Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-06-30

\ Wild t611 susloie SeS llFtals taa us- w
\ tanned ~ low prices, out OF which 4 man
Of csarage and energy can hew for him
self a h0x- and Ia 4 few years look ocs
apsa bross. and fertile fields Of his own.
In ArocstsoS this opportunity exssts.
and well weuid il be ID most cases Tor
the yeusg men OF the farming seefioas
Of Hains whs are seeking for chance
10 estabifsh hsines for themselves 10 look
hifherwasd instead Of wandering away
TO the far West with its aGaesustomed
and in many instances Gpeongenial asso-
ciAtions. and with the many hsrd-niPs
and priyafions which Milne bred man
mast there eneouf-er-
In ysurneyinx Through Arssstssk
and looking over the faany beautiful
farms 20 be foand Ia all the towns ia the
Eeountg, IL will be found that while here
and there enc has been acquired By
purchase after the firm han become
smooth and capable Of easy cultivation.
BY far the most of theta, In the newer
towns especially, are oesup.ed BY men
! who eu- the first tree up4ei their present
| holdings amt who reeiaiines. these fertile
| fields from the original forest. In a ms
jOritT Of eascs these men were possessed
Of extremely limited means when they
came to their wildwood homes MANY
a time and Oft during the present season,
| while looking over broad, smooth field<
OF fifrv. sixty, or q hundred acres have
| We listened 10 the story OF the early
struggles Of the owner aud of the evo-
| luton Of the farm fFofn its wilderness
| -tate 70 its present attractive and pro
dactiVe condition. Though there we're
times during this transition state when
| things looked little hard, aud when the
| question OF bread and butter became a
| pretty serious one for a time, vet some
now they managed to pull through and
now they love to look back upon those
| early struggles which made them stardy.
| self reliant men. said Eneas 70 his band
of wandering Trojans when the prospect
| began to look dark and rations were
| scarce, at will delight you hereafter TO
| remember your gnawed treuchers." 81
these independent farmers, the pioneer.
of twenty yenrs ago, now the foremost
citizens OF their several towns, love 10
| look back upon their
Burnt Land DaJs-
aud to tell the story Of their tussle with
The wilderness. Only short time since
We visited one Of the many beautiful
farms in one Of the newer town. OF the
Aroostook Valley A broad and vel
kept road ran by set Of neatly painted
and rnfnotliou- farm buildings, the
barn capaclou- and Well finished and
stocked Sith a fine herd OF dairy cows
the house furnished az family Of taste
and culture would enjoy. Back from
the buildings stretched one continuous
field Of sixty acres. without stump OF
| stone to mar it, surface which was a-
smooth and level as lawn. Along side
the field was an ample pasture OF a later
vintage, In which the maple stumps still
stood. but where the grass grew in rich
abundance such as would make a dairy
mans heart In old kenuebec or oxford
leap with joy. In the rear of field and
pasture was a grand growth of rock
maple of many acres which Is now
cleared only as the wood is taken from
it for use In the house. As we walked
over this broad field in company with
its owner, he told US that when he came
upon the land, something over twenty
| years ago, there was not "A tree cut upon
the farm. He had just money enough
10 purchase sufficient provision to last
himself and his little family until he
could make his first clearing and get in
a crop. When his crop was In the
ground in June he had not week:
provision in the house and nc
money to buy more. His farm was
his only resource and upon this
bank he drew. Going into the
woods by the brooksides he felled the
cedar trees AVID made small load OF
shingles lie then hired neighbor
who had been lin the Il ggings" longer
than he, to take his oxen and haul these
shingles to Il distant store and exchange
them for provisions, taking his pay fol
the haul out OF the load.
"a Close Shave--but FILLED the Gap"
Early in the morning he saw his load
start and at night of the same day he
and his family ate for their supper the
last morscl of food the house contained
Their breakfast must come from the
proceeds of that load Darkness came
on and he knew that in the bad condi-
ton of the primitive roads his messen
ger could get no farther that night than
the little settlement at the mill. some
three miles away. Without fear or mis-
giving he went to bed and slept soundiy
till three o'clock, when he arose, took a
bag and went through the woods by a
|
found his load and taking "a suflicen,
quantity of provisions in his bag he re-
| tarned hv his forest path. The good
wife tnic KS wtGt to work and by the
time the little ones were up good
warm breakfast was spread upon the
table. "lt WAS close shave" said he.
but filed the gap" Other loads of
shingles supplied the family until the
| 81 ii L.. .s.f,,.a.. h.
vested my first crop have never beer
without sufficient provision in the house
for my family aud enough to spare fol-
Il guest, and every thing you see here
has come from the products of this land
and had the land to pay for in the
meantime" Where, we ask, could the
average man without means make foI
himself so good home in so short q
time, or surround himself with more q.
The comforts Of life a. the product OF
his own honest toll: This is by nc
means IN isolated case, but they can be
rouuted hy hundreds and thousands
throughout this county, and what ha.
been done can be done again and the cir
cumstancc9 and surroundings are now
far more favorable.
One o6the Finest Farms In Maine.
On the Centre line road in the good
town of Presuuc Isle il one OF the finest
farms In the State of Maine. Hundred.
of acres of land are enclosed in fertile
fields 50 smooth aud level that a sheer
could be seen from the roai on any foot
OF them Upon this farm lived aud died
Mr. Freeman Hayden. 1t was the pride
of the old mans heart, and he delighted
in nothing more than in taking stranger.
who We're visiting the county "
see his beautiful farm, aud a.
he showed them over his broad domain
he would tell them of how he came to
the place with no capital and. with the
help of his sons, made the farm what il
is to dav. Those sons still live upon the
farm, and it is an estate worth many
thousands 1t i an evidence of the fer
tiiitv aud productive value of the soil
of Aroostook that these fair farms have
in most case7 furnished the means for
their own improvement ~ we'll a. for
the payment for the land. Fields have
been cleared. good buildings have been
erected in place OF the primitive 10y
structures. stock has been placed upon
the farm and many articles OF comfort
and convenience. and some of 50 callet!
! ii&ttiifS tlattti ia t4ti fuNut ttt nOt-t.
and all. or nearly all, have been paid for
from the products of the farm To be-
sure. some farmers have sought to
help out the years returns bv
taking their teams to the lumber woods
in winter while clearing their farms,
but many of the best farms ia the county
are those upon which the owner has
wholly depended for his support and for
his improvements.
Opening Up New section
In the northeastern part of the old
! town of Maysviile. now part of the