The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1885-03-26

exception of single point near its northern
limits shut out from the advantages of rail
communication with the rest of the State and
The great markets of the country. But with
new line now built to Ellsworth, and prospec-
lively to Sullivan. Machas, and Calais, this
new shore line will open up vast extent of
territory, develop water-power, advance manu-
factures of many kinds, and greatly aid agri-
culture by creating new and ready market for
all productions of the farm.
THE DIKED MARSHES OF MACHIAS RIVER.
Along the Machas and East Machias Rivers
are extensive tracts of salt marsh lands the
chief portion Of which has been diked for the
purpose of keeping out the sea, and for the
growing of better quality of grass than on
land exposed to the action of the sea. One of
these diked marshes is on the east side of
Machas River, half mile below the village of
Machias, and has been diked nearly fifty wears
The dixie was built by throwing up the marsh
earth along the banks of the river. and it is
generally feet thick at the bottom and 6 feet
high. At some points. however, as where the
dixie crosses the mouths of the creeks, or eX-
tends over long extent of low land. it is 80
feet across at The base and u feet high. In
consequence OF the soft character of the marsh
soil ii quite frequently gets broken away bv
the overflow of high tides, and in many places
II has been found necessary to protect the dixie
by heavy planking on the sea side. Before
this marsh was diked the sea flowed in over its
= IL
Il coarse and quite worthless water grass of
little economic value. The grass now growing
upon II Is mixture Of herd>grass, clover, red
or brown top, and fowl meadow. The clover
grows fine and thick and forms thick bottom;
the herdsgrass grows very heavy, and the
whole is cut with machine. If left to stand
too late the timothy is liable to rust.
Upon a small river known as Middle River,
emptying into Machias River near Machias
village, Is a marsh Of some 400 acres, which
was dlked some fifteen or eighteen wears ago at
a cost Of about $4,000. The dixie was built
across the mouth of the river, some so rods in
length. This dixie was not built from the low
soil (or rather from the marsh soiD, as in case
of the one just described, but the earth for this
dixie was taken from he upland near by, max
ing a much trmer and more substantial dixie
The result of this dixie was that the land on the
upper portion of the river bottom, back from
the dixie, was quite readily improved, and pro-
duced a better quantity and quality of grass :;
but nearer the mouth of the river did not so
readily yield to the work of improvements
There the better kinds of grass for wears
steadily refused to grow, and only the coarser
kinds of Water-gra>ses held lodgment, while
for many Years large spots We're quite bare of
vegetation. 1t was thought the presence of so
much salt in the soil was the reason the cuIti-
waited grasses did not at first succeed But it is
said the first marsh reclaimed was long time
coming fully under Improvement, and for
many years after the dixie was first constructed
the English grasses persStently refused to be-
come attached firmly to the new soil. So far as
| am aware, these are the only instances of the
reclaiming of large tracts of salt marsh land in
our State.
Hancock County is very irregular in outline,
having coast indented by many harbors and
bays, and the land surface is uneven Indeed
the coast of this county is said to be ..thicker
sci with tirst-class bays, harbors, and islands
than any other seaboard of equal length on the
Atlantic coast" There are about three hun
dred islands within the countys seaboard
limits, two hundred and seventy of which are
sufficiently large to be noted on the county
map. Six towns are islands, six are pennsll-
las, and twenty-five are washed by salt water
The largest island within the county is the
largest and most conspicuous OF any upon the
whole Atlantic coast-Mount Desert-famous
as a summer resort and Watering-place. The
county has celebrated deposits of copper and
lead ores. which have been operated to large
extent. Immense ranges of both white and
red granite traverse the county, and being
within easy reach of water communication,
are being quarred to such an extent as to
render them important business interests of
the county. The fisheries of thea county, to-
gether with ship-building, give employment to
large numbers of men, while in the interior
towns numbering is one of The leading business
pursuits. The wild land area of Hancock
County is 53O, ,499 acres. or the area which is
unlmproved one-half of it may be regarded AS
profitable for pasturage only-grazing ground
for million sheep-and the half remaining
would make 1892 farms of 70 acres each.
Few counties in Maine are better adapted to
sheep husbandry than Hancock. About three
hfths OF Its land area is not well adapted for
tillage land, in consequence of its rough sur
face; but is well adapted for sheep-walks. In
1870 the county had 10000 sheep, and in 1880
it had 23,525. Mr. Samuel Wasson, most
intelligent agricultural writer, in speaking of
this subject in 1878, said:
tTEIun1radS nf onr w oSta anrac-oQ ,nroo r.,
one sheep-are standing upon the assessors
books at value of but 70 cents an acre, which
as sheep pastures would pay an interest of
from $3 to " per acre, provided we were rid
of our twenty ty-fOur hundred dogs."*
Dogs are the great hindrance to the extension
of profitable sheep husbandry in most parts of
Maine.
Statistics show that in 1915 dealers in only
three towns in the county received 1880 dOz-
ems of eggs. In the same proportion for other
towns, the egg production for the county would
be $40 900 dozens annually.
Cranberries are receiving considerable atten-
ton from the farmers in Hancock County,
which has thousands and thousands of acres
of low, wet, swampy land worthless for culti-
walton, which might be made productive and
remunerative if given up to cranberry culture.
The towns of Surry, Lamoine, Hancock,
Franklin, and Eden are quite prominently de-
voted to the growing of this crop. 1t is an
industry which offers a good opening for its
more extensive prosecution in this county.
sEA-ISLAND SHEEP HUsBANDRY.
Along the Maine coast are many islands
which are well adapted to the grazing or keep
ing of sheep throughout the year, with no
shelter but such as is afforded by the low ever
greens growing upon the islands, and without
feeding them during the winter from stored
forage. OF the instances of successful sea-
island sheep-farming in Maine | note the fol-
lowing
Mr.. Gilbert Longfelow, of Machias, owns
an island of 400 acres, situated in English
mans Bay, south of the town of JonesbolOugh.
agriculture of Maine, 1873, Second Part, page
236.