The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-11-12

that it exists, 1, in common with the two
thousand and odd inhabitants of Parsonsfeld,
am ready to take oath. have heard of it
ever since was small boy. The rustic has
reverence for tradition of which you urbans
can form no conception. He knows that curios-
ity is the death-bane of legend, and with per-
tinacity worthy of a Congressman, he declines
investigation Strangers who visit the noun
tain, city iconoclasts generally, have made
attempts to explore the cave,-an undertaking
that the mines of Golconda would not tempt
the natives to enter upon; but they have never
been able to penetrate more than six feet. and
so have missed the wonderful ice-chambers.
Indeed they declare the opening is only pocket
aud ends there. Still the people in the vicinity
believe the cave to exist, explorers to the con-
trary notwithstanding. Probably the explorers
didn't go far enough
The money stringency has reached the couu-
try, and the farmers are buttoning up their
pockets very fast indeed. The country is more
frightened than the cities. The rural mind is
always much given to forebodngs and at pres
ent is dimly apprehensive of some unknown
and gigantic evil to come. The farmers carry
their apples and potatoes TO market get the
cash therefor and proceed to lock it up, utterly
oblvous of the little bills they have out. They
have lost all faith IN banks and their fellow
men. Government bonds are the only secur-
ties in which they have any confdeLce. They
seem to think that every bill they postpone
paying is SO much gain, though the money
with which they mis hit pay it is all the time
idle. One country trader tells me he has not
collected fifty dollars during the last two
months. As the manufactures close operatives
are fockins back into the country, aud me-
chanies even are leaving the cities If they
will but content themselves to work on the
farms, the hard times will prove of great bene-
fit to the agricultural interests. For years
there has been a great paucity of farm laborers.
The result has been that the cultivation of the
land has been frightfully neglected. Farms
have been skinned" and everything available
sold off them. The people have turned their
attention to fruit culture. In Parsonsfield two
years ago $780, 600 was paid out for apple trees,
and last year nearly $4,000 Much attention
las been paid also to the cultivation of the
market. The sunny upland slopes and shell
tered hill sides are eminently adapted to fruit
raising, and the business is increasing every
year. In the town of Newteld grape raising
is the most profitable industry that can be en-
tered upon. Newfeld is also beginning to do
something in pear orchards, and has sent two
hundred barrels of pears to market this fall.
The farmers are just beginning to feel the
weight of taxes During the flush times when
oxen sold for three or four hundred dollars a
yoke and calves for thirtyor forty doll ars a
head, taxes were mere baga,elles But the
payment of the heavy town debts was uuwisely
postponed, or partially discharged in dribblng
instalments Now the land owners are feeling
the effects of their foolish delay, and cursing
everything but the true cause of their troubles,
their own short-sghtedness.
A marked illustration of the tightness of
money in the cities was afforded at the Cornish
town fair three weeks ago in the appearance of
that brace of worthless, prof. Haines'' and
''Slim JIM" The adopts in the swindling mys-
teries of three-card monte found currency scarce
in the town and hastened to fresh fields and
pastures new. What downfall was there, my
card shutters! Slim Jim's pensive face wore an
added shade of sadness as he found himself
obliged to swndle a man out of twenty-five
cent scrip in place of the bank notes be used to
rake in on 'the flying cars" and the 'Prof"
audibly swore as he picked up the old-fashioned
red cents staked on that magic card. The strin
gency has also affected the agricultural horse
trot." Mr.. George Delauy put IN an appear
ance at Cornish and taking advantage Of an
oversight by which the course was left open to
all horses in Maine, succeeded in raking in
paltry purse of five dollars.
There is every promise, should the weather
prove favorable, of active numbering operations
in the Ossipee towns during the coming winter
The pine lands are rapidly being stripped, thir-
teen millions having been cut in Parsonsfield
alone during the last five years. There is also
large demand for oak stavts and ash
kits. So the farmers have the prospect of
busy winter before them. NJ