report of state horticulturist. 49 



Cold Storage Plant. 



A new cold storage plant has been erected in Portland and 

 a capacity for 50,000 barrels of apples guaranteed to the grow- 

 ers this year. The writer has been through the plant and was 

 very favorably impressed with it. It is a modern, up to date 

 cold storage, well designed and well located, and no doubt the 

 farmers in (the state will pro'fit through the advantages it offers. 



Apple Packing Schools. 



Following the practice established a year ago, the demand for 

 instruction in box packing of apples seemed to be most satis- 

 factorily met by holding three-day schools in the towns from 

 which requests for such were received. 



Schools were scheduled for three different towns : 



Hebron, February 3, 4, 5, E. Hebron Grange Hall. 



Skow^hegan, February 10, 11, 12, Municipal Building. 



Union, February 17, 18, 19, Seven Tree Grange Hall. 



The department furnished tables, paper, boxes, etc., and the 

 local men furnished the fruit and a hall in which to work. At 

 Hebron and Union, dinner was served each day by the ladies 

 who were interested, so that little time was lost during the 

 nooning. 



The school at Hebron was in charge of A. K. Gardner, but 

 on account of the emergency work in the powdery scab infes- 

 tation, it became necessary for the other schools to be conducted 

 by H. P. Sweetser, assistant horticulturist. C. E. Wheeler of 

 Chesterville was called to help in the instruction work and 

 proved to be an able assistant. 



The program followed at each school consisted of instruction 

 in both box and barrel packing, a daily session for general dis- 

 cussion, and, following dinner the first two days of each school, 

 it was planned to have a stereopticon lecture. One was given 

 by Major E. E. Philbrook on "The Methods Used in the Con- 

 trol of the Gypsy Moth," and the other given by a member of 

 the bureau on "Varieties of Apples and Orchard Extension 

 Work." Both of these lectures proved popular. 



The final day at each school was devoted to a box packing 

 contest consisting of packing a box of apples complete for the 



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