The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-03-20
Maine Farmer vi ea. Prize.


In appreciation of the efforts which the
farmers OF our State have made in the grow
ing of wheat in answer to our calls; and as
still further inducement toward the raising
of large yields, the better preparation of the
land, and more intensive culture for the
wheat crop, the propretors of the Maine
Farmer hereby offer a prize of one hun
dred dollars in cash, in three premiums,
to be paid to the successful competitors in
the fall OF 1879, upon the following condi-
tions:
1. On the part of the proprietors of
the Maine Farmer. The money will be
placed in the hands of the Treasurer of the
State Agricultural Society, the Trustees of
have the entire control of the matter, and
who shall. as soon as may be after the har-
vest OF 1879 is completed, award the same in
premiums OF $780, $50 and 500, respectively to
those farmers in Name who shall grow the
largest amount of wheat per acre. the second
largest. and the third largest.
2. On the part of the competitors.
Farmers who intend to compete for this pre-
mum shall signify such intention to us on
or before June LIST, 1879, at which time the
list OF competitors will be published in our
columns. The land on which the crop is
grown shall consist of one acre of 4S40 square
yards which shall be measured by sworn
surveyor, or by one of the selectmen OF the
town IN which the competitor resides. The
yield of the crop shall be given in bushels
and quarts, and statement, sworn to before
a Justice Of the Peace, shall be presented to
the Committee after the same is harvested.
containing the yield of the acre, the method
OF preparing the ground, mode OF culture,
&c. Blanks for this pun pose will be provided
in due season for all competitors.
The Knack that Farmers Need.
Young men going to farming, or old ones
for that matter, starting on the same road,
might as well understand at ouce that
successful paper, a successful merchant or
successful farmer is never made to order.
Rarely, indeed, has any one made money in
the exact way he expected to make it.
There may be the general plan and this may
be carried out pretty hearly as mapped; hut
the filling in the detail, comes after. The
one who succeeds, as general thing, is the
one who has the knack of Selling on crcum-
stances quickly as they arise, and turning
them to good advantage.
Tue most OF these successful farmers, too,
are those who fixed themselves toleraby
closely to one place They may not have
acted with the best judgment in locating
themselves, but instead of trying to mend
this error, undertook to make the best of it.
1t is almost impossible for any man, let him
be ever so experienced fsrmer, to tell at
once what his ground ia best fitted for, under
an experience of two or three years; but
when once the knowledge is gained, he can
push this more and more every year; and it
is these special superior productions which
tell. Beside all this, what farmer is going to
get for his crops is OF as much importance to
him as the ability of the soil to bring them TO
perfection: and this market KNOWLEDGE ia also
thing of growth, which one can rarely tell
to another.
La brief, the successful farmer is the one
who knows how to feel his way. To such an
one it is almost impossible to tell what he
should grow. He must begin cerefully and
tnd out for himself.-G Germantown Tele-
graph.