Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-05-23

the egg laid for Stone in this city indicates
as much maternal pride ~ a.v "biddy"
over her own product. Or the position of
the Portland Press there can be no doubt,
for it "pokes fun" at the seventy-fivers
when 1t waggishly says, 1--WE advise those
who would worship the rising sun not tc
take stone when they can have breat
by following Judge Kent"
AGRICULTURE IN NEW ENGLAND
We may sometimes get good advic,
from quarters where it is least expected
Persons outside of New England may sec
faults from their point of observation
which jewellers on the inside of the circle
are unable to detect.
w. The Philadelphia Gazette in replying to
a recent article in the Boston Advertiser
makes some suggestions which are wor-
thy OF consideration in this locality We
are inclined to believe that this is II poor
State for farming, that it will not pay TO
engage in that business, and that the
West is the field for the agricuturist
The Gazette looks out from its location in
Pennsylvania, sees the West and the Eas
on either hand and tells us that we arc
wrong in neglecting agriculture at home
and in going West for farms. We copy
the following from the Gazette article
and commend it to the attention of oui
young men and farmers who think this is
not the country for agrculturists to thrive
in.
Fully one third OF the area OF Pennsy lvania
is not susceptible OF cultivation ut all, being
occupied by mountains SO PERCEPTIONS that the
railroads are built on artificial shelves cut in
their sides. Yet Notwithstanding this, we see
that the percentage of agriculturists in this
State 10 more than double that of Massachu-
sets, where nearly every acre is tillable.
Better still, this great mining and manutac-
turing State raises almost enough wheat for
the subsistence of her people, while no part of
New England makes any pretcnce of doing
so. Maine has fully as much capacity for
agriculture as Minnesota, yet Maine has de-
creased in population while Pennsylvania,
generally supposed to be slow, stolid and
sluggish, has largely increased. Our COM
ments upon topics like this are based upon no
prejudice whatever, for no one can appreciate
more than we do the excellent qualities of the
New England people. If they are little too
much in the habit of speaking contemptuously
OF our good old Commonwealth, they must
accept an occasional reminder from actual
statistics as to the state of things.
New England has committed much the
same folly as New York and Pennsylvania.
She has sent her farmers to the west to raise
there the food that must feed the people of
New England, instead of keeping them at
home to raise that food upon h. own soil.
The New England railways are carrying that
food long distances at rates that scarcely nav
cost, whereas II the farmers had remained at
nome their market was right at their doors
and the railways would have reaped profit
from increased way traffic. Thousands of
these New England emigrants at the west are
raising a tremendous clamor about the cost of
railway transit, when the original error was
in their leaving New England, where there is
such an excellent market for agricultural
crops.
II is not worth while for us to handy words
with the Advertiser. We give no advice to
New England that We do not give to our OWE
people, and in much more homely terms. We
have said, and we repeat, that it is altogether
an unnatural state of things that the people of
these seaboard States should be Obliged to Day
high prices for food at the very time that the
west is raising all this fuss about its superb
bundsnt crops and the cost of railway transit
If the Advertiser prefers not to see this, and
would rather waste its time in panegyrics up
on 4 sort Of progress that stimulates strikes
for higher wages, and widens the gulf between
capital and labor, we can only wonder that
sharp, shrewd, intelligent, enterprising New
England can be so misled. We have called
attention to the neglect of agriculture in that
section, because it is neglect, and no amount
Of sophistry or ingenious arrangement of fig
ures can make it anything else. Cannot the
Advertiser see that the west is rapidly becom-
ing vast manufacturing region; that the
markets there for the goods of the seaboard
are being cut of by home production; that
consequently they can underworld US by hav-
ing the advantage in food; aud that, if we do
nos look after our agriculture, the west can
neat ~ IN the southern markets?
refnaps may not be convenient to Massa-
cnesests 70 see that. They are making their
own iron, copper, zinc, and lead in the west:
raising their own WOOL cutting their own lum.
Der, mining their own COAL tanning their own
hides and leather, producing their own food
manufacturing their own rails, locomotive.
cars, machinery; in fact they are gaining up.
on Us every day. Chicago can underseli Bos.
ten in the New Orleans market 10 machinery
and 10 fierce competitor for the trade of San
Francisco. Shall we ignore all this and fancy
the people do not know itr Is it not better.
rather, to look facts in the face. The west is