The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1908-11-26
A Good MAINE FARMING TOWN.

Tucked away among the hills of old
Waldo, in the extreme northwestern
part Of the county, lies the agricultural
town of Troy, which leads other towns in
the county in many respects.
The land here is the highest and conse-
ouently best drained of any in the coun-
ty. For that reason it is well adapted
to sheep raising and dairying. From the
report Of the State Assessors, 1895, we
learn that there were 1900 sheep in the
town, which was more than was kept in
any other town in the county. 1t also
led in the number of two-year-old colts
and ranked third in the number of cows,
fifth in horses and in swine. From the
report of 1906 we learn that it still led in
the number of sheep and two-year-old
colts, ranked second in the number OF
cows and swine, was still fifth IN the
number of horses and had more two and
one-year-old cattle than any other town.
The inventory of 1908 showed an increase
in swine; SO it doubtless now leads in the
number of sheep, swine, two-year-old
cattle and is second in the number OF
cows kept, unless there was greater IN
crease in the other towns during the past
two years in live stock than during the
eleven years before.
The value of flock and herd is being
increased constantly by the efforts which
are being made to bring them up to
high degree of excellence and by the -pur-
chasing of pure blood animals. We have
vast grazing lands and many more sheep
and cattle might be kept than now.
The soil here is fertile and well drained,
and has never had it's strength exhausted
as it has in many parts Of Maine. 1t is
adapted to the raising of potatoes, and
our farmers have demonstrated this year
that they can raise as fine crop of them
as can be done in Aroostook County. The
soil is also we'll adapted to profitable Or
charding, the raising of small fruits,
garden truck, corn, beans and the vari-
GUS grains.
A resident of Kansas City, Mo-, told me
not long ago that he was loath to go back
to the West because the drinking water
there is poor and the fruit of an in
ferior quality. He said that the peo-
pie here did not know how much they had
to be thankful for. He was mistaken,
for surely we do know that there is no
water and no fruit in the world quite
like ours.
There is no branch of farming that
cannot be successfully carried on here.
We have a great deal of lumber and
wood and have the finest water power to
be found anywhere. There is no reason
why this town cannot become manu-
featuring town, and it will when men
with capital learn of its location and
natural advantages.
There are men (but l am glad to say
there are but few of them) who have
in the past stayed here until they had
got every cent they could out of the town
and then taken all of their earthly goods
and gone to make their home elsewhere,
cursing the town and its people and
everything in it because they could not
get more out of it. Such people are Of
no benefit to any community, and any
town that can get rid of them is, indeed,
fortunate. Joy go with them. have
no patience with any person who will
slur and try to belittle his native town,
but all praise is due to the one who stays
in and does all he can for the upbuilding
of it. Just as much praise is due to the
young man who goes out into the world
and accumulates quite sum of money
and then comes back to his native
town and spends it together with the
declining years of his life. This
kind of a man is true patriot, be-
cause home is the best place in the
world to him. We have some of this
class, and the number is increasing.
This was a good old town to be born in,
and better place to get away from once;
now it is getting to be good place to
come back to, and will be a better place
to die in. l am truly thankful that even
our country people are beginning to learn
the worth of life on the farm. Bertha
F. Hillman, in the American Cultivator