Phineas Clough of North Auburn is about to try an experiment that will be watched with interest by his many friends. A large maple tree which has stood for many years in front of Mr. Clough’s home was stripped of several of its branches during a recent wind storm. As a result the tree has been ruined for shade and ornamental purposes, and now Mr. Clough proposes to convert the old land mark into a source of revenue by grafting it to pears. Mr. Clough feels confident that in a few years, he will be picking large and luscious pears from the old rock maple tree.

50 Years Ago, 1955

Maine people who smoke cigarettes, buy liquor or wine or want to sell their automobiles in private trade have two more days to escape new, higher taxes. Taxes on these items and on corporate franchises and gross revenues of the two largest telephone and telegraph companies go up Friday. The increase from 6 to 7 per cent in the excise tax rate on New England Tel. & Tel. Co. and Western Union Telegraph Co. was a separate bill, passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Muskie. The legislators were told it would return about $300,000 a year, although NET&T estimates its share along at $310,000.

25 Years Ago, 1980

Mechanic Falls – Thirty-nine-year-old Navy veteran Bill Dunlop sailed his 35-foot sloop Enchantress into Falmouth Harbor on the English Channel coast Sunday, completing his solo crossing on the stormy North Atlantic. “I don’t believe it,” screamed his wife, Pam, when she answered a phone call at 7 p.m. Sunday at her home here and heard her husband’s voice crackling across the Atlantic on the international line. Dunlop set sail from Portland on June 1 and completed his crossing ahead of schedule in 28 days, five hours and 50 minutes.