Ellsworth American., 1876-12-07
Inc New Story Of The State Of Maine

We have received from the author, Judge
knight. a pamphlet OF some twenty-five
pages. bearing the 4boge title Il j. brl,i
statement Of Che resources auI industrie,
ot Tie State OF MaiCe.auI the induernenl,
i4s car.lal 10 invest within il boundaries.
The author loves The old Pine Tree State
aud writes cpH aaiars IN his graceful, spark
I.ag manner. Il Is ~elI worthy Of peru,al
0y every citizen Of Maine who viii there
by feel . higher pride and deeper love
l.r the state of his birth. Hear what he
SAYS about farming IN Maine.
The fact i, farming was bad bu,ine., here
wears ago. when il meant ''skinning'' lot Of
land OF all it, available growth and selling the
proceeds At the distant grocery store. and keep
ing thi> up till the last hoop-pole was cut: but
tanning that j. an adjunct 81 the vast busines,
we are developing on every hand,in the>e later
atys. ! another matter. salt !. awful bad Tor
roasted potatoes ssid the wise little boy
when gyR don't pH 0uy oB!" - farming j.,
.err poor business when one never raises any-
sung 10 sell but be who does thi,. in the wis
dom Of hs experience in the world, whether
{. a. something be the staples such - | have
limited 1t above. any Or all Of our vast variety
oi aarket-garden products .,FanDerlies from the
lttie patch Of bog, or golden pippins from the
hillside. hl- work VIII bring him A. rich return
~ the State OF Maine u anywhere else ia thi,
,and. And when our people learn this plain
truth. they VIII no more swell the rivers OF
Ihe West with homesick tears." but settle down
into quiet faith in their own hones-alway,
richer IN comforts than any others can ever be.
II we cannot raise corn and wheat on a great
scale. we caa get good returns 20 far as we do
it at all. while we have many staple crops that
give richer return, than Western or Southern
state allows. Thus we can raise more pOta-
toes that will not only sustain more people
chan the same amount Of land turned into anv
other crops can do, a. i proved by the whole
history of Ireland, bDt viii bring more money
TO the producer, making every allowance for
cost, than any other farming lands OF this coun-
Try. OF course,I mean our best lands. and not
our rOckiest and meanest. Not an acre OF our
land. NJ 10 cultivate with hoed crops at ALL but
will produce 100 bushels OF potatoes As surely
az the Western acre produces 40 bushels Of
corn: and, on an average, our potatoes are
worth more than the corn. per bushel, even in
the remotest portions of the state. All our
best new lands yield 150 bushels to tie acre.
very often much more, and, near any thriving
local market. railway or river, the price ranges
from 40 10 60 cents while even some of the
starch factories in the inpeDetrable down-east
have been obliged this year, 70 pay 80 cents or
run short.
Consider the single item Of hay. In 1850 we
only produced 700 900 tons, while in no year
since $50 has the crop been less than $50 900
and once is estimated TO have reached /, 200 900,
tons. And the value per ton is fully 20 per
cent more than ii was twenty years ago. When
we remember how small is the hay producing
area OF this country, what an article OF export
il j. becoming, and how vastly Maine can en-
large her capacity, surely there is an abundant
promise here.