Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-05-08
New England's Agricultural Spirit.

New England's Agricultural Spirit.
Nothing relating to agriculture has
occurred during the last quarter of a
century that has so favorably impressed
me as the Better Farming Special.
This impression was not born of hopes
in the potency of the facts given, nor the
eye method of imparting them, nor in
the reaching of class Of curiosity seek
ers not otherwise brought into the light,
valuable as these factors certainly are;
but as the most striking evidence of the
new life coming to New England agri-
culture and as one of the most potent
forces in fastening the new birth of our
industry.
New England is rich in agricultural
information, but poor, once almost
pauperized, in agricultural spirit. Facts
are but latent forces in the mind of a
man or of people whose soul is not
fired with purpose. We have lacked
the faith in our business and love for it,
upon which such purpose alone can
rest. The special train was one of the
marked harbingers of the new inspira-
ton breathing into our industry.
That greater outer world to which the
eyes of our sons have longingly looked
has strikiDgly manifested to all in an
impressive manner its faith and conf
dence in the future of New England
agriculture and illumines our skies with
its new attitude and new hope.
Mems minds oscillate between -ex-
tremes. In time of unprecedented
prosperity, city industrial and profess
sional life, worn with it's strenuous ex-
actions, and debilitated physically and
mentally, is turning to the foster mother
of all and to mems first and natural love,
the SOIL So not only are business men,
men of wealth and leisure, but men of
letters coming out to nature and to her
industry, agriculture. A movement is
on that is to swell into one of great
volume. Our agriculture is being push
ed up from below and more powerfully
still is being lifted up from above.
None familiar with my farm policy,
utterances from the rostrum or by the
pen, need be told of my confidence in
the very great productivity of our lands,
value of our markets and
of New England as home
for farmers, present price of lands being
they being lowest in the
world, all conditions weighed. 1t is an
time and all interests should |
pull together, the grange, the press, agri- |
cultural associations, public spirited in
dividuals and the individual farmer to |
still further inspire our agriculture, to |
increase our faith and confidence in it, |
love for it, pride in it and loyalty to it. |
Such an exhibition of these qualities as |
one sees in the west would make it the |
dream of our sons and the mecca of |
home seekers. |
To the writer, it appears that We un-
the capacity of our soil, |
that our faith or confidence in our busi- |
ness is below its opportunity, that We
its intellectual require |
ments and it's true social value, that we
hold it in too narrow lines, fearing it as |
a field for investment of capital, for the |
adequate application of machinery, till
age, fertilizers.
Now Pres. Tuttle, who appears from |
my distance to be a large man with |
broad views has come to feel that there |
are possibilities in New England agri-
culture worth his attention as manager |
of great public service corporation. |
He has faith in greater things for us. |
Let us drink in of this spirit and look to |
broader efforts for greater results. |
we are under great obligations |
TO the Boston and Maine railroad.
One day while doing farm conventions |
in the great inspiring west, where every |
man is baptized at birth into love of |
land and faith in it and pride in his vo-
cation, met young man just out of
the Massachusetts agricultural college. |
He was putting on his spurs as report
er for a Massachusetts farm paper,
hustler, ambitious and aggressive, alive
to the new, and enthusiastic. He has
been crowned with success. As Editor
Myrick, he has done and is doing for
New England agriculture very great
service through the columns of The
New England Homestead. He is an
organizer of new farm movements and
makes them glow with enthusiasm. Is
this not due him as moving spirit |
along with Pres. Tuttle in the stirring
Of our agricultural blood by the Better
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