The land devoted to the blueberry industry in Maine lies mostly in Washington county, where there are about 150,000 acres known as the “blueberry barrens.” This land lies chiefly in the townships of Cherryfield, Columbia, Deblois, Beddington, Harrington, Jonesboro and Nos. 18 and 19. Recently a canning factory has been established at Vanceboro for utilization of the fruit in the northern part of the country. Much of this land was burned over by the Indians before the colonial period, and since the timber was removed from the remainder, it, too, has repeatedly been burned to keep down the growth of birches, alders, etc., and to facilitate the harvesting of the fruit.

50 Years Ago, 1956

A bogus bill, similar to those which resulted in the arrest last Saturday of an Auburn woman and her two sons, was passed yesterday at an Auburn store.

Mrs. Harry Norbury of Academy Street told the Auburn police she received the phony $5 bill either yesterday or Tuesday but did not know who had passed it.

The bill composed of the front half of a $5 and the back half of a $1 bill, the two whole bills apparently having been split lengthwise and the halves posted together. Mrs. Norbury told police she was certain she did not get the bill last week when others like it were allegedly being passed in the Twin Cities.

25 Years Ago, 1981

HONOLULU – A pesky woodpecker pecked incessantly on the roof of the California honeymoon cottage, and the bridegroom considered shooting the bird.

But instead, the man began communicating with it.

“I would knock, and he would knock back. He was kind of funny, and Gracie suggested I make a character out of him,” said cartoonist Walter Lantz.

Thus was Woody Woodpecker born 40 years ago.

“I put him into a small part in an Andy Panda film,” said Lantz during a recent birthday celebration here for the cartoon character. “Universal said he wouldn’t last, but he became an overnight hit.