The Somerset reporter., 1896-02-13
Youthful Scenes Revisited.

Youthful Scenes Revisited.
While spending the principal part Of
the summer in the central p4rt of my
native state, Maine, my first visit there
since leaving in 1898, | was little sur
prised 10 see the growing crop Of corn.
oats, potatoes beans and hav. a. veil
as vegetables, in "A "stcfiler country. r.
ported IN the west to he TO cold aud III
productive to make farming profitable.
While there j. less acreage OF eultiyat.
cd lands thar IN The west, The weld per
acre Is fully as good and mostly Of better
quality, all Of which finds a ready home
market al good prices. Oat. sell from
- to 60 cents, corn from 80 10 ~ cent.
beans, Of which large quantities afe
raised, sell from s. to $50 per bu.hel.
haY.from $40 to Sll per ton The same
Is true Of butter, eggs, poultry. eattle.
sheep aud lambs. The gra-s grown ia
Maine i far superior to that in tie wet:
cattle thrive well throughou5 the winter
season, fed on hay only, and when turn
ed into the rich and JUICY pastures.
where they have access 10 clear running
water, fatten readily for tie market
| Their usual feeding season is seven
mouths, turning out to pasture the first
OF May. and we in Ohio cannot discount
that many days. The country IN the
northern part Is very mountainous and
Is covered with, seemingly, an almost
| inaccessible forest of beautiful pine
spruce, fir and cedar; also birch and
maple, which Is being cut aud transport.
ed down the kennebec, Penobseot and
| tributary streams to the mills and
factories located at short intervals along
the rivers, there to be converted from
the log into different kinds of lumber.
spools and paper.
1t will be readily admitted that Maine,
| lying mostly north of II degrees. has
the same right to its cold winters aud
deep SNOW as the western and southern
states have to their hot sultry summers
and squally winters; but the pure balmy
summer air. sparkling, clear aud never
failing water, its beautiful winding
streams and numerous lakes, filled with
trout, salmon, perch and piekerel and
other fish, render Maine pleasant re-
sort for the many who GO there To spend
their summer vacations. You will quite
naturally say that farming land in 50
| prosperous state must be high. This
Is not the case, but to the contrary.
The only cause, in my opinion, Is that
| the many industries, such as numbering
and fshlng, together with the numerous
wooden and cotton factories, spool. pulp
and paper mills, with the immense
quarrles of slate, MAJ bic aud granite,
furnish employment at high prices, for
all the young of both sexes. and many
of the middle aged would rather work
i'll The factories where they can have the
benefit OF town life than to stay on the
old farm. This takes from the farm the
labor required to make it profitable, and
IN many cases the parents wishing 10 be
with their children, leave the tarm and
go to the village to make home aud
more convenient boarding place tor their
families, consequently there are few left
to work the farm, and as help is scarce
and. wages high, it hardly pays to run il,
aud none left to purchase it and many
wishing to sell at almost any price the
property they cannot use, renders farm
land very low and must continue to re-
main so until the boys and girls con-
elude to leave the factories and go back
to farming, or until emigration from
other sections conclude that farming in
Maine is good healthy and prosperous
business. | will give one instance of
low prices A man settled about the year
1916, within three miles of the village of
Wellington in Somerset county, on $50
acres Of wild land, he cleared and im-
proved said farm and as his nine children
became of age gave each 81 900, making
$4,000 which he accumulated-the pro
Ion do ~ tatE ta, 1
crossed the river which divides this from
the future state and the farm has chang
ed owners several times. The buildings
could not be built for less than 81 200
aud the place is in a fair state of cultiva-
ton. The owner had one acre of pota-
toes. two of corn and beans. six acres of
oats, together with his hay crop, all
looking well; yet he was anxious TO sell
it. crops and all for $500. know this
10 he Il fact for he wished me to purchase
it, and if had been 10 years younger
would surely have done. so. This may
be an exception, but there are many near
ly, if not quite as good places to invest.
have always entertained the highest
respect for Horace Greeley's saving.
~ Dung man, go west" for | think it
vas good advise 40 years ago. But can
not help thinking that if his lifeless re-
mains could be rpsuscitated and he could
glance over the beautiful, rich and cheap
farms of Maine, he would today with
equal good sense say, "N Dung man, 90
east
While | would not advise anyone own
ing good home in Ohio, Michigan or
Illinois to sell and 60 to any other state
or county, if young or middle aged and
without ii home or farm. go to the state
of Maine rather than go west, where
severe droughts, cyclones and hot winds
are liable to destroy in one day whole
years hard toll or, if successful in rails
ing full crop it must be sold at almost
ruinous prices. Go east. where you can
purchase a good beautiful home at less
price than in the west, but when YOU 90.
stay by the farm as many have done and
are NOW enjoying the fruits of their labor
on productive farms, with good build
ings, splendid roads, with all the school
privileges, from the common schools to
the colleges. academies and seminaries