, which
vas estimated by buying small per-
centage of feeds carrying high per-
centage of protein, would enable Mr..
Yeaton to maintain his high produc-
of he
at very low cost. Mr.. Yeaton got
f.. this production of 1000 bushels of
flint corn from between four and
five acres.
The things were all talked over
while the piles of handsome corn
we're growing. higher in one part Of
the big barn and the husks in anoth-
er. This work finished, Mr.. Yeaton
announced that he had secured the
attendance Of Charles H. era wford,
secretary of the Maine Sweet Corn
Growers Association. who would dis
cuss the situation with them.
Mr.. Crawford analysed the diff
ficUlty" between the sweet corn
growers and the packers and pointed
out to the small percentage of grow
to the association the vast amount of
harm they had done to both them
selves and the association. He stat
ed that had it not been for few of
the larger growers who "signed up"
thus making it possible for the pack
ers to use their namesin influencing
the smaller growers to agree to plant.
it would not have> been possible for
some of the packers who did, to get
sufficient acreage to operate their
plants there.
Several of the large growers, who
had grown this year. had not taken
into consideration the effect of their
action would have on the rank and
file and freely stated that they re-
GREETED having grown any sweet corn
this year and would certainly stand
by the association in the future.
The informal meeting was followed
by adjournment to the Grange hall, a
mile distant. where Mr.. Yeaton had
had all arrangements made for an
old ia shioned husking supper. which
it proved to be. There was baked
beans and brownbread, pickles,
doughnuts, cheese, coffee and the
"punkin" pie that was pie, with all
the other "fixins" that make such an
occasion so satisfactory.
And then the entire party adjourn
ed again, this time to the hall above
the banquet room. where nice or
chcstra awaited and where the light
fantastic toes were tripped until 3
o'clock of the next morning-in
genuine good, old fashioned style.
1t was the unanimous vote of the
crowd that it was one of the most en-
joyable occasions in that vicinity for
a long time. Mr.. and Mrs. Yeaton
were highly appreciative of the fine
work done by neighbors and friends
in husking that great heap of corn
and they were equally as appreci-
alive of the royal entertainment