The Portland daily press., 1868-08-21


It is a fortunate circumstances that there is
so much land in the vicinity OF Portland suita-
BILE for farming and gardening purposes. Cape
Elizabeth contains large area of valuable soil
the capacity of which has not yet been fully
tested. The arabic land in this town can be
made to produce great deal more Of food for
man and beast than has evt r been grown up
on its fertile soil. In riding over the town a
few days since we took particular notice of
the crops now growing and ripening. The
corn in many fields has a luxurant growth,
and, we are sorry to add, so have the weeds
in some of them. We notice that it is prac-
tice of some farmers to plant beans among
their corn. This will do where the cultiva-
tor owns but little land and manures it very
highly. But it is better to plant them in sep
arate fields in ordinary cases. To plant to-
gether is taxing the soil too much and both
crops are more or less injured. But the sight
of beans among corn is much more pleasant
than that of weeds. Some farmers have GER
tain periods in which to hoe corn-first few
days after it comes up, and again when it is
six or eight inches high. After that they say,
"We have done hoeing." So they have! But
they will permit us to say that the time to
hoe corn is just when there are weeds grow
ing among it, let that time come when it
may, whether the first, middle or last part ol
the season. Farmers cannot afford to suffer
weeds to sap their fields. We saw many
fields where the hoe might be very proitably
used now late as it is in the season.
Potatoes have had fine growth, but we
regret to add that the rust has struck many
fields and some of them severely. And this
attack comes so early and before the tubers
are ripe, that the crop will be much injured
and in some cases no doubt nearly or quite
destroyed. Rust is worse than frost. From
what we saw we think the crop of potatoes
in this town will be small and improbable.
We noticed that many were digging their po-
tatoes and hauling them TO market, so that
purchasers may expect a large amount of un'
ripe potatoes which are both unpalatable and
unwholesome. Unripe potatoes are very poo
food, and especially if they are touched with
disease. Those who eat such potatoes may
expect rebellion in the stomach and bow
els.
The crop of grass has been abundant, bu
| the weather lras been such that the farmer
have great deal of poor hay in their barns
Many and we may say all-did not begil
| haying early enough. This has always beel
a fault, and especially so this season.
Barley and oats took well and vegetables o
| all kinds have had vigorous growth. VIZ
/ looked for fields of wheat, but they are scarce
4 It has generally been supposed that whea
4 will not do well in this town, and but littl'
4 has ever been grown. Some think the soil il
4 too near the ocean, but we don't believe it
/ We venture the opinion that farmers in Cap
! Elizabeth can grow wheat and make it NOR
profitable than growing potatoes. Mr.. Cham
| berlain, the landlord of the Ocean House
had the courage last spring to purchase Two
bushels of seed wheat and sow it. The stalk
are well grown and headed finely. No in
sects has as vet troubled it, and the prospec
now is that be will harvest very prohtabl'
Weld from his two bushels. We trust man!
Others will follow his example and not b'
compelled next season to bring half growI
potatoes to market to buy their flour. Surel.
Mr.. Chamberlain's farm is as much exposed t.
Ocean breezes as any one in the town and
he can raise wheat, others can, provided the
4 prepare the soil as well as he does.
Mr.. Chamberlain informs us that the fis
this season have been so scarce that it WI
I difficult to get enough for his own tabl
Time has been when boat load of cod an
haddock and mackerel could be caught in
few hours, but they have been growing mo-
and more scarce for few years past. H
has to pay twenty cents pound for macker
and in plain sight of the ocean in whose wa
tiers myrSads were seen within a rev rous
his door. Why is this? Wna' 'p'ouue'
this scarcity of fish? MIR. Chamoeriain al
swers these questions. lie says the port
fishermen destroy the food of the cod; al
these fish are not fools and will not vi,
shores where they cannot get anything to e;
The Sc inc is the destruction of the small
fish upon which the larger ones feed. IT
"troll," 90, as he calls it, is a very destructi