Maine apple growers as well as the shippers are beginning to realize that something must be done in the way of standard barrels and standard apples, if they would compete with Canada in the apple business. Canada has a law to the effect that a standard barrel and a standard apple only shall be used for export purposes, and this alone is responsible for the fact that Canadian apples sell in English markets from three to four shillings more than Maine apples. It is not the superior quality of the Canadian apples that is responsible for this advance price over Maine apples, but the simple fact that all apples that are shipped out of Canada are of standard size, and packed in standard barrels.

50 Years Ago, 1955

• Oh Nooo!! George the Groundhog crawled out of his cozy little hole in the ground on this, his day, and seeing his shadow, leaped back in. That’s bad news for Lewiston-Auburn residents, because according to those in the know, it means another six weeks of winter. And winter being what it is these days – ouch!

• Lewiston-Auburn fold, numbed to the bone by a nine-day-old cold wave which has wrapped a wall of ice around the state, suffered through the coldest weather of the season, and the coldest Feb. 2 in 37 years last night as the mercury plunged to a wicked 14 degrees below zero.

25 Years Ago, 1980

Groundhogs all over the world have reached a consensus – there will be six more weeks of snow, sleet and freezing rain. Perhaps the most famous groundhog of all, the renowned Punxsutawney Phil, peeked out of his burrow in Punxsutawney, Pa., early this morning to see his shadow. He told his audience via his translator, Charles Erhard, that he’ll be spending six more weeks in his heated burrow. Erhard, president of the Punxutawney Ground Hog Club, dragged Phil from his hole on Gobbler’s Knob at 7:29 a.m., at which time Phil made his prediction to 1,000 bundled people.