The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-09-28
Presque Isle, Sept. 25th 'e4.

PIesque Isle, Sept. 25th '94.
This is the best time of the year to
visit Aroostook. The beauty and pros
perity OF the garden of Maine" are now
most eloquent. The journey hither from
Houlton, up the ST. John and Aroostook
river valleys is delightful. The frost
came fortnight ago. 1t blighted the
vegetable gardens, but in compensation
it gloriied the landscape. One sees few
gre; black forests Of spruce and pine
in the Aroostook valley. The bright
yellow and reds of the birches and
naples, in myriad shades, are every
where. The Instant hillsides are huge
gardens of flowers. This is true of both
the st. John and the Aroostook valleys
The one is as beautiful as the other.
But how about the prosperity? In the
latter great brown ten-acre patches of
field are almost as numerous as the
hes of hay stubble. Men land
women too) are at work on these blown
patches which are also dotted with
scores of barrels. Ninety barrels of pota-
toes to the acre is about the average.
Large and well-buiIt farm houses and
barns are numerous along the valley
from Fort Fairfield to Pressure ISLE
But is there a similar scene ia the St.
John valley? Why don't they raise such
great crops, of potatoes there? Are tbs
people incapable or is the country differ
emit? No. There is no market for the
ST. John valley. The Aroostook valley
is protected. But they have taken off
this year ten cents of the former 25 cents
tariff on potatoes, and it will make a
difference. The Prince Edward Island
and Nova Scotia potatoes will be more
formidable competitors than heretofore.
They have the advantage of the cheap
freight by water to the great American
cities. But who gets that ten cents a
bushel? Will potatoes be that much
cheaper at the retail stores? Everybody
knows that they will not Will lum Der
be any cheaper to the consumers because
now it is free? The Portland lumbe
dealers will tell you no.
A party of Presque Isle people were
coming home on the train last week.
They were farmers and their wives, and
tuCy udu UOOu duOCAOlilS t1O 0hhuol COn~
vention of the Seventh Day Adventists
at BATH They had had a delightful
two weeks vacation. Eight went from
Presque Isle, and six from Houlton.
One young man said that his hay and
grain were all harvested before he went,
and he should begin to dig potatoes on
his return. He had Is acres to dig,
acre. That would be ITO barrels. They
are worth now from IS to so cents in the
field But he will keep most of them
for higher prices in the winter. He will
average from dollar to dollar and a
half and he will clear from 60 cents to
dollar per barrel. He will clear from
his potato crop at least $500.
Besides this he has the profit of his
hay and grain crops. He is the proprie-
tor of comfortable home. of span of
handsome black horses, and of course,
hens, etc. He has the time and money
to take his wife on a two weeks vaca ton
trip to city 200 miles away.
And he is no exceptional CASE He is
not of unusual education or intelligence.
He is simply son of the soil, indus
trious and temperate. He could not
earn the same money in city or in any
other way. His nature wouldn't admit
of it. And as he himself would say had
they made potatoes, as well as wool and
lum Der, free, it would have spoiled his
prosperity.
A potato-digger in operation is worth
seeing. Most of the big farms have one.
1t looks like moving machine without
the knife. The iron wheels sink deep
into the earth and the diggers, between
them, sink deeper and throw up a
stream of earth and tops and weeds and
potatoes that pour forth from the rear
of the machine and fall on the ground.
When one thinks of the labor of picking
up the potatoes, it seems as if they might
be caught as they fall. But earth and
tops would have to be caught also, and
they could not be sorted as they are,
when picked up by hand. The machine
A starch factory is even more interest
Ing when seen for the first time. They
are all in operation now. There is one