Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-05-14
IN AROOST0OK
Every Promise Of Another Sue
Cessful Year
What the Farmers Are Doing in
Names Garden County
Fifty Varieties of Aroostook Potatoes
Exhibited at St. Louis.

Houltoh, Me-, May 13.-(SpeciaD-
With weather conditions extremely
favorable and ample capital to work
with the farmers of Aroostook county
year which promises to be more sue
cessful than any which preceded it.
Planting operations We're begun early
this W eek and are now well under way.
So far as could be learned by talking
with many of the leading farmers the
acreage planted to potatoes this year
vii! be no larger than last year, but if
| the weather is favorable the yield
ought to be larger. The price SCARED
so high early this month that many
| farmers sold a part of their reserve
supply, thinking that they would be
| able to replenish it later. Seed pota-
| toes are very scarce in the county now
and the price is high. A Pressure Isle
| farmer who had seventy acres planted
| to potatoes last year told a Journal
| correspondent this week that he had
intended to increase the acreage to
eighty acres this year but would now be
obliged to cut it down to seventy. He
| will pay more attention to the tract.
! however, use more fertilizer and in
| every way seek to so increase the yield
per acre that the total crop will be as
big as if he had planted eighty acres.
Many other farmers in the same situa-
| ton are planning in a like manner. So
it is probable that even the immense
crop of 1908 will be exceeded in 1904.
Throughout the famOl1c nOJ1fO belt
of the county can be seen evidences of
great material prosperity. The farm
buildings are handsome and we'll kept
and the broad rolling fields under cul-
tivation show signs of careful manage
ment. AroOstOok never more deserved
the title of THE Garden of New Eng
land than now. Her prosperity is
founded on so firm a basis that one bad
year nor two bad years cannot bring
disaster to the people. The farmers
have plenty of money. They have been
earning fifteen to fifty per cent. n year
on the capital invested in their farms.
Farm property has more than doubled
| and in. that way they have grown rich
er. The banks have more money on de-
post than at any previous time in their
history. And even with such glowing
conditions as now exist, it may truly he
said that AroOstoOk is as yet only in
the initial stages of her development.
A few more big harveStS at fair prices
/ and Aroostook will take front rank
among TIE counties of Maine in wealth
and population.
Nature laid the foundation OF this
prosperity by providing the county
with rich soil surrounding Il bed of
| limestone. Years ago the entire region
was virgin forest. When the land was
cleared Il large amount of ashes was
| formed and this mingling with the soil
made it particularly adapted for the
raising of potatoes on Il large scale.
| The cntcrprisinG nature of the tillers of
| the soil and their readiness to take adj
| vantage of the scientific experiments
which have been made under the direc
| ton of the agricultural department Of
the University of Maine coupled with
an ever increasing, appreciative mar
ket have dore the rest.
| The two lists of figures which follow
| indicate better than anything else how
| ArOostOOk's potato crop has increased
in value during the past few years.
Here are the shipments over the Ban
| gor and AroostOok railroad which car
rcs the bulk of the crop to outside
markets. 1t is estimated that one
sixth of the crop is carried by the Cana
dian Pacific.
1891. 1921. 175 bushels
| 1898. 1861 .S0S bushels
| 1899, 1884, i02 bushels
| 1900, 3,043S74 bushels
| 1901, 4,470,1S6 bushels
1902, 3,1124S6 bushels
1908 (;hus far. 5.111,495 bushels
| 1t is estimated that about 15oSes
bushels more will be shipped from the
crop OF 1903.
| But these figures mean but little eX-
cept when coupled with figures show
ing the price received by the farmers
per bushel. The following quotations
furnished the Journal correspondent by
f. c. Cleveland of Houlton who buys
more potatoes and ships more than any
other dealer in the county show the
prevailing prices per bushel during the
months of April! for the years indicat-
ed: 1895, q cents; 1886. AZ cents; 1897.
% cents: 1895, So cents; 1899, so cents:
1900 Go cents: 1901, 50 cents; 1902, so
cents: 1903, s1.25.
The price paid to farmers for potatoes
reached the highest mark ever known
this year. SO per barrel.
The market for Aroostook potatoes is
ever widening. The increase of foreign
born population in the United States
has brought an increase in the con-
sumption and the demand for table use