Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-11-11
CAPITAL GRANGE.
Interesting opinions Concsguing the
Successes and Failures In Fakn
Crops.

After the regular business at the session Of
Capital Grange last Saturday evening ths
subject for discussion, Successes and Fail
ures in Farm Crops the Past Season." Va,
introduced by the lecturer, Mrs. c. NJ. Gid
den, who called on VIM. p .Atherton OF
Granite Hill Farm. Hallowell. to open the
discussion. MIR. Atherson stated that OF
general principles the success or failure OF
farming depended largely on the character
of the soil. the distance from markets. the
season and more than all On the maxi. up Of
the farmer himself His foresight in wisely
planning, his energy in pushing the work a
the proper time, his wise determination in
working the soil only when In proper con.
dition, his good judgment in using fertilizer
ard the wise selection of seed. and his hap.
py faculty Of doing all parts Of the work Il
the proper time and carefully looking after
every detail of the business, would in q
great measure overcome many unfavoFable
conditions. In speaking of his own successes
and failures the past season he stated
that he made specially Of only two crops,
namely hay and fruit. He had succeeded
in killing out all foul weeds from his helds
and had harvested bountiful and clean crop
of hay, all in first class condition, which
would bring the highest price in the market.
He believed ia topdressing orchard lands in
stead of plowing. Had tried il successfully
by spreading barnyard manure every alter
nate year, using disc harrow between the
rows of trees in both directions. The result
was to greatly improve the fruit both in
quality and quantity. His potatoes on which
he built high hopes were partial failure but
thought he saw his mistakes and should REM
edy them next year. Had abandoned the
raising Of wheat and corn, because he could
buy flour and meal much cheaper than he
could raise them He considered good
sized wood lot in the vicinity of Augusta
better than a gold mine
John II. Yeston Of Chelsea prefxced his
remarks by alluding to the question Of aban
doned farms which is at the present time be.
ing agitated in the newspapers. He claimed
that in reality there were no sn III thing as
abandoned farms in the State of Maine.
There were undoubtedly many "staying
places" in the State, shanties or small houses
built to temporarily shelter families while
cutting of the lumber from lands which
would support nothing else, and when the
lumber was all gone the house " tn its little
clearing Was left but wherever n piece of
land worthy of the name of farm had been
taken up and cleared, the Old roof still shell.
tered a farmers family or else had been pur
chased by more enterprising ueighbor whose
acres were too few and now helped to make
up larger farm, while its old buildings had
been torn down or suffered to 20
to decay. He referred TO a patch Of
sweet corn which he had cultivated
the past season, hiring man to pick the ears
to haul to the canning factory while he wa.
attending the Grange Fair; but when he cut
the fodder for his cows he found that much
of the corn remained on the stocks, and bad
made up his mind that had he fed il ali "
his cows he would be better off a. he had
received no pay for his corn sold, but his
cows had paid him in = largely increased
flow of milk while eating what remained.
Columbus Cotile of Augusta, said that his
experience did not uphold the theory that
potatoes would not do we'll planted on the
same piece Of ground year after year. lie
bad an acre of land near his house which had
been under the plough for twenty -one years
that one half Of it had been planted with
potatoes every year, alternating from one
side TO the other, while the other
half had been planted or sown with
other crops; that the present year on
bushels of as good potatoes as he had ever
seen.
1t was the general testimony that the oat
crop had been very light 'heush rs al ex-
ceptioD. Chss. f. Fischer mentioned a
nelgbb0r Of his VITO had har, este d the pres.
ent season field which yielded sixty bushels
to the acre, but from twenty to thirty bushels
seemed to be the average crop. The discus
sion was a very interesting one and vas
listened to atien'ively throughout while the
speakers were often Piled with questions for
explanations or 10 bring out more clearly the
stateme nts they nisde.