STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. II7 



to the government. He was appointed captain in the regular 

 army. He had an honorable war record and after a long 

 service, was retired as major-general. He attended the exhibi- 

 tion at Auburn in 1903 and was so much delighted with 

 what he saw that he became an annual member of the Society 

 and in 1904 he became a life member of the Society. 

 He died at his residence in Portland January 2, 1906. 



FARMER-PACKED APPLES. 

 At the close of the fruit exhibition at Canton Mr. F. B. Perley 

 of Vassalboro gave an excellent demonstration of the Vassal- 

 boro style of packing apples. The fruit was King taken from 

 the exhibition tables, and the demonstration was witnessed by 

 a large number. The lace top and the corrugated strawboard 

 apple cap and stencil were brought in by Mr. R. E. McLatchey, 

 a dealer in fruit and farm products. The fruit as packed made 

 a fine appearance as shown by the illustration. 



GOOD WISHES. 

 The Hon. Fred Atwood of Winterport was one of the earliest 

 members of our Society. Circumstances have prevented his 

 meeting with us in recent years, but like others the secretary 

 knows he has a warm place in his heart for the Society. In a 

 letter before our last annual meeting he writes : " I am one of 

 the originators of the Society. A few of us gathered in the 

 Augusta House parlor and formed the Society. Most of them 

 have passed away. I have always had an interest in the insti- 

 tution and for its success in the early days took quite an active 

 part. I do hope you will have a nice meeting. I trust that 

 the association will advise and press upon the farmers of Maine 

 the desirability of putting out fruit. An apple orchard is worth 

 more today as a sound, solid income than an orange grove in 

 Florida. There is no reason why an orchard well located and 

 cared for will in a few years produce an income to support a 

 good family. To do this they should buy their stock of known, 

 honest people and have intelligence and education with some 

 bone and muscle and a pick and some ground bone to fertilize 

 and care for their trees. It is a pleasure to me to know of the 

 society's success, as you remember I was one of a very few that 

 were in at its birth." 



