Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-07-24
Maine Farms and Prosperity.

Waterville Sentinel quotes ngureS
from bulletin of the United states
department of commerce and labor 10
show that Maine farms decreased IN
number ana value in the 20 years De-
| tween 1880 and 1900. According to the
authority quoted, Maine mad 64'3of
| farms in 1850 valued at $lO2.35 ,6l5,
| while in 1909 it had 1929 farms valued
at s,6, 5G2 15n. According to these hs-
| ures the number of Maine farms de-
+ crease 500 in the 20 years between
| ,sso and 1900 and their values decreased
g. sss. fG5. The humorist of the Senti-
ne, chortles with glee as he presents
these figures, and he insults the in
tenieence of his readers by expecting
| them to believe that the figures show
that Maine agriculture is on the de-
cline and that Maine farmers are not
prospecting as they were quarter of a
century ago.
| a little consideration Of some of the
/
false are the conclusions which the
Sentinel draws from these figures in its
ATTEMPT to run down the State of
Maine. If the number of individual
farms decreased 5000 in the 20 years
between 1880 and 1900. as shown by the
above figures, the apparent decrease Is
easily accounted for by the consolida-
ton Of farms-the buying up of ADA
cent farms by prosperous farmers VINO
are doing business on a larger scale
than it used to be done. A decrease
of 5000 in 20 years means a decrease ol
go Ter wear for that period, or de-
crease of about one farm year Tor
every two towns in Maine. This IS not
a very startling decrease when figured
out this way, and any reader of the
journal can easily think of that num-
Der of farms in his town which have
been consolidated during this period
Another factor in the apparent de-
} crease of farms is the purchase OF
Maine farming property for summer
homes by people outside of Maine, and
this is something that has happened
in hundreds Of instances Throughout
the state.
AS for the apparent decrease in farm
values in Maine between 1880 and 1901
, over which our Democratic contem
porary chuckles, it is simply To b.
said that Whatever may be the valua
ton of Maine farms for purposes o
taxation, everybody knows that thel
actual value has steadily increased TO
the past generation. 1t has been tn
4 policy both of our State assessors AM
= our local assesors-a continued polio.
y urged for years by every Governor o
f Maine i'm his annual message-to faEo
d farm property in every possible wa
and get a larger share of the take
from city property. personal property
manufacturing plants, wild lands. etc.
o There is n greater difference toda
=" ing value of Maine farm property tina
= in any other class of property in tn
n state and where the taxed value ha
lrcmaincd the same, or has been i
many instances decreased, the actu;
II selling value has greatly increased. w
" know Of a farm in Kennebec count
l ali hn q
- been carried for years as $500 whic
'e was sold last year for $1,000. w
know OF another farm in SagadahC
'e county, taxed for years at 81 900, whic
was sold few months ago for $3.50
These are specific instances whC
have come to our attention and ur
doubtedly there are just such cases
hundreds Of Maine towns. OF cour.
there is no such difference as this
city real estate between the take
value and the selling value.
Concerning this matter the Journ
has interviewed w. d. Hutchins. Il
2 district representative of the wei
K known Strout Farm agency, a gentl
~ man not at all interested in politics b
ct who probably knows more about Mali
o. farms and their values than any 9th
to person iii the State. He knows VIII
or he is talking about and he declar
ly with emphasis that of the more tn:
5000 farms which have been listed
his agency during the past seven yeaI
,st | every one has been sold at higher fl
en- ures. or IS now held for higher priC
n than it would have commanded
If decade or generation ago. The
in farms. moreover, are not in Aroosto'
n county which even the pessimist
en- Sentinel admits is enjoying gre
mt prosperity. but are all in the southe
,se and western counties Of the State.
Last year the Strout agency sold
farms iii Maine and 2o3 of these we
of sold to men outside of Maine who we
/ IN h,,c