The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1922-10-20
M dairy farm near New York

City.
Elizabeth Lawrence Clark, who
has charge of the inspection of the
potato fields, comes very directly to
her understanding of potato health
and disease for her father is pro-
fessor emeritus of biology at Will
liams college.
May Cohn is a Western Union
operator in New York City, who, for
three years, has spent her vacations
at Dimock orchards.
Ruth Gates, whose home is in YER
mont, not many miles from Dimock
orchards, has always lived on farm.
For six years, she and sister have
been developing small poultry farm
but she always spends part of the
fall at Dimock orchards helping with
the apple picking.
Helen Robinson, who is the senior
member of the group in point OF
service, acts as correspondence secre-
tary to Mr. Dimock and between
times helps with the picking and
sorting of apples.
Marjorie Howes, whose father is
professor of Greek at Williams col
lege, is one of those who gives special
help during the picking and packing
season. This girl can read a modern
Greek newspaper as easily as she can
read one printed in English.
Last summer, Mara Nakolitch, a
little Serbian girl, who had been
brought to America by Doctor Rosa
lie Morton to be educated, was a
member of the Dimock family. She
is receiving her education at girls
school but at the special request of
DIR. Morton, who wished her to get
some idea of American agriculture,
Mr. and Mrs Dimock permitted her to
become a member of their staff dur
ing the summer.
When the personnel of this group is
considered, it is easy to understand
why one finds the spirit of comrade-
ship which is the most delightful
feature of the whole enterprise. 1t
is also easy to understand the colIec-
ton of reading matter in the girls
rooms, where books on potato diseases
rub elbows with a field book of the
stars and where Dunsany and Barrie
are found cheek by jowl with scienti-
fic agricultural works.
The Dimock orchards apple BUSH
ness is we'll established. The propri-
etors have far more orders than they
can fill. Most of the crop is sold in
carload lots, much of it going to
Long Island. AS this is the only
commercial orchard in that part of
the state, there is such great local
demand for apples that it has been
necessary to put up signs that apples
are not sold at the orchards on Sun
day. Before that was done, they
were overrun with Sunday auto
parties wanting to buy apples. One
Sunday not long before my visit, "a
people ate, Sunday dinner on the
place.
Many people have asked Mr. Dim
ock how he expects to dispose of the
crop when all of the present orchards
are producing and the four thousand
new trees they expect to add, have
also come into bearing. They have
no fear on this score for they feel as
sured from past experience that there
will be good market so long as their
product maintains it's present stan
dard of quality both in itself and the
package.
Ten hives of bees are part of the
apple-orchard business. The bees do
the vital work of pollenizing during
blossom time. In winter, the Dimocks
eat honey!
In order not to carry all their
apples ain one basket" the Dimocks
ventured some three years ago into
the certified seed potato field. Their
potato acreage increased in 1920 from
Is to 80 acres. They have five fields,
only one of which is on the home
place. In this speciality they are do
ing something that very few growers
are doing, for they make five com
plete inspections themselves in addi-
ton to those made by the official
state inspectors.
Elizabeth Clark has charge of this
inspection work. Two people work
together, one on each side of the row.
In this way, each plant is inspected
from both sides so that there is little
chance of leaf roll, mosaic aphids or
anv other enemy, escaping detection.
Each inspection means two hundred
and forty miles of walking and the
certification tag which is attached to
every package of seed potatoes from
fieldk which have successfully passed
all tests, assures the purchaser that
the potatoes he is securing are from
a high yielding strain of established
progeny performance, grown in fields
showing previous growth, heavy heavy
Yields entire freedom from weak and
diverted hills and minimum of dis
ease"
Last summer after the official in
spection was over Miss Clark was
sent to visit producers who have an
established reputation for the pro-
duction of certified seed potatoes, to
see what new and constructive ideas
she could bring back with her.
Underneath and behind all the ac--
tivitv at Dimock orchards is an ideal
which Mr. and Mrs Dimock are striv-
ing to readize and with which they
have imbued all their helpers. The
feel, and their young women assis-
tants feel with them, that one of the
most important contributions work
err can make to the life of the world
;s 70 holm tn feed the people of the