The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-03-05
Wheat Prizes.

nave been instrumental in getting up prizes
for wheat raising, the matter having been
| brought before the n Y. State Agricultural
Society by Mr. Judd of the American Agri-
! cuturalist, who placed $500 at the disposal
of the Executive Committee The offer has
been accepted and the prizes are announced
for the next annual Fair. We call attention
to the subject now and give the prelminaries
that farmers may have an eye to the prices in
preparing for their spring wheat crops. The
credit Of carrying off the premium at the
hands OF the Empire State society, the largest
in the country, is worth competing for.
The prizes will will be open to the United
States and Canada, and are as follows: al.
Best two barrels Of white winter wheat s- 500
:, ,, spring wheat. ," iSO 100
This wheat is to be exhibited at the next
annual Fair OF the New York State Agricul-
tural society. The committee ofAwa1d is to
include at least one experinced, practical mil
Ter. Each sample is to be accompanied by
100 stalks from the same field, with heads
and roots complete, and also by reliable
written statement, properly verified and con-
firmed by two credible witnesses, of the size of
the field, the character of the soil, and the
the crops and manure on the same for four
years past; the depth and, mode of preparing
the ground and the time and mode of sowing
and harvesting, and any other particulars
that may suggest themselves to the exhibit
ors. The written statements and the saDl-
pies receiving the prizes are to be the prop
erty of the Society. The other samples are
to be sold at auction, during the fair, for the
benefit OF the exhibitors, if they desire such
disposal ofthem. 19He2 $50 b. Esy -o
/ Now some timid, cloud gazing persons may
ask, What interest have the farmers away
up here in Maine in all this? They cannot
reasonably hope to pocket such prizes. They
live too near the North Pole to compete for
them." Perhaps they do, and perhaps they
do not. What say our farmers in Aroostook?
There are thousands of acres in that region
which can be made to produce as fine wheat
as any that grows on the face of this planet,
to say nothing of other portions of our State
where excellent wheat may be grown. We
hope some of our farmers will be stimulated
to contend for these prizes. = Our soil and
climate are favorable to such an enterprise.
and good husbandry may crown it with sue
cess. We should be glad to see some of our
farmers carry off some of these prizes from
the Empire State. The truth is, the capacity
OF our soil for growing wheat has never been
fairly and persistently tested, but we hope it
will be ere many seasons shall have passed.
Our farmers are more awake to this subject
than they have been for several years, and we
trust this awakening will increase until Maine
shall prodrce her owe flour and no more pay
heavy tribute to other States. h
Some farmers have got it into their heads
that they can make it more profitable 10 raise
oats, sell them and buy their flour, than to
raise wheat. We don't believeit; for it takes
too many bushels of oats to buy barrel of
flour. Five bushels of wheat will make a
barrel of flour and something to spare. And
now how many oats does it take to pay for a
barrel of flour? If we reckon oats at sixty
cents bushel and flour at SIS per barrel,
the farmer must give twenty-five bushels of
oats for one barrel of flour, to say nothing of
the expense of transportation for both arti-
cles. Now we believe many, and even most
of our farmers can grow five bushels of wheat
more easily and with less labor than they can
twenty-five bushels of oats. And will not the
twenty-five bushels of oats exhaust the soil
much more than the five bushels of wheat? !?
Let our farmers ponder these things and gov
ern themselves accordingly.