100 years ago, 1915
Who ever heard before of crab apples selling for 35 cents a peck? This is the price being charged in some of the Lewiston and Auburn stores — a record-breaker, indeed! Who ever heard of strictly fresh eggs selling as high as 42 cents on the first day of October? This is what is asked by some of the marketmen who have a few of this scarce and much-wanted merchandise.

50 years ago, 1965
Several thousand bushels of apples in the Perkins Ridge area were affected the other night by the low temperatures but just what the damage will be in dollars and cents won’t be known for a few days. Spokesmen for both the B.H. Wallingford and John Wallingford Orchards confirmed reports today that the apple crop had been affected by the Monday night low temperatures. At the John Wallingford Orchard, a spokesman said about 1,000 bushels had been nipped by the frost. He explained that frost injures the staying power of the apple and affected apples can not he submitted to storage as planned. He explained that frost breaks down the apple cells faster. At the B. H. Wallingford Orchards, a spokesman also concurred with the previous opinion regarding control storage and said that between 3,000 and 5,000 bushels of apples are involved at this orchard.

25 years ago, 1990
Auburn may have to choose between less than complete protection of Taylor Pond or stopping all development in its watershed, Planning Board members were told Thursday. In a workshop with state and federal specialists on erosion and water quality, board members heard that it might not be possible to meet recommended phosphorus loading limits for the pond, which is considered by the state to be fragile and threatened.
Although Taylor Pond may be impossible to save, Planning Director James McPhee said Lake Auburn can probably be preserved at its present relatively high water quality level with a per acre allocation of .047 pounds of phosphorus, which he said is an achievable figure.

The material in Looking Back is reproduced exactly as it originally appeared, although misspellings and errors made at that time may be edited.