Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-06-09
New England Agriculture not De-
clinipg.

I tHf Juut nuluiti VI tDf w"
Magazine we feel like expressing to him
hearty thanks. This article Ia on the
some what WORKOUT one Of the decline Of
farming in New England-a subject
about which certain Free Trade journals
have for the last year or two been pub
fishing the most doieful stories based
almost wholly upon vague statements
rather than upon figures of accepted
| trustworthiness. Mr.. Chase clearly
shows that New England has not de-
clined in what Horace Greeley has called
"the noblest Of professionalism which
Washington called so before him-that
Of farming. nor is it in danger of becom.
Ing depopulated or abandoned.
In the business OF farming there must
be u standard, line drawn somewhere.
which shall separate the profitable from
| the Improbable land; or in other words
which shall decide what land Is to be
cultivated, and what not. This stand
ard Mr.. Chase says exists in rent In the
sense that there will be some land under
cultivation which gives no more than
the ordinary return to capital and labor,
aud which, therefore, yields no rent.
Whenever, by aeeessions of new aud
rich territory the standard is raised, that
which before was no-rent land. yielding
barely the ordinary return to capital and
labor, now fails to make that return,
and evidently must be cultivated at
loss II at all. Now with farming In
Maine and generally throughout New
England during the last few years, it
has been more for the interest OF the
farmer to continue the cultivation of his
land even though he has received less
than ordinary rate of return on
his capital invested in farm, tools
and team, or for his own labor and that
Of his men. that It would for him to do
less work or raise less crops. Hence
the farmer carries on his farm at an
actual loss until favorable opportunity
comes for changing his method of crop
ping, raising different stock. or reinvest.
ing his capital in another direction.
This IL Just what Maine and New Eng
land frrmers have been doing while
would be reformers, who are really
alartnists. have been declaiming about
the abandonment OF Eastern farms. But
this il Just what manufactures, mer-
chants and other business men have been
doing under similar conditions. There
are years when the factory don't return
a dividend, when the store barely meets
expenses, when the business suffers
from an of year, close competition or
other causes. Such things are common
in business life. Should the farm, which
is only another kind Of II factory, be an
exception to the general rule?
But the figures actually show that
New England agriculture has not de-
clined during the years ls70-lsSs. From
accurate returns made to the Depart
ment Of Agriculture, M actual increase
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