Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-02-26
AGRICULTURAL PURSUITS.

AGRICULTURAL PURSUITS.
As we take view Of the different
agricultural pursuits, we sometime:
wonder that the farmer does not take
as much pride in the cultivation OF tn,
soil, in the beautifying Of his premise:
as the mechanic does in drawing his de
signs or the artist in painting his land
scape. But it seems TO be the intent OF
yearly all farmers to draw from the sol
all they possibly can, without regard Il
the beauty of the plot Of ground which
Yields the income for their benefit. This
we presume may be accounted Ior Dy
lack of time TO tsstily arrange things,
and also by lack Of taste in arranging
things srtistically, the great object OF
the farmer being TO produce from the
soil sufficient to supply his own wants.
Yet every farmer has his own way In
conducting his farm business, some by
choice and others by compulsion.
While some localities of the old Pine
Tree State are adapted to crops, other
portions are the acme OF fruit raising,
and still the gently slOping hills Of Maine
afford some of the best grazing land OF
the country, and in some sections these
qualities may all be combined. How
.yer, whatever the soil condition Is best
suited to, that the farmer should devote
his attention to, to meet the most har-
monious results OF nature.
Maine, on the whole, stands second TO
no New England State in producing the
hay crop, one of its staple articles OF
feed, and one that cannot be dispensed
with in this section of the country, or
any other where the snow covers the
ground several months in the year,
especially if one is engaged in stock
raising. The hay crop in our state Gov
ers more acreage, perhaps, than any
other crop, and if put upon the market
AS whole, would exceed any other crop
in value, produced by Maine farmers
The hay crop always finds ready mar
ket, and usually at II remunerative price
TO the producer. 1t is not, however, put
upon the market by majority of Maine
farmers, but fed to the stock, where 1t Is
supposed TO yield two-fold profit in
the growth of the animal, also through
other yields Of income in the sheep and
COW, etc. Ii also serves another very
important purpose in the fertilization OF
the soil, and could hardly be dispensed
with as fertilizer, although the ingre-
dients manufactured and put on the
market AS substitute may serve good
purpose, vet we think they fail to pro-
duce the lasting benefit Of the barnysrd
manure, and are far more costly In the
end. That the farmer who feeds his hay
gels a return in dollars and cents always
equal to the man who sells his hay for
cash, is very doubtful, but we believe
when fed to the right kind of stock,
there will be margin on the right side
of the ledger in favor Of the producer.
But, MS natural consequence, the
question arises in every farmers mind,
what kind of crops and what kind OF
stock can he best raise TO return him the
most income in its disposition?
One of the auxiliary crops of the pres
enr day to the farmer, il we rightly
Judge, is that of sweet corn, and II not
staple crop it looks as though it had
come to stay, for through its production
the farmers receive many thousand dol
lars yearly, and, perhaps, as much profit
per acre rs in the raising of most other
kinds of crops. In the cultivation OF
this crop, we not only receive the cash
for what corn we deliver at the factory,
but we have fodder sufficient to pay Us
for our labor in its production so what
ever is obtained in cash, minus the cost
of the artificial fertilizer, is all profit to
the producer. The stalks when cut and
properly cured, make the best of fodder
for milch cows, and as for that matter,
are readily eaten by most other kinds OF
stock.
While in former years Maine produced
Indian corn, wheat, oats and barley sur
ticient for her own consumption, To-day
a large majority of these cereals are i'm
ported from the west, where upon the
alluvial soil of the great prairies, by the
assistance of steamboats,, and improved
machinery, the crops are produced at
much less expense than we can raise
them here in the state of Maine. And
too, as our soil has become worn out,
much of it, So these crops do not grow
with the same vigor as when the soil was
new. Nevertheless all kinds OF produce,
adapted to this northern climate, are
upon small scale, by farm
erS.
Our potato bins, that used to be filled
to the brim and running over, are now
almost empty, except in Aroostook
County, where like corn in the west,
potato is king. In the cultivation OF this
tuber we have to feed the potato bug on
Paris Green or potato tops and some
times on both. And although not one
bushel is raised to-day where ten were
thirty years ago in our state (Aroostook
excepted) instead OF the farmer getting
81 to Sl.5O per bushel as in those days
he thinks himself lucky TO get that
amount per barrel. Yet, it seems to me,
when the farmer can sell his potatoes at
40 cents per bushel, there is u profit in
the production. As economy is one OF
the sources by which the farmer accu-
mulates, the cultivation of variety of
these crops would seem to be appropri-
Farm and Home.