News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-03-15
LITTLE sEBOOLIS,S HAY CROPS.
How Maine Lake of 800 Acres Ex-
tent Was Made Profitable.


Bangor people are not altogether
given to the cutting and manufacture
OF lumber and such branches of trade as
naturally follow these interests, for she
cuts more hay than any city, town, or
plantation IN Maine, and some OF the
best OF farmers and dairymen reside
within her limits. Some of her wealthy
men, who have retired from trade, take
much interest in farming, paying special
attention to hay culture, among them
being Messrs. s. and J. Adams, who
for period of nearly thirteen years
have been developing for hay raising
what was once known on the map of
Maine as Little Seboosis Lake, 500
acres in extent, and the work and the
results may be of interest to the readers
of the Journal,
Little Seboosis Lake in 1873 was stu
ated in the Town of Rowland, a few
miles from the mouth of the Piscataquls,
being basin Of hard clay, having COW
erlng of about three feet of black muck.
In the northwestern corner was brook,
running to the Piscataq,1is River, which,
when the snow melted in the Spring,
was an outlet, and in the summer, when
the lake became low, changing to an in
let, the water oozing from the river.
On the easterly side, running north
and south, parallel with the lake, was
Seboosis stream, separated from the lake
by horseback and distant only twenty
rods. This stream was thirty feet below
the lake, affording a splendid chance to
drain the larger body.
Messrs. Adams, owning all the land
about the lake, cut ditch through the
horseback, and then had, had they chos-
en- to utilize it, fine water power, there
being fall of thirty feet in distance
of twenty rods, and having also, besides
the 500 acre reservoir, the water which
would flow in from Piscataquis.
But the operators were after O hay
field, and to obtain it, next dug a ditch
through the muck to carry away the
water which was to flow in when the
summer came, and then sowed, on the
snow, IT'S bushels of Timothy, costing
1904. The idea was first to obtain
sward, and, this succeeded, although
the grass grew in punches and much OF
the sowing was lost.
It was almost impossible to get at all
that did grow, but some was cut, and
the next move was to thoroughly ditch
the land, finally drawing off all the
water. A fair crop was cut the next
year. and at this time barn was built,
100X40. Such hay as was cut was OF the
best kind, and the process of gathering
continued several years, portion not
cut being burnt over.
On this latter land grew sort OF tire
weed, which finally spread and killed
out the grass. The only thing to do
now was to food the land again, which
was done, and this remained so for two
years, when the water was again drained
off, and timothy again sowed, and an
other barn built.
Previous to tho flooding the land had
cracked into blocks of about twelve
inches square, but after the second
flooding the muck settled, and the land
has since been in good shape.
Since the last operation the crop has
been steadily on the increase, and there
is now cut, on $50 acres, about 300 tons
of hay, which, i'll years past, has been
sent to Boston, where it has been sold
to the owners of trotters and other valu-
able animals.
One year the crop was sold at the rail
road station, about ten miles away. This
was in 1881, and the price realized was
$40 per ton, one man taking 1000
worth. This year the Canadian Pacific
people, who are operating near by, took
the crop, paying $12 at the barns.
It required no attention and no dress
ing to raise the crop, and the owners de-
clare the soil to be the finest grass grow
ing land known, and expect in the near
future to get nearly, if not quite, two
tons to the acre.