REPORT OF STATE HORTICULTURIST. 95 



chine a practical thing for the men who are handhng apples on 

 a large scale. 



A final demonstration was held at intervals during the annual 

 meeting of the Pomological Society at Lewiston City Hall. 

 Here hundreds had an opportunity to see the principle of the 

 machine, although it was impossible to show how efficient it 

 was when a crew of men were filling the various stations. 



The grader, while not removing wormy or blemished fruit, 

 grades the fruit to size accurately and rapidly. All poor apples 

 are removed at the feeding tray before the fruit enters the 

 machine. The operator at this station needs practice to do 

 the work efficiently, as every motion of hand and eye must be 

 made to count. 



The Department was not equipped to store so bulky a machine, 

 so it was sold to the highest bidder. The purchaser was E. E. 

 Page of Corinth, Maine. Mr. Page owns a number of large 

 orchards in Penobscot County and he proposes to use this 

 grader when he packs his fruit next fall. 



NEW ENGLAND FRUIT SHOW. 



Since the first Fruit Show in Boston in 1909, Maine has taken 

 a less conspicuous part each year. This is particularly true this 

 year because the interstate competition of 100 boxes and 20 

 barrels has been discontinued. Shipments from Maine, es- 

 pecially those sent by express, have never been in the best of 

 condition upon arrival at the Exhibition Building. It is out of 

 the question to ship a quantity of fruit in barrels to be packed 

 in boxes at the Hall, inasmuch as the time and space are too 

 limited. Consequently Maine growers have been more or 

 less hesitant in sending their fruit to this show to enter inter 

 competition with that of the other New England states more 

 favorably located. Much of the Connecticut fruit, as well as 

 that of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, can 

 be sent to Boston on auto trucks, a great advantage for them. 

 Maine growers also feel that little is to be gained in entering 

 fruit at this show, in that the advertisement that they obtain 

 from it is not sufficient to warrant the extra work entailed in 

 preparing it. To some extent this may be true, but if we are 

 to appropriate money in the interest of this exhibition we 

 should see that a better representation is made in the future 



