The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1897-04-29
Waldo County Crop Reports.
Maine Board of Agriculture Bulletin

Maine Board of Agriculture Bulletin.
LIBERTY. The hay crop being short
last year, more care was taken to secure
rough fodder, and as large prices were ex-
pected for hay, which have not been real
ized quite a surplus of fodder is now on
hand. One hundred cows have been
pledged to furnish cream to Mr.. Lights
creamery at Union, and the farmers will
begin to put their cream there about the
first of June, | hear, VIM. II. Moody,
(Member)
MONROE The cheapness of potatoes
and the abundance OF apples have caused
many farmers to feed larger quantities of
these products than usual. But it is an
open question whether OF not it is profit
able to feed large amounts of either APP
pies or potatoes. Fed in limited quanti-
ties, with the regular grain ration, they
are both healthful and nourishing; fed in
large quantities. with the idea that they
will take the place of grain, there is little,
If any, satisfaction from their use Meth
DDS Of work can hardly be intelligently
discussed in the short space allowed for
Bulletin remarks, but | will say that re-
gard spring blowing of old ground as best,
especially for cultivated crops On heavy
soil, fail blowing of sod may be best, but
on lighter soils | should prefer spring
work. Manure should be well worked
into the soil, either with the pillow or some
other implement that will thoroughly
cover it, When using fertilizers with
| other manure, | apply in hill or drill;
without manure, | apply either wholly in
drill OF part broadcast and part in hill
the method depending on soil and croe to
be grown. For some special Gro s, would
apply the whole amount broadcast. This
is the better way for garden work and
some special vegetable crops Enoch Z.
| Dow.
| WALDO. Tie wet weather last fall
made it impossible to pillow on moist land
| There will be a falling off in amount of
| land sown to oats, and an increase il
amount sown to barley. There will also
! be a slight falling off in amount planted
to corn. More grass and grain fertilizer
will be used, and less superphosplate
than in former years. The past year ia
been a hard one for farmers in this vicini-
ty, 50 much of time and money was put
into the apple crop and so little came
| back. The prices of all farm products
| have been lower, while help and trans
! portation have been as high as ever ~,
G. Harding.
| MoNTvILLE. There is no new depart
ure in cultivating from previous years.
| The same routine is followed in the va
rlous renovating crops, such as corn and
| different kinds of cereals, with all the va
rieties of garden vegetables, but they will
be cultivated on more scientific principles.
| Farmers are learning that it is to their adj
vantage to put into practice all the i'm
| provements that will be of any advantage
| in agriculture, and then they can scarcely
make both ends meet, Nothing that
| farmers raised last year could be sold to
| get money to pay taxes unless it was hay
and the sale of that is impoverishing their
| farms. Hay paid the best where it could
| be spared; apples nd not pay for picking;
potatoes almost all rotted and sold at
| low price. But still the tillers of the soil
will have to go to work with renewed en-
ergy, to get a small pittance whereby to
exc out subsistence for themselves and
families. Farmers have the advantage
| over other laborers, for they can raise
something to keep the wolf from the door;
so take courage and strike for better luck
this year. f. Hahn
MORRILL,. We shall gladly welcome
the Board Bulletin for the season of 1897.
We need all the light and knowledge that
science and practical experience in agri-
culture can shed upon farm work in all its
detail from now until the crops are har-
vested and the surplus marketed. The
demand for money to pay salaries, taxes,
dues, and charities, will be greater than
ever the coming year, while the prospect
of obtaining it from our usual sources is
poor indeed. Poultry will not do it with
eggs at ten cents. The dairy will not do
it with butter at fifteen cents. We can
not calculate on an apple crop this year,
and those in the cellar now are nil. Shall
it be potatoes? Oats? Corn? From what
shall the necessary money come to pay the
aforesaid bills? | don't know The
wealthy farmer need not look at the stu
alton in pessimistic light, but the aver
age farmer must. These things teach us
that much brain work must be employed,
and that we have got to plan wisely and
labor industriously. Much of the plough
ing will have to be done this spring. The
fertilizer will be hauled from the barn and
scattered broadcast on the burrows 1t
will be we'll worked in with the wheel or
spring tooth harrows. Oats and other
grains will be sown by hand and worked
in the same way. Corn is largely sown in
drills with a horse corn planter, with a
fertilizer attachment, which generally
puts in about 300 pounds Of some stand
ard fertilizer per acre. Potatoes also are
being planted the same way, by use of a
machine patented and manufactured by
j. X. Dickey & Son OF Morrill,. D. Q.
Bowen.
BELMONT. On account Of the short
hay crop last year, stock was reduced
somewhat. In cases where this was not
practical, farmers have fed provender to
help out. Where this has been done,
stock is looking much better than usual.
Formerly | have been in the habit of feed
ing my stock three times each day; the
past winter | have fed but twice, and
with good results. Cattle were never
more quiet, or seemed in better condition.
Have any of your patrons tried the raising
of artichokes for stock? From some sec
tons l see they are recommended very
highly, especially for hogs, and big stories
are told of their yield. l intend trying
them on small scale. They are said to
have no insect enemies and are not injur-
ed by freezing. A large amount of plow-
ing would have been done last fall, but
the excessive rains kept the ground so full
of water that the work was largely pre-
vented NJ. B. HUNT.
NOTE Artichokes will produce an i'm
mense yield, with a small amount of culture.
They rather difficult crop to extermi-
To hoe Il, t.