Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-05-27
PROS ERoUs PRODUCERS.
interesting Interview with the Secretary Of
the Fsard Of Agriculture.
fortune Smiling Serenely upon the
Farmers Of the Pine Tree state.
Some Facts that Young Men With thu
western Fever Should Heed.
HAPPY I'm Anticipation or An
other Year Of High Prices,

Augusta the other day looking after hi. forth.
coming report. There is no man in Maine
whose opinion is worth more on agricu,,ura,
topics than Mr. Gilbert's. He is practical
farmer. has been a member of the Bna,d n,
Agriculture for dozen years. and its Secre.
tary Tor the past two years. In the discharge
OF his duties he visits every section of Maine
and is acquainted with all the leading farmer.
OF the State. 1t is bonanza to reporter To
encounter man like Mr. Gilbert. and on,
agricultural readers will appreciate the inter
view.
In reply to the question, sHow are the
farmers of Maine prospering?" Mr.. GiIber,
said:
Nicely. There hasn't been a more pros.
porous year for farmers for MANY wears than
the last. Prices of all kinds of farm products
have been high. and farmers are making
money We are full of courage for the future
larger area will be devoted to crops this
year than ever before. Farmers are purchas.
ing improved machinery and spending more
money on
THE HIRED Man.
Improvements are going on all around.
New houses and barns are being built. and
the paint brush is being used more literally
on the old buildings"
Then Maine farmers are feeling the bust
ness boom, are they?"
GAS much as anv class. Look AT the nrices
they have been getting for produce Potatoes
sell from 81 90 to 81 90 bushel apples from
81 30 to $500 a barrel; butter, 80 cents a
pound; fat cattle Sll a hundred on the foot.
dressed weight, and other things proportion
ally high"
Yes. prices have been pretty airy" assent
ed the scribe. 81 suppose You are all getting
rich?"
mo, sir. But there has been very graf
flying increase in The material prosperity of
Maine farmers within the past decade. They
have more ready money. You see this prac-
tically illustrated every day. 1t is now the
tendency among the most progressive agri-
culturists to work up the raw product on the
farm; to transmute the hay, corn and coarser
. feed into beef, mutton, wool, pork and dairy
products. Farmers are not denuding the
forests so extensively as formerly to get lit.
tie cash in hand, and are increasing the pro-
ductive capacity of their farms and the fertil-
ity of the SOIL
''Did the farmers last year gather full
CROP"
SIN some articles they did, in others they
did not. Potatoes were rather failure in
some counties, but this was more than re-
deemed bv the enormous apple crop. When
crops are light, farmers are more economical
in the consumption and waste of the product
at home, and put larger proportion of the
crop on the market than in years when the
yield is more bOuntiful.
BEEF CATTLE.
''What makes beef so high2' asked the re-
porter. eff prices keep on advancing we shall
have to become vegetarians
There are several reasons. In 1872 we
had what was known as the 'grasshnpper
year Swarms of these insects devastated
our moving fields, and made the hay crop so
light that farmers were obliged to thin out
their stock. so that have been short in
cattle in Maine ever since. Then the immi-
grants who pour into this country by mvriads
have to purchase cattle for their farms. and
this makes a tremendous drain on stock
supply. Brighton butchers have long had
Il cir eve on all the promising cattle down
here. Maine oxen are also exported in large
numbers. The shippers find that our best
fattened working oxen endure the hardships
of an ocean voyage better than the wild west
ern cattle. More good steers are being sent
out of Maine than ever before, and farmers
generally are raising their calves instead of
killing them 10 meet tne ueHdnu
Il should think this demand for cattle
would make farmers pay more attention to
stock raising"
at does We are raising better cattle for
dairy purposes than ever before, also better
beef cattle"
PORCINF.
Farmers are making money in pork this
year. are they not!'
Eyes. During the past year pork has
commanded a very satisfactory price,"
Il should think farmers would go into
swine raising more extensively"
"Well, they are raising more swine than
formerly. II is no uncommon thing for some
of our dairvmen to butcher from % to 30 hogs
annually. More attention is being given to
improying the breed of hogs. Blood tells in
a hog as well in any other animal The
favorite variety for white inc seems to be
the White Chester and Yorkshire, and in
black swine the Blsckshre and the Poland
China Maine farmers are also learning WIS
dom in another direction. They do not grow
their hogs to so great weight as formerly,
hut fatten and kill them in a few months
time. 1t is universal rule, that pound OF
meat can be grown on young animal cheap
er than on an older one
..Where do farmers dispose of their pork:
..There are quite number of packing es-
Establishments in the State. large amount
is hacked for consumption in the lumber re-
gions."
"Does il paw to raise hogs?'
SIT does under the best system of keeping
them
SHEEP.
"Naine is becoming great sheep-growing
State. according to the census returns
..The number is increasing very rapidly
sspecially in Franklin and Somerset counties
MANY farmers make specially OF sheep
raising, and in almost every country barn
ward YOU find few sheep. In Aroostook q
great deal of attention is paid to this branch
of stock-rising There are a good many
sheen in the coast counties, but they are
mostly of an inferior variety. Sheep are
unite profitable to raise. although wool Is the
only article which is low at present. ne
hest fine wool brings 40 to ~ cents ana
coarse wool IS cents.
APPLES FOR MAINE.
..what do you think of apple-raising for
Maine?'
..Apples are the best paying crop produceo
from the land Many a mortgage has been
lined by the bountiful apple crop Of the past
two years.