Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1869-03-25

Soma Facts and HiRpres for Hancock
County fStHen.


There are in our county (as per census
return.) 5000 farmers, With farms varying
in size. from to 500 acres, or 3l7.4eO
acres OF enclosed land. These farms sup
port SIS horses. lisa yoke Of oxen, 7.44s
cows, s,s43 young catsis. =, le7 sheep. and
2.24 swine. worth in cash e70O. 900. |
These animals and their value, divided per |
capaa. among the farmers. would give to
each-as follows: 81 yoke Of oxen to every
30 farmers. 2 Is cows to each. 24-25
young cattle 8 a3-l0o sheep o. es3l worth
OF animals to each one. provided all Of
these animals were owned BY the farmers,
which is far from being the fact.
Let US see, how stands the case. when
taken into the account. Then there would
be but one yoke Of oxen to every IS inhab-
itanss, one COW, nearly, to every persons
about the same Of young cattle, nearly
sheep to each individual. and one swine to
every 10 persons, pretty meagre allow
ance for hearty folks. But let US look far
Their. and see il we fare better. The pro-
ducts OF these farms. offered for each in
habitants OF the county, as follows wheat.
III qts. rye 6 qts. buckwheat ii OTIS. peas
and beans 81 cts, corn l-3 bus. bar
ley Is bus, oats Ia bus, potatoes 10
bus, nearly, cheese 8 lbs, butter is lbs,
wool 2.09 lbs. hay ton.
Now let us d de the farm products
among the farmers of the county, and see
what Is the look Of it. The barley grown
would give each farmer 10 bu worth ei2 Is
the wheat bus. worth d. the corn 5 bus.
$50. the peas and beans bus, worth ela
the oats IL Ia bus, worth eIs.75, the wool
y lbs, worth $3.50 the cheese 90 lbs,
worth sle,2o, the potatoes e3 bus, worth
sA,lo, and the butter $50 lbs, worth STA
50.
Suppose We ply the staticians art. q step
or two further. for there are lessons Of
deep interest therein
Assuming the accuracy of out statistics,
the revenue per COW Is 20 lbs Of butter, or
eS.31-the revenue. In cheese "a lbs or
s6,8 per COW, total revenue Of COW in but
ter and cheese $3.50. or wool 3 lbs 4 OF,
or 81, 62 per sheep.
The practical deductions TO be d, avn
from these facts and figures, are that some
Of the farm produces. not all. deserve and
should command the special attention of
the farmer. These are butter, wool potatoes
cheese, aud oats. In the order In which
they are named, for il must not be over
looked, that the dairy products. andl the
wool are only part of the income occur
ing from cattle and sheep. II most con-
elusively shows. that the production Of
butter, cheese, and wool must be the spec
ialities In ''down-castr farming. Our cli-
mate, our soil. our heritage, conspire 10
make beef-growing unrcmuniaiive. We
must look TO the West for our meat, and
the West, TO the East for its milk.
With the field crops, potatoes and oats
must take the lead, until that '.good tine
coming" arrives. 10 compel us to q better
cultivation, when wheat will take its prop
er place, at the head of the cereals.
Another mos, important and instructive
FAC: unfoldcd by these statistics is that the
amount OF butter. cheese ani wool. pro-
daced is very far below The maximum. for
pounds or buffer and ftd pounds of cheese
and good sheep well cared for will shear
from ! to 10 pounds Of wool. Its no, in
frequent that we hear Of from % to q lbs
being taken OF from q single fleece.
Every result is the eject OF some cause,
VI the truth Of this saying. we have 4 mos,
marked veridcation in the exceedingly low
, figure TO which our annual dairy products
s have been reduced. Those causes which
have been operating for years-are still
IN opei alton. What are they: We believe
that Creative Energy designed the beasts
OF burden for two general purposes; the
one for labor and meat the other. for milk
butter and cheese; the one, for mutton and
the other for wool. and that these can no
more be blended, than can oil and water.
Here. then Is our first mistake in the fruit
less attempt to succeed In exsrocfiMa but
ter and cheese from labor and beef,
Imay. and undoubtedly. shall be told
that milk and butter and cheese are AZ
forded by there beef and labor breeds. y
True, snd in like manner may mlk and
butter and cheese be afforded By the cat and
dog, but | am not aware that they have ev-
; er been kept for that purpose, This truth
must yet come home and impress itself up
on our farmers, that everything was made
for some. and not for all purposes. We
cannot hybridzs speed, power. endurance,
labor, beet, mutton, butter. cheese and
wool, and he who labors to so fruitless an
end, will get his labor for his pains. We
must study, conform to, and comply with
the great and interchangeable Law Of Ad-
agitation. II our soil and climate indicate q
preference tor the pr oductions Of the dairy
land who can doub). II our rugged hills
and broken lands call for sheep don't re-
! turn "a stone' where bread was want
ed.
This law Of adaptation is wide in its
( scope. il deals with many questions per-
itaining to the well being Of farmers, which
! we shall treat rather from . matter-offacI
point Of view than in accord with ary ply.
Biological dogmas.
We do not find promised US distribution
over the face Of the earth. Of giants and
iwarfs. The economy OF life and action
N both the animal and vegetable kingdoms
} are bounded by the laws Of heat and cold
frees. aud fruits and flowers attain to IN
enormous size In the Amazon valley. while
NOSES and lioches starveon thepeaks Of the
Alps. The stately Durhams from the blue
grass pastures Of Kentucky. would pine