The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-02-11
MAINE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE
Annual Meeting at Brunswick
THIRD AND CLOSING DAY.

| w aSSOn anu Ollludn IL was announced by INC
President that if any extra time remained IN
the forenoon session it would be devoted to
discussing the subject of the proper method of
caring for and feeding mich COWS.
The first paper on the programme was read
by Peter W. Aver of Freedom on ''The Cost of
Fencing in MaiIe," from which we find that
Maine has 1864 800 rods of fence, estimated
| cost one dollar per rod. The annual cost with
interest at per cent is estimated at $2,43S, 6SS.
| Considering the taxes and snow bills, and d.
vidng the amount among the farms in the
state we have first cost of fences $679 and an
| annual cost of 800.
Mr.. Aver was followed by Sam'l WATSON
| with paper on "The Law of Fences as it is
and as it should be'-which criticised the old
fencs law which, in his opinion, amounted to
almost nothing. His summing up we print:
"We call for the repeal of a law which is
fencing in in its declarations and fencing out
| by its penalties.
We call for the repeal of law which shifts
the fence burden from pasture to pillow land.
We call for the repeal of law which unnec-
| essarly taxes one of the vital industries CT the
| state.
We call for the repeal of a law which is little
| else than aBabe of technical acquisitions which
| no man can name or number.
We call for the enactment of a law which at
| 'one fell swoop' will remove $4,000 miles of
| fence.
| We call for law which will strike an Of
| fender with swift certainty without waiting for
| a more convenient time.
| We call for law which will not compel the
| grower of crops to fence out all of the bovine
tramps that go to and fro in the earth.
We call for law, simple, concise and
| straightforward without technical 'whereases'
| or toning down 'neverthelesses'
| Such law we can have when we demand it
| and cease to grin and to bear the present one,
| which amounts to almost nothing.
| At the conclusion of the reading of the pa
pers another sharp discussion took place, SHARP
arguments being made on each side. Some of
| the cold fogies," as they style themselves,
arguing for the keeping up of the fences, and
some favoring the total adjustment of all
| fences except those around pastures. Among
those participating were DR.. Tuck of Farming
ton, Hon. j. Gilman of Brunswick, Capt.
Bailey of Bath, Gen. Morrow of Bowdoinham,
Mr.. Tenney of the Telegraph. After the ferce
discussion had been laid aside the subject of the
proper manner of caring for and feeding dairy
| stock came up for discussion, which was par
ticipated in by Hon. G. J. Gilman and Capt.
Joyce of Brunswick, Messrs. WATSON of East
| Surry, Harrington, Supt. Of State College
Farm, DR.. Tuck of Pennington and others, in
| the course of which many experiments in feed
| ing stock were related and much valuableI in
| formation derived.
The fence business was then returned to, and
| in order to have something definite done, the
| following resolution was offered BY Mr.. Gilbert
| and carried by the convention:
| Resolued, That it is the sense of this Convention
that large portion of the fences in this state both
| county and town useless and serious incum-
brance, and that we will use our utmost endeavors
to encourage the further diffusion of the enlightened
views which have been expressed before this con-
vention.
| 1t was also voted to present the resolution
together with such parts of Mr.. Wasson's pa
per as refers to legislation, to the Agricultural
| Committee of the Legislature. The convention
then adjourned till afternoon.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The afternoon saw fair attendance in the
hail. The meeting was called to order by Vice
President Getchell, who introduced to the con-
vention Lyman of FoXcroft who read a
| paper on "The Value of Covered Manure" Mr..
Lee cited examples of crops raised with cover.
| ed and uncovered manure, and said that his
experience taught him that covered manure
was much more valuable than uncovered. A
l
Freedom, who disagreed with the sreader, w.
Tuck of Pennington, who agreed with the
| reader, Supt. Harrington of ithe State College
| farm, who believed that the action of the air on
the manure was good thing, but should take
place in the barn cellar. Mr.. Mallet of Tops
ham, gave as his opinion that this subject was
the foundation of farming This discussion be-
| ing closed Joel e. Shaw of West Hampden,
| read paper on General Farming portion
| of which is given.
The farmer has no more profitable season
| than the winter, for then he has an opportuni-
| ty to inform his mind upon useful topics. Then
| he can put in repair his agricultural imple-
| ments, and be getting ready for the next years
| work. We cannot farm as did our ancestors.
| The land has been drained and must neads be
| put in good condition by the application of
dressing. The farmer should keep an accurate
| account of the money expended on his soil and
the amount realized on his crops. We pay too
little attention to the culture of fine varieties
| of fruit. Sheep raising could also be proftably
| engaged in and there is no reason why we can
not compete with the sheep raisers of the west.
Following Mr.. Shaw was Mr.. D. M. Durham
of Bangor, who read paper on Cooperation
among farmers, an abstract of which will be
fouad below:
To be successful the farmer must understand
the nature of his soil and the adaptation of the
different crops thereto The various expert
ments that must be made to enable the farmer
| to carry on his business to advantage could not
be crowded into the longest life, but by sys
| tenn of cooperative experiments more can be
| done in single year for his benefit than he
| could learn alone should he live to the age OF
thousand years. Labor and capital should go
| hand in hand. Each is dependent upon tile
other and for the good of mankind. There
| should be no strife betweenfthem, but, as often
4 To- tn xrhn frvo 49,.
tai wins, and when capital has absolute power
it reduces the price of labor to the lowest living
point, but when capital sees credit and labor
cooperating, it becomes jealous and strives to
| throw in questions that will stir up discord and
| dissolve cooperation.
Mr.. Dunham's paper being concluded, dis
cusson was entered into by Mr.. Gilbert and
others, in the course of which remarks were
made strongly favoring the order of Patrons of
Husbandry. At the conclusion of the discus.
sion the afternoon session adjourned.
At 6.55 by far the best audience Of the ses-
sion assembled, the object being to hear the lee
ture by Prof. Carmichael of Bowdoin College
Thanks were returned to the Sagadahoc Ag-
ricultural Society, the citizeHs of Topsham and
Brunswick and the railroads for attention and
favors at their hands.
| Prof. Carmichael then gave Que of the most
interesting lectures Of the course, which was
well received by the vast audience We print
| an abstract of his paper:
OF the 100000 tons of sugar consumed in
the whole world the last year, 7O0,0 1000 were the
product of the beet. These are the two great
rivals for the worlds supply of sweetness. The
cane and the beet sugar are of very unlike OIL
| gin and expectations. The former was intro
duced by the crusaders it has been extracted
to this day by crusade processes and by lgno'
rant laborers to the lasting detriment of the
warm lands where the cane has been raised.
The manufacture of beet root sugar is compar r
ativly recent industry, and is peculiarly the
product of northern sagacity. BY the demands
its difficult separation makes upon the skill
and intelligence of sugar producers, it has
brought about combination of labor, capital
and scientific knowledge to which no other in
dustry can furnish parallel. The history of
its cultivation shows such vast, direct and indi-
rect advantages that it seems likely at no dis.
tant day, to supplant the cane. The beet has
already virtually driven the cane from the Eu-
ropean market, and the question arises, why
| America forms such conspicuous conception.
1t is not from the lack of proper soil or eli
mate, it is not from the price of labor. the
| abundance of cane sugar or the absence of nee