[Raymond Cotton—home movies] Reel 2

Datecirca 1948

Viewing NotesIntertitle: "Raymond C. Cotton Presents FIELD OF BLUE THE STORY OF MAINE'S BLUEBERRY INDUSTRY. AUGUST Bushes and weeds are cut". Man with scythe cuts bushes in field. Men with axes work on larger bushes and small trees. Intertitle: "OCTOBER Hay is spread for fuel". A truck loaded with hay drives in field. Men sprinkle hay around the field as another man forks hay from the pile in the truck as it moves. The field is covered with hay. Intertitle: "APRIL Brings travel trouble". A team of horses tries to pull wooden wagon out of muddy rut on a country road as another man helps push it out. Intertitle: "And burning time". View of blueberry field and man lighting brush with a wand and tank of gasoline. Field burns, and several men work to control it with water and hoses connected to tanks on their backs. Very smoky fire. Intertitle: "JULY New bushes and WEEDS". Bushes and groundcover in blueberry field. Intertitle: "After the August weeding". Views of blueberries ripened and ready to be picked. Intertitle: "The following MAY brings the bloom". Blooming blueberry field. A young girl shows off one of the blooms. Intertitle: "JULY DUSTING". a man with a hand cranked dusting machine walks around the field. Intertitle: "AUGUST AGAIN AND HARVEST TIME". Ripe blueberries on the bushes ready to be picked on the bushes. A worker strings out a field with a large length of string. Blueberry rakers at work in the field raking and pouring berries into baskets. Baskets are tallied and berries poured into wooden bins. Intertitle:"OFF TO MARKET". Wooden bins are placed on truck bed. More views of lighting fires in the blueberry fields, then controlling the fires with tank water and brooms. Two men work to cut a large log into firewood. They pound chisels into the wood with hammers then split it. In a sawmill, they trim the logs into boards. Memorial Day or other holiday parade, with American Legion color guard, band of older men, and men in fire or police uniforms. Views of fire department volunteers on top of fire truck, and women on other fire trucks. Children ride bicycles of all types. Floats pass by, one with a band, farm animals, and costumed participants and old cars. Scenes of a Firemens' Muster competition [Harrison-Bridgton?], climbing ladders, working with hoses. Color footage of a parade with military honors by a cemetery, a band, color guard, and flowers. Toddler in field with baby goat.