Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1878-10-17
Correspondence.
Letter from Pressure Isle.

/ '''' ." ~Shti III idtt VI tue GtU1-
raphy OF this part of the state. had no.
tieed that the townships were arranged on
the map with chess board regularity, and
mad observed a crooked stream flowing
| into the st. John, along whose banks there
was doubtless some good farming land.
| Still farther north. pretty we'll up to the
| Artic circle was another settlement inhab-
| tied by French, EsquImaux possibly, it was
| Of little consequence any way. Aud my
| knowledge of this subject was, take il,
| about up TO the average in Southern Maine.
| Within five minutes after leaving Fort Fair
| field my imported notions of the country
| were scattered to the wind. and since then
/ by persistent questioning, rides in various
| directions and rambles to all the eminences
/ in the vicinity, | have tried TO get more
/ accurate Idea Of the whole region than
| before possessed.
| The extent OF the fertile tract surprised
me most. II reaches through the first four
( ranges OF townships from lIoulton to the
northern boundary, say distance of sew
( enty-iiye miles in length by twenty-five in
| breadth. OF course great deal Of this
eau never become cultivated land, but
am told there are townships, almost every
! lot OF which is capable of being turned
| into farm The landscape from any hill
embraces vastly more forest than cleared
land as yet, but along the main highways
| little woodland is found and there is a con-
tinuous succession OF farms. Aud then
such spacious fields. lying along sloping
hillsides or spread oct over tracts level as
prairie. Farms Of hundred acres or
more can be found without a stone upon
them large enough to turn Il plow from the
rurrow. The universal greenness OF the
fields is a striking feature ot the scenery. 4
rich aftermath OF clover covers the soil ev-
erywhere and bears evidence Of is fertility.
This second crop Is rarely moved, but
the cattle are turned into the fields and it,
orally live in clover" THERE'S no waste
land for pa>turage and farms are frequent
ly divided into fields which are alternately
pastured for a few years and then culti-
waited
Farming is conducted on a scale that
dwarts completely the agricultural achiey-
ments OF Hancock County. The huge
barns at once attract the visitors attention
but cease to surprise him when he learns
the acreage under cultivation. Farms cut
ting from 80 TO 100 tons OF hay are cOm
mon. hear Of one farmer near by who has
st,f . Li,.tt
another keeps about the same number with
thirty horses Ia addition. \ thousand
bushels of potatoes is not considered a re-
markable crop, and six times that amount
was raised from one farm in this vicinity
last year.
Five, ten, and, Ia one instance. twenty
acres Of wheat TO a single farm are spoken
of. At the Touring mill In this village
80 600 bushels OF wheat were ground last
year, aud that amount Will be vastly eX-
ceeded the present season. II is not to be
supposed that all farming operations are
I OF this magnitude by any means. and these
! items are given simply to show the posi-
bilties OF the country. The soil is easily
worked, extremely fertile and seems adapt
( ed to the growth Of any crop that can rta-
ture il this latitude. The planting OF
'atoes has been greatly stimulated within
a few years by The erection of starch fac
/ tories of which there are sixteen in the
I county. one la his place consumed l50-
900 bushels 81 potatoes last fall. The
/ starch manufactured by the process is in
/ the loru OF coarse flour and is used for
( sizing in cotton factories. The price paid
tor potatoes seems small being only from
| twenty 10 twenty-five cents bushel, but
/ the supply j. ample at that rate.
/ The raising OF sugar beets promises to
/ be more Temunerative. A building is Just
/ completed in which is 10 be carried on the
/ first step in The process of manufacturing
! Il sugar, that of slicing and drying the
/ bects. A contract was made last spring
! for all that could be raised and | 800 tons
/ will PROBABLY be forthcoming
/ These two new industries are appreciated
I by the farmer, for the great drawback to
/ ih, region is the want of a constant mark
/ ct. In years past the lumbermen who
/ opei ated in this vicinity during the winter
! furnished the farmer with ready market
| for his surplus products, but the demand
| from that source has failed in great meas
ure. and the outlook for the future is not
| assuring. railroad direct to Mattawam-
keag and so to Bangor is urgently needed
/ for communication with the outside world.
| At present TO get here from Bangor by the
J most commodious route, one must make a
wide detour through a foreign country,
change ears four times on the way. suffer
two Inspections of baggage, ii the officials
are in bad humor, and consume nearly a
day and "a half in reaching a point lao
miles distant, and all at an expense great
er than that of trip to New York. The
mail facilities are worse yet. letter
mailed here in the morning arrives at Ban
gor the next evening. How is that for ra-
pidity 10 this age of telegraphs and light
with the ceniers of trade are better than
now, it is useless to expect an influx oI toe
class of men needed to develop the p''ssi-
biities Of this really magnificent country
The village of Presque Isle, consists Of
perhaps hundred buildings clustered in
the vicinity OF a small stream flowing into
the Aroostook. 1t just misses pretty lo-
cation, for Immediately back Of it the
/ ground slopes upward TO an eminence from
which Il fine view of the surrounding coun
try can be obtained. The endless hare
wood iarms stretching away to the horizon
in every direction are just nov in all tn,
glory of autumn and the wealth of colo