Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1885-07-23

He Gives the Reasons Why it fs Not q
Great Agricultural State.

He Gives the Reasons Why It is Not Q
Great Agricultural State.
The state of Maine is a good place
with which to experiment with pro-
hibition, but it is not good place
to farm it in very largely.
In the first place, the season is
generally little reluctant. When I
was up near Moosehead lake short
time ago people were driving across
that body of water on the ice with
perfect impunity. That is one thing
that interferes with the farming busi-
ness in Maine. II a young man is
sleigh riding every night till mid
night, he don't feel like hoeing corn
the following morning. Any man
who has ever had his feet frostbitten
while bugging potatoes viii agree
with me that it takes away the charm
Of pastrol pursuits. It is this desire
to amalgamate dog days and Santa
Claus that has injured Maine as an
agricultural hot-bed.
Another reason that might be as
signed for refraining from agricultu-
raj pursuits in Maine is that the agi-
tator of the soil finds when it is too
late that soil itself, which is essen
tial to the propagation of crops, has
not been in use in Maine for years.
While all over the state there Is a
magnificent stone foundation on
which farm might safely rest, the
superstructure, or farm proper, has
not been secured.
If had known when / passed
through Minnesota and Illinois what
a soil famine there was in Maine I
would have brought some with me.
The stone crop this year in Maine
will be very great. If they do not
crack open during the dry weather
there Will be great many. The
stone bruise is also looking unusally
well for this season of the year, and
chillblains were IN full bloom when I
was there.
In the neighborhood of Pittsfeld
the country seems to run largely to
cold water and chattel mortgages.
Some think that rum has always kept
Maine back, but I claim that it has
been wet feet. In another Sabbath
morning talk will refer to the mat
ter Of rum in Maine more fully.
The agricultural resources of Pitts
field and vicinity are great, the prin-
cipal exports being spruce gum and
Christmas trees. They were not yet
in bloom when visited the state. so
it was too early to gather popcorn
balls and Christmas presents.
Here, near Pittsfeld, is the birth
place of the only original wormless
dried apple pie with which We gener-
ally insult our gastric economy when
We lunch along the railroad. These
pies, when properly Kindred and
rivetted, with German silver mono
gram on top, il fitted out with Yale
time lock, make the best fire end
burglar-proof wormless pies of COM
, merce. They take the place Of civil
war, and as promoter of intestine
strife they have no equal.
II The farms in Maine are fenced II
{ with stone walls. I do not know
why this is done for did not sc,
, anything on these farms that any on,
I would naturally yearn to carry ava,
with him.
/ saw some sheep in one Of thes
enclosures. Their steel-pointed bill
were lying on the wall near them, an,
they were resting their jaws in tn
> crisp frosty morning air. In anothe
enclosure a farmer was plantin
: clover seed with hypodermic 81
fringe, and covering it with mustar
. plaster. He said that last year hi
. clever was a complete failure bt
>. cause his mustard plasters were n
Ilgood. He had tried to save none
- by using secondhand mustard plat
ters, and of course the clover sees
missing the warm stimulus ,neglecte
70 to rally. and the crop vas q failur.
i, Here may be noticed the eanval
back moose and a strong antipath
>, to good rum. do not wonder th,
the people Of Maine are hostile I,
rum-if they judge all rum by Mair
!. rum. The moose is one of the mo-
gamey Of the finny tribe. He
caught in the fall Of the year with
;. double-barrel shotgun and a pair ,
snow shoes. He does not bite unle,
irritated, but little boys should n,
60 near the female moose while she
:, on her nest. The masculine iaool
y, wears hare lip and hat rack on b
, head.
Near Pea Cove / saw g stran,
i; sight. A farmer was rowing arour
:. over his cranberry orchard in o skii
1 stood up on the stone wall al
watched him for some time, becaui
- am greatly interested in farmir
:. and dearly love to watch any OF
else who may be engaged in manu-
labor. 1t was a long time before
MT could make out what he was doin
en- At last, however, I figured it out, al
ng 1 was very much surprised, indee
IN. for I had never seen horticultu
=. carried to that extent, and as n
" Sayward would remark, Il thong
ac- he was carrying that thing too far
,o1 Af-- iii 11..f.t -