The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1922-10-20
APPLE EXPERIMENT ON
VERMONT HILLSIDE.
Interesting Story of Farm Develop
ment in East COrinth.
Fe9IStered

Bringing Back the Old Trees" is
the title of an article in 'The Far
mer's Wife" for September, 1922,
which has to deal with apple raising
by the Dimocks in East Corinth. The
article by Bess M Rowe is as follows:
1t was apple-picking time and we
were sitting around the big table in
the dining room on the Dimock or
chards farm. The girls, who had
been picking and sorting apples all
day, were discussing a poem. One
of them quoted:
"My instep arch not only keeps
the ache.
1t keeps the pressure of ladder
round.
feel the ladder sway as the
boughs bend,
And | keep hearing from the cellar
bin,
The rumbling sound
Of load on load of apples coming
in"
From this discussion the CONVEX
sation drifted to other books, then
back to apple picking, apple mar
keting, potato inspection and the
new warehouse being built to store
the certified seed potatoes which,
with apples, constitute the output
of this farm.
The discussion certainly covered a
wide range of interests and was
tvpical of this farm home group.
This story can begin (as all good
stories should with, "Once upon
time" for properly to start it, we
must go back some ten years to the
time when Mr. and Mrs Dimock first
began farming in Vermont.
Before they started their work on
this farm near East Corinth, VT,
Mr. Dimock had been a magazine
writer and illustrator and Mrs Dim
ock had taught in Simmons college
in Boston and had been active IN
home economics extension work IN
Vermont and New York. Neither
one of them had experience which
would fit them for farming but both
had a real love for the soil, deep
determination to succeed and plen-
tv of wide awake intelligence. MIR
Dimock said that his lack of expe-
rience was in one way an asset for
it made hime absolutely open-mind-
ed and entirely receptive to modern
ideas and methods. There was moth
ING to unlearn and this was, in it
self, something of an advantage.
The Dimock orchards lie in mar
row valley of the Vermont hills.
The nearest railroad station is Brad
ford. From here, it is a drive OF
about eight miles, winding constant
w up and up and in and out among
the hills, until final steep CLIMB
brings one out into the narrow. vail
lev where the farm lies.
It was fall when was there-Just
the time when the hills. as far as
one could see, were clothed in their
most gorgeous autumn colors. From
the top of the hill, one could see far
down the valley; across the hills on
+he far side Law range after range of
hills with the blue haze OF Indian
summer softening their outlines; on
the slope of the hill near the house
stood huge maple which was per-
feet blaze of color. 1t seemed as
though, at night, this maple must
light up the whole valley like a mag
nificent torch.
The principal products of the
Dimock orchards farm are apples
and certified seed potatoes. The or
chards lie on the slopes of the hills
and the one field of potatoes which
is on the home farm, lies at the top
of the Hill opposite the house. When
the present owners bought the or
chards there were about five hum
dred trees in them but they were
old and had been allowed to run
down. Now there are some three
thousand trees on the place, five
hundred old trees, five hundred just
coming into bearing and about two
thousand very young trees. lhey
aim eventually, to have about four
thousand more.
For more than three years, the
work on the Dimock farm has been
done largely by girls who are inter-
ested in the actual production end
of farm life. They call themselves
farmerettes. The farmerette idea
started during the war when our
men were on "the other side" The
first group of girls on this farm
were secured through the Womens
Land Army of America. There has
been no reason for regret as to this
experiment and it promises to be-
come a permanent feature.
Through their desire to give a
practical opportunity to girls who
see real profession for themselves
in agriculture, Mr. and Mrs Dimock
have brought together remarkable
band of coworkers. Several of the
wartime group are still with them
and are being installed as respons,,
ible heads of various departments OF
the farm work. The young women
have taken over the trust committed
to them with vim and almost
nronrietarv interest in the success
of the farm.
Mildred Smith, who has charge OF
marketing the apples. is young
college woman who studied at Chi
capo university and the University
of Wisconsin, with a supplementary
short course in agriculture at the