Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-09-23


made by one swarm of bees this season. A hand
some piece of maple sugar was shown, the manu-.
iacturer OF which made more than ton last spring
Pect sugar was also exhibited manufactured ia
Germany, aud with it were shown samples Of su.
gar heets raised this season IN Aroos;ook. There
are many acres of sugar beets gro wing in the
county, some Of which We saw in our travel.
Those who prepared their ground carefully and
well and have taken good care of the grow Dg
hects, viii raise good and profitable crops; but
those who did not have their soil in proper order
or neglected the growing plants will fnd their
crop failure and will report that the raising OF
sugar bees in this State Is failure. We must wait
patiently and time VIII tell
Some corn was displayed at the Fair well grown
and forward for the season. II Is said corn can be
raised here. but little account is made Of raising
it s. other crops are more profitable. i saw II
growing in the ield-, looking well and apparent
I ~ well advanced wards maturity.
/ of course there were samples of grain at the
Far, but they were feeble representatives of the
grain growing resources of Aroostook. The best
evidence of what the county is as producer of
grain is seen in the extensive fields of it every
side where one goes, waving on upland and inter
vale, heavy headed with plump kernels, enough to
I'll the barns ard grauaries of the people to burst
ing. The wheat crop IN Ar0ostook this year Is
good and large The county might supply the
state with flour if 1t would. 1t Is sand Aroostook
wheat was worth last year IN the market 81 10 per
bu.hel.
Potatoes are a staple product. They were on
exhibition everywhere We went in loads of them
going to the starch factories or as they lay 10 the
fields last dug. The exhibit of fancy articles
demonstrated that the ladies of Aroostook have
taste and skill in the making of such articles not
Inferior to those of LADIES 10 other counties. Ga
the whole the exhibition was highly gratifying to
the editorial party and spoke volumes for Aroos-
took.
PUBLIC MEETING.
Thursday evening a public meeting vas held at
I d -, n. - III
aud Mr. Stickuey read an address cordially well
coming the visitors aud mentioning the improve
ments and growth Of the town and count, since
1893. 1t was etling tribute to the first editorial
| party, hearty welcome TO the second, and an ell
! oquent description of the benefcent changes
| prospects of ArOostook. Rev. Dr. Warren re-
slonded for the excurslonsis after which the for
maty of the meeting was broken up aud citizens
snd editors mingled together in social talk until
dance closed the affair.
STARCH FACTORIES.
Friday forenoon, by the courtesy OF Messrs.
johnson and PhaIr, we visited starch factory in
which they arc the principal owners. The process,
| of converting potatoes into starch is simple. In
brief 1t consists in grinding the potatoes into a
| tine pulp by revolving cylinder, the running the
pulp into watts where the water Is separated from
| II, aud fnaiy putting the pu p through a dying
| + ocsss, which completes the manu- acture. This
nll used last year l52 900 bushels of potstoes, il,
| c. pacty being 100 bushels per hour while run
| ning. The season for manufacturing is usually
| from September LIST to November 10th the re-
maindeI OF tue year the factories are IDLE. This
mil and another bel DgIng to the same owners,
| made lasl year 725 tons of starch, which sold 10
Bottom for $50 per tou. While the mills are ruu-
ming they employ forty men. The company have
large contract with farmers in the viciuiy to
supply the mills with potatoes five years at % cts.
per bu,hel. This Year the company buy potatoes
outside of the contract ioi 20 cents per bushel
Ineir contract calls for the products OF 500 acres
The rust has injured the potatoes this year Las,
year bushel OF potatoes would give from nine to
ten pounds Of starch this year, owing TO the rot,
the product OF bushel is only from seven TO nine
pounds. The company paid to farmers last year
about $40 900. Mr.. Phair told me had counted
ll3 teams ri one time before the factory which we
visited, waiting 10 unload. These starch factories
explain why so many potatoes are raised in ARGOS.
took. There fifteen of them in the county,
making large home ket for the product of
the potato fields, and avoiding the expense and
waste Of storage IN the cellars, for they go from
the fields Immediately 10 the factories.
ODDS AND ENDS
A cheese factory Is III opera near Presque
Isle. 1t has been Ia operation five years. Ii
makes 1900 pounds u day IN the helgh of the sea
son for the manufacture. Caeese sells ut the fac
tory for ten cents per pound. But the most of the
product is for the owners of the milk, who pay
"a cents pei pound to the factory tor making.
just over the Inc IN Maysvilie n drying house is
being erected 10 dry sugar beets before they are
sent to Portland to be manufactured. The pro-
cess rednces the weight of the beets eighty per
cent. max ing u large reduction in the cost OF
transportation. Considerable numbering is still
done on the Aroostook. 1t Is estimated that 75
OOO QUO feet OF lumber went out of the Arooslooh
luto the ST. John last Spring; this is beside what
Is manu- actlred on the river, which is quite a.
amount. Wheat produces about thirty bushels to
the acre. Potatoes produce from $50 to 500 and
600 bushels
AT CARIBOU.
Friday afternoon our parry babe adieu to Pressure
Isle aud took the road 10 Caribou, twelve miles
distant, teams being furnished by the citizens fie,
of expense to US, at Fort Fairfield. Twas IN
the team with the driver of 1858, as before, but
both driver aud horses were livelier than on the
trip from Fort Fairfield to Presque Isle. w,
found more hills on the way than we had seen
but the farms looked well and the crops seem, d
abundant. On the Journey we called upon . NJ
arney, at h's place, who was once kennebecer,
but ls now confirmed believer in Aroostook, with
good farm and other things to match.
Arrived at the hotel 10 Caribou vs. found the
good people OF the place had already apr opriateo
The whole party and were there prepared to take
the editorial cmps and ladies to their homes
Mayor Rowell and wife and myself and wife had
the good fortune to become the guests of Hon. L.
X hing and wife, who have pleasant residenc,
in the village. Mr.. King is a native of Oxford
partnership with him one year. He came 10
AroostOok county thirteen years ago, and has new
ef regretted his change of residence. He has u
large law Practice and farms a little, las he says
He has more than eight hundred acres of land
aud will raise this year one thousand bushels OF
gram. He has ten horses, nine horned cattle, am
barns big enough to hold his crops. He was
member Of The House 10 " and 70, and mem
Der of the Executive Council in II. He is live,
able, large hearted man. and a rising man in his
county. His wife would grace the best society in
any OF our cities.
Caribou i, one OF the most enterprislnC smart
est places IN Aroostook. Besides excellent a.ri
cultural resources, it has considerable m4nuf4c.
turing business, Is the center of large trade ano
lie terminus of branch OF the New Brun-wirh
toauow gauge) Railroad. 1t cos, the town sbo :,
SD 900 10 get the railtoad extended from F,r
l. iiiteid to Carbon, the distance beipy lively
mics. The p0pu atom of he town 10 1860 ".
Z9fi 10 1870 II VA l4lO, valuation 10 1860 @26
2oi' nov about $3.50 900 1t has one church, au
an 'ther nearly lsnrd. has gra led schools, wit
about twenty four week. year al publc school.
aud private school Spring and + al 1t hs,mll,.
on The Atooslook uvrr, aud on The Carbon anG
Mhdiwaska streams, ali Of which run through
hints. lew of the farmers we may mention:
Jacob iIardson was one of the first settlers a
h nnebecer Has about Two hundred acres o.
land which he cleared himself. Has fine building
and Is prosperous.
Salmon Jones, formerly from Tuoer, andre