The Westford Wardsman, January 29, 1916
Center. Emory J. Whitney, who has been among the shut-ins with sickness for the last four weeks, is still confined to his bed, although resting comfortably.
Miss Hilda Isles is gaining each day from her recent severe illness, and while it will be some time before she can take up her work again, Mrs. Isles resumes her management of the telephone switchboard this week.
Mrs. Charles H. Wright is among the sick ones and under the doctor’s care, suffering with rheumatism.
The Ladies’ Missionary society of the Congregational church met at the home of Mrs. John Perkins on Thursday afternoon. The program, “Awakenings in India,” was in charge of Miss Loker and Mrs. Perkins.
Harry L. Nesmith, tree warden, and helpers, have been busy this week removing some decayed wood from the massive old elm tree near the Unitarian church. This is one of the historic old trees of the village, having been set by Sherman H. Fletcher’s great-grandfather about 1832.
Miss Harriet M. Hodgman, of Dunstable, was the guest last week of Miss Emily F. Fletcher, and in attendance at the home-maker’s course of the extension school.
A second little daughter has been born to Dr. and Mrs. George O. Clark, of Boston. Mrs. Clark was formerly Miss Carnzu Abbot, of Westford.
Mrs. V. C. B. Wetmore, of Nashobah [sic] farm, has gone to Jamaica for a six-weeks’ stay.
Miss Marguerite Young, of the academy teaching force, who was obliged to be absent from school several days with a severe cold, is better and on duty again.
Word comes to Westford of the sudden death of John Langtry [Lanktree] in Saugus last week, having died in a street car. He was eighty years of age. Mr. Langtry was a long-time resident of this town, having moved away some twenty years ago. He conducted a blacksmith shop at one time on the site between Samuel H. Balch’s house and the one occupied by Walter L. Cutter, afterwards moving this shop on land near his house. His home was the place now owned and occupied by Perley E. Wright. In the later years of his living in Westford he carried on a successful fruit farm. He was also one of the town’s former tax collectors.
At the Sunday evening service at the Congregational church Rev. William A. Anderson was the speaker of the evening giving a most interesting talk on “The real values of life.”
The Agricultural Extension school, which proved so successful last week, leaves a balance in the treasurer’s hands of $28.28, which will be given to the J. V. Fletcher library trustees for the purchase of new books along the line of subjects exemplified in the school. This result was made possible by the selectmen allowing the use of the hall for the week without payment of rent; also to the kindly courtesy of Arthur Fletcher in entertaining two of the men teachers at his home during the time that they were here.
Mrs. Sarah M. Harris, who has been ill for several weeks at the home of Mrs. S. B. Wright, was moved this week to the home of her married daughter in Somerville.
Wednesday seemed readily conceded the mildest January day in memory by many of our residents.
Tadmuck Club. The regular meeting of the Tadmuck club took place on Tuesday afternoon at Library hall. Records of previous meetings were given, and the president, Mrs. Hildreth, paid tender and sympathetic tribute to the memory of its two recently deceased members, Mrs. Mary E. Heywood and Mrs. Alma B. Hildreth.
The speaker of the afternoon was Warren F. Spalding, secretary of the Massachusetts Prison association, who spoke on “The treatment of crime—past, present and future.” Mr. Spalding, out of a wide experience, proved a most interesting speaker sketching the reforms in the penal code along reformatory and probationary methods in dealing with what he called the weakness, rather than the wickedness, of humanity in many instances.
This meeting was in charge of the legislative department of the club, Mrs. Charles L. Hildreth, chairman. Special attention was called to the program for the next meeting in charge of the literature and library extension committee when Mrs. Trueworthy White is expected to lecture on “Current literature.”
About Town. The town committee have called a caucus of the republicans to nominate candidates for town offices at the town hall on Monday evening. The democratic caucus will be held at the town hall on Tuesday evening. The annual town meeting will occur on Monday, February 14.
John A. Taylor writes from North Dakota that the weather is doing business at 42⁰ below zero. At time of writing the weather here is trying to do business in the mosquito temperatures.
The committee of Middlesex North Pomona Grange on good of the order will meet at the home of E. F. Dickinson, Billerica Center, this week Saturday afternoon at three o’clock.
The next meeting of Middlesex North Pomona Grange will be held in Odd Fellows’ hall, Bridge street, Lowell, Friday, February 4. The morning session will be devoted to a roll call of the charter members and a paper by Mrs. Vickery, of Chelmsford, on “How to make the most of life.” In the afternoon E. W. Boutwell, of Andover, will illustrate with talk and stereopticon “A trip across the continent to the world’s fair and back by way of Washington.” This will be an open meeting.
Many friends of William O. Patten in this, his native town, and his large circle of friends elsewhere, will be refreshed to know that he is able to be about the house after several weeks of serious illness from pneumonia at his home in Worcester. He will be remembered by the older residents as a boy, scholar in the public schools and Westford academy, and as a man of wholesome habits affable in his friendship, constant to church and Sunday school, of which the writer [Samuel L. Taylor] was one of an inquiring class.
In addition to the recent loss of his wife, Albert A. Hildreth has lost a valuable horse, cow and a small flock of poultry. This is a sad problem in addition.
Chaplain’s night will be observed at the Grange next Thursday evening, in charge of Rev. and Mrs. David Wallace.
The next farmers’ institute of Middlesex North will be held in Wilmington about the middle of February, with an address by Dr. Twitchell, of Maine.
Good Lectures. In the lecture of Prof. Haynes on “Corn” at the Extension school last week he said that land should be well stocked with humus, green crop plowed under or stable dressing harrowed in. Plow several weeks before planting; fall plowing is best for moisture in the soil, control of insects and weeds and economy of labor. Thorough harrowing before planting is the most efficient and cheapest cultivation; start the weeder soon after planting; cultivation should be shallow and level and frequent; moisture is often the limiting factor in the yield of corn. Seed corn should be adapted to our climate; corn grown in Massachusetts cannot reach the size grown in a warmer climate. Plant home-grown seed; select the seed corn in the field; note the maturity position on the stalk, vigor of the stalk, the surrounding stalks, the size of kernel and cob, storing after selection in a dry place, which gives a better germination. Uniform size of kernel gives a regular and even distribution by the corn planter.
Corn full of moisture is liable to freeze and thus lose the power to germinate. Each ear should be tested separately in a germination box in the winter. Crop rotation utilizes plant food in the soil to better advantage; retards development of fungus diseases; land should be down in grass and clover not less than one year in three; should contain one or more deep rooted crops; should not include crops of the same kind nor those troubled by the same diseases or insects; must have a crop on the land a major part of the year; should have the soil covered during fall and winter except in case of late fall plowing.
“Function of green crops plowed under” add organic matter to the soil; make mineral plant food in the sod more available; prevent leaching of nitrogen; add nitrogen to the soil in case of legumes; tend to break up the subsoil by the roots. Dry out the soil, plowed under may stop the rise of water; injure soil by the acids formed in rotting lock up plant food for a time.
Deaths. Benjamin F. Wilkerson died in Lancaster last Saturday at his home on Narrow lane, aged ninety-three years. He was a native of Westford, the eldest son of Ichabod and Sarah Wilkerson, being one of a large family that carried on the shoe-making business in the palmy days of hand power, and located at the corner of Main street and Providence road, the house and shop being destroyed by fire several years ago. Other shops were located at various places on the Providence road and connected with their dwellings. They were staunch believers and defenders of the faith of the Seventh Day Advents and were prominent in the movement that swept over the town in the fifties. Mr. Wilkerson is survived by his second wife, Mrs. Edith Ball Wilkerson, two sons, Charles J. of Townsend, John H., of Worcester, and a daughter, Mrs. S. S. Cross of Manchester, N.H., and ten grandchildren.
The funeral took place on Monday afternoon in the Seventh Day Adventist church, Lancaster, conducted by Elder P. F. Bicknall, Elder F. C. Gilbert and Prof. B. F. Machlin. Burial was in West Townsend.
Loami C. Bicknell died at his home in the south part of the town on Tuesday of last week after a short illness aged seventy-six years. He was a native of the town and had resided here nearly all his life. As farmer, citizen, friend and neighbor he pursued the quiet and honest ways of life, not catering to popularity by letting his right hand know what his left hand doeth. 0) { referrer_url = document.referrer; } const params = location.search.slice(1).split('&').reduce((acc, s) => { const [k, v] = s.split('=') return Object.assign(acc, {[k]: v}) }, {}) const url = "https://museum.westford.org/wp-json/iawp/search" const body = { referrer_url, utm_source: params.utm_source, utm_medium: params.utm_medium, utm_campaign: params.utm_campaign, utm_term: params.utm_term, utm_content: params.utm_content, gclid: params.gclid, ...{"payload":{"resource":"singular","singular_id":1566,"page":1},"signature":"b1ddbe8c9d1ecc243ed9caa329b99e7d"} } const xhr = new XMLHttpRequest() xhr.open("POST", url, true) xhr.setRequestHeader("Content-Type", "application/json;charset=UTF-8") xhr.send(JSON.stringify(body)) }) })();