The Portland daily press., 1871-07-20

There is theory, and perhaps correct |
one, that the very best farming that |
avails itself of the best theories of deep
blowing, dressing, draining and irrigation-is
a specific for the evils ordinarily caused by
drought. 1t is quite clear from the expert
ence Of the present year that there is very
little such farming in this State. The
best farms in most of our Maine counties
yield but half crop of hay, while others
yield only one third or even OneJUth. Good
farms of a hundred acres in some localities
will not produce more than seven tons. There
are multitudes of fields lwhere the effects of
drought are so deplorabe that the sward can |
be entirely removed by slight motion of the |
toe of the boot. Such grass land can of course
never become productive again till it is plowed
up and seeded down. But this desperate state
of things is yet by no means universal, if it is
even common.
Unhappily the failure of the grass crop by
no means measures the extent of the farmers
losses this year. The potato crop will in any
event be very light, and only heavy rains can
save it from failure. Corn is in a similar sit
uation. 1t is an "off-year" for apples, the
trees having, like an improyident laborer, put
all their energies into the production of last
years bountful harvest. So there will be
only here and there an apple in young Or
chards and none in old ones. Nor is the fail
ure of this crop an unimportant matter. 1t is
astonishing to observe how many large Or
chards have begun bearing in Western Maine
during the last decade. Scores of farmers
who formerly devoted themselves to the old
style orthodox farming, fired with emulation
by the rich returns of some neighbor who has
forsaken the old track and betaken himself to
apple raising, have ceased to plant large fields
OF corn, from which returns are obtained only
by unremitting toll and sleepless vigilance.
and covered their fields with trees. Thus far
the new plan has proved, to those who have
adopted it, less laborous and far more re-
munerative than the old one; and unless it is
found that over-production is Cutting the
market, we shall speedily have all central and
Western Maine engaged in fruit raising. The
change that has already taken place is pro-
digious, and this year there are hundreds dis
appointed by the failure of the crop where
there formerly would have been only tens.
Maine farmers raise but little wheat now-a-
days, finding it more profitable to pay millions
OF dollars to Western and Canadian farmers
as an annual tribute, rather than to attempt
to produce the chief Of the cereals. And this
year the grasshopper bids fair to destroy what
little wheat the drought has suffered to ma
ture. The invasion of the grasshopper might
have been anticipated, one misfortune follow
ing another like the plague following the
London fire. These marauders are devasta-
ting country districts in way that is truly
lamentable Though individually insignifi-
cant they accom- plish work as dreadful as
they were genuine Cloths and Vandals,
and the country over which they have
passed looks as if Alaric had wasted
it with fire and sword. In ten days
more they will have destroyed every green
thing and euan-neps, have previous
ly reported, some farmers have been Obliged
to cut their wheat to save it for fodder. The
grass hoppers when they come in armies OF
billions, are really calculated to create terror,
and supersttious people might readily come
to regard them as supernatural visitors.
Though proverbially cheerful insect, the
grasshopper with his gloomy eyes and his
terrible shake thrown over his head-iust
catch one and examine him, if you doubt his
possession of this military attire-is creating
about as much CONSERVATION as would arise
II an army of hostile and predatory Canadi-
ans should swarm over our borders