The Republican journal., 1900-01-25
A Brooks Man in Nova Scotia.

KENTvILLE, N. S., Jan. 20, 1900. In
the vicinity of Amherst, N. S.. and Sack
vile, n. B., which are ten miles apart,
are great salt marshes, miles in extent,
which are dotted with thousands of stacks
of ''salt hay" These marshes are diked,
and are not flooded by high tides, like
those of the New England coast. In their
natural state, they produce great guam
titles of coarse salt hay, but when plow'
ed fine crops of oats may be grown for
several years in succession, with no dress
ing whatever. Following the oats, three
to four tons per acre of timothy hay are
grown for five or six years, when the wild
grasses will gradually take possession.
! Cattle in that section are wintered solely
on salt hay and root crops, and no better
cattle are grown anywhere. Farmers are
plenty who keep from fifty to one hun
dred head of cattle, and who raise from
| ) 900 to 10, 600 bushels of turnips, beets,
ETC., yearly. In the CORVALLIS and An
napolis valleys not so much stock is rails
ed, and the attention of farmers is given
largely to fruit culture. Most of the
diked land in these valleys produces Eng
lish hay exclusively, and two tons per
acre are considered but an ordinary yield.
1t is a beautiful country in these valleys,
and is simply farmers Paradise. The
farms are under high cultivation. with
| fine buildings, and the farmers are wide
awake. intelligent, and understand their
| business.
| The orchards are wonderful, being acres
in extent, under high cultivation, and
! producing immense crops of the very
finest fruit. Clean cultivation is given,
and it is rare thing to see an orchard in
grass In setting an orchard it is the
usual practice to set rows of plum trees be-
tween those of apple. When the apple
trees are old enough to bear, the plum
trees have passed their usefulness, and are
removed. Small fruits are also extensive
ly cultivated, and thousands of bushels of
strawberries and raspberries are annually
shipped to the Halifax and Boston mar
kets. Large quantities of potatoes are
grown. the best market for which, out
side of Halifax and st. John, is usually
found in Cuba. No corn is grown in Nova
Scotia, but great crops of oats and barley
are produced and farmers invariably grow
all the grain consumed on the farm,
practice that could, no doubt, be profit
| ably followed in Maine.
| The rise and fall of the tide at different
points on the Bay of Fundy varies from
thirty five to fifty feet, and the soil of
Nova Scotia being red, the swift current
causes the water to be extremely muddy
at all times, so that a Yankee once aptly
styled it ''real estate in liquidation"
| The past week has been lively one at
Halifax. The city was gay with the ma
tional colors, the streets were full of sol
diers, and everywhere was hustle and ex-
citement, in preparation for the departure
of the second Canadian contingent, part
of which sails for South Africa to- day.
| The cost of living here must be fully as
high as in the States, the prices of most
staple articles being practically the same,
with the exception of beef, which is low
| er, and of kerosene oil, which here retails
at % cts. per gallon.
| Scattered settlements of Micmac Indians
are seen througout Nova Scotia They
| II, 1aI ,b.,
shanties, and subsist by hunting and bas-
ket- making, They are great lovers of
tirewater, and inveterate beggers, but it is
| said that they never steal.
| Nova Scotia is practically prohibition
province, and no open saloons are seen,
save in the cities. The Scott Act pro-
hibits, under heavy penalties the sale of
| Intoxicating liquors without license,
which can only be obtained by petition of
two thirds of the legal voters in ward or
town. Any person, male or female, over
twenty one years of age, who owns $50
worth of taxable property, is legal voter,
and also, any male citizen of legal age,
who has a salary or income of $3.50 per
AMMAN, may vote. Thus the obtaining
of license in country towns is practical
! y impossible, and the way of the trans
gressor is generally hard. l was told that
a certain hotel man had paid 50, 300 in
fines, and spent sixty days in Jail, during
the past seventeen months.
Candidates for the County Council are
just now pressing their claims for office,
the papers as ''Ladies and Gentlemen"
which looks odd to a Yankee
A. B. STANTIAL.