Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-03-01


want to appropriate money to educate
students from Massachusetts VINO
come here to get a scientific course
which will cost them $3.50 at nome, we
ought to understand the proposition
and then go in and vote for II.
There are a few things which Maine
is pre- eminently adapted to raise we
do not produce our own pork, or beer,
or onions or beans; there are only a
few things but what we import from
other states. But there are few things
that we are pre-eminently adapted 10
produce One is the hay crop which
stands first. The value of the hay crop
in the State Of Maine, the annual ton
mage Of the hap crop in the State OF
Maine is about 100000. The value OF
that as it stands in the field before
cutting is about S1O,OO0,000. And yet
if this crop should fail for three years
it would practically depopulate the
State of Maine. When we go to Ala
bama would we expect to find an APP
preparation for an agricultural college
that did not especially interest itself in
the matter of the production of cotton,
or in the west interest itself in wheat,
or in Colorado in minerals? Now few
years ago it was undertaken to find
out what the cost of ton of hay was
in the State Of Maine. We haven't any
data in relation to what its cost is.
There is no current literature which
gives US any light as to what the cost
OF a ton of his is in this State within
Sc Il ton. We don't know within
$4,000 900 what il costs to produce our
hay in one year III the State of Maine.
/ say there is a magnificent privilege
here for the agricultural interests of
this State to investigate 4 proposition
of this kind and tell us something
about it-not as to what it might cost
particularly but to devise means ana
methods whereby that cost can be re-
duced below what it is at the present
time. AS l sail, there is before us a
great opportunity. And the University
of Maine is able to turn out in the
scientific course very smart, successful
students. Does it not occur to you that
there is something which can be done
for our boys and young men in Maine
to interest them in such lines as agri-
culture and make them proud of that
profession? A few years ago, before the
name of the university was changed
ard it was then the State college,
somebody called it a cow college. And
that frightened somebody. The Univer-
sity of Maine, instead of getting inter-
ested in the lines for which it was or
ganiZed, ran to cover, started to put on
pair of patent leather boots, and
wants to wear white neck tie on top
- Ioo
arguing that the institution should be
just as successful along agricultural
lines as in the scientific.
I want to refer once more to this
question OF the hay crop in Maine
Would you expect to go into an agri
cultural exhibit or go into q fair in
South Carolina and not find any cot
ton exhibit? But go over our State,
visit our State fair-did you ever see
any representation of hay, a bale Of
hay or anything of the kind? We see
the animals that the hay produces; we
see the agricultural implements that
are necessary to produce it; we see all
the paraphernalia to produce that crop
but nothing of the crop itself. For that
reason we know nothing of what the
cost of the production of this crop is.
The alfalfa crop is worth millions of
dollars to the Western states. Is is not
going to be determined at some time
we may be able to acclimate that clov-
er production to our State? If we
should succeed in doing so it would be
worth millions of dollars to us. And
who can say that we may not be able
to do it and who it there to undertake
these things unless We can look to
someone who speaks officially and with
authority III regard to such matters I?
Does this Legislature realize that there
are $4,000 horses in Maine the value of
which is $4,000 GOO, and that there are
only about 10000 colts in this State,
that we pay out annually about $780,
900 for horses from the Western prair-
les? The daily output for horses in the
state of Maine is about 500 900 a day.
And yet pair of horses bred in the
Safe of Maine, of equal weight, if they
are 1900, are worth 500 more q pair
than horses raised on the Western
prairles, and what is the reason that
our University of Maine through its
agricultural department should not as
sumo thing like that, the imparting
VI HLpllhdtion on the subject OF
breeding horses, not NJ cessarily at the
institution itself, but could it not
branch out and ask this Legislature
to buy for it two or three farms in
different sections of the State and upon
these farms put bright, sharp, progress
slve young farmer boys and succeed in
elevating our agricultural interests
along these lines?
If the trustees or the president of
the university should come here with
a business proposition of this kind. or
some better one that they might de-
wise, they would get what they ask for.
But believe as one who is opposed to
putting on the patent leather boots. at
first. we should get into a pair of work.
ing boots Opportunity is measure of
responsibility and public office is a
public trust; and I say that the trus-
tees of the University of Maine, the
president of that institution, ought 10
| be proud of the possibilities that have
come under their control to lift I'D and
broaden the agricultural interests of
| our State.
When this matter of the r a deprae