Oxford Democrat., 1908-04-21
Names Greatest Crop.

Freeport, Mr.. w. B. Kendall of Bow
doinham, in referring to his method for
the raising of the standard of production
and decrease of cost of the hay crop,
said in part:
II you are farmer you are interested
in the production of Names greatest
crop, hay.
Since my bulletin of twenty years ago
was issued no other effort has been
made in our state, either by our success
full and efficient department of agricul-
ture, the Maine Experiment Station or
the University of Maine, to solve this
important question, the cost of growing
ton of hay in Maine. They could
however, tell us with accuracy the cost
of producing ton of sweet corn, pound
of butter, or bushel of potatoes
Doubtless the reason the experiment has
not been undertaken on the hay crop is
because of the extreme difficulties and
obstacles in carrying on an experiment
of this kind, on a scale large enough,
and including farmers enough in the
different counties to cover our state
sufficiently, to be complete, successful
and satisfactory rs to one or more
methods in producing hay, either by the
use of barn dressing, commercial fertil-
zers, farm chemicals, hay following
potatoes, ashes, bone and ashes, etc.
Even after these twenty years, al
though Maine has made rapid and re-
markable progress in her production of
potatoes and bids fair TO rank first
among the states in this great industry,
yet our hay crop which amounts TO
nearly one and one half millions tons
yearly, which feeds our 267, 900 sheep,
IL, 900 horses, 1S5 900 cows and 10000
other cattle, a total of 723, 900 farm ami
mails, besides shipping thousands of
tons annually to other markets. The
crop, on which our growing dairy in
terests rest, the crop which holds up
our agricultural existence throughout
the long, cold winter, the crop which is
to Maine what the cotton crop is to the
South, the wheat and corn crop to the
West, in fact, the real foundation of
agriculture in Maine.
This crop, we say, is, in point of
value SO persistently neglected and ill
considered, that, in spite of our well
constituted hay lands, which, when
cleared from the forests by our fore
fathers continued to grow the native
grasses for long years in succession
without replowing. We repeat that. in
spite of our fertile soil and natural con-
ditiuns, it is a surprising and lamentable
fact that in the value of hay per acre
produced, Maine holds the lowest
record of any and all of the New Eng
land, Central aud Middle States. In
fact there are only seven states IN the
union whose value per acre of hay is
less than that of Maine:-Minnesota,
Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South
Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas.
In comparing the per acre value of
hay grown in each of the New England
States the excess over Maine is as fol-
lows:-New Hampshire - 81, Massa-
chusetts 1915, Vermont SlS4, Rhode
Island 81 10 and Connecticut S4.49. l.
the per acre value of the Maine hay crop
could be raised to the average of the
other New England States the annual
value of our hay crop would be IS, 2lS,-
473 greater than at the present time.
These enormous figures should COM
mand your keenest thought and most
careful consideration. Maine not only
stands lowest among the New England
states in the per acre value OF her hay
crop but also in the amount per acre
grown.
1t must be seen that the good old
State of Maine hardly merits our excel
lent motto, "Dirigo" when applied to
the production of her leading agricul-
tural crop.
It's dollars in your pocket to COM
mence in 1905 by broader acreage and
higher plane of production to find some
method whereby this standard may be
raised.
To attain the highest degree of sue
cess in this undertaking, the following
instructions must be closely followed.
Much depends upon the thorough cui-
tivation and preparation of the soil, so
harrow and reharrow, let the sunshine
into the land and when in prime con-
dtion apply your fertilizer and harrow
il in once before sowing your grain.
Many difficulties attend an under
taking of this kind viewed from the
standpoint of the fertilizer manu-
facturer. So much depends on the
previous condition and character of the
soil, the tendency on the part of many
farmers during busy spring time to
hurry their seed into the ground, espe-
cially in clay loan soil, when cold and
clammy. .
The grain crop and the first stand OF
grass which so materially affects all
future crops will be seriously damaged
by such slack treatment for which alone
the farmer is responsible, thereby, large
ly reducing the high average which
would be attained if all were given the
proper cultivation and proper seeding
Turf, Farm and Home.