Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1908-06-16
A Forward Season.


Not In ono year out Of five are lilacs
bursting into bloom on Memorial Day IN
tho latitude Of Bangor, not one year In
ten is the grass 20 far advanced a. 1t was
on the first of June, 1908. In spite OF
cold April and many days OF wind and
overcast skies in May, the spring came
on apace. There were b0bolinks singing
in the fields on May 10, and two days
later the kingbirds were screaming from
the tops of fence posts and shade trees.
Before May 20 the barn and chimney
swallows and the summer yellow birds
were here. Before Memorial Day every
one Of the common birds that frequent
the fields and woods Of eastern Maine
was here, with the exception OF the
cuckoo. The whipoorwill, which comes
late as rule, was here on May 20, and
the catbird, which seldom shows up on
the clay grass lands until the wild roses
are In blossom, was screaming and
'mewing" among the gooseberry bushes
before the shad bush puts out Its white
flowers, and while the elms were engaged
in producing their annual crop of scaly
seeds.
So much depends upon the tickle
weather Of Maine that one Is never safe
in making predictions, but indications
point to a summer of great agricultural
prosperity to most of the people who
reside down east. The heavy rains of
May 81 and June practically assured
good hay crop on new fields, and If &C.
casional showers are timely, the barns
will be filled to OVERLOOKING. From the
ko kI,ok kI~no hoo 20 n
number of brisk thunder showers, the
inference is that during the present sum-
mer Maine will be visited by frequent
and possible serious manifestations OF
electrical energy, and as it is an old and
undisputed tradition that years of fire.
quent thunder showers are also years Of
great abundance, one concludes that
Maine harvests are going to be some
thing out of the common.
Reports from the belts which grow
winter wheat are not so encouraging as
they were a week ago, as floods from
Texas to Kansas have wrought great
damage, though complaining in the
great corn belt is we'll advanced, and the
outlook for an abundance of forage was
never better.
The entire world is basking in the sun
shine of peace and prosperity. Though
our great feet of battleships has cut
loose from the Atlantic shore front, and
no longer serves to protect Bar Harbor
from foreign invasion, this country-in
spite of Hobson's pessimism-has just
now negotiated an amicable treaty with
Japan, and those who have preached in
vasion from Japan and bloodshed and
war for more than year, now find them
selves discredited and without any kind
of employment.
William Il. Taft is as good as nominal
ed as the Republican candidate for Presi-
dent, and William j. Bryan is confident
of leading the Democratic forces. Will.
liam R. Hearst is no longer capable of
annoying or deranging the plans OF
either party. Up in Aroostook they
are planting a wonderful crop of pota-
toes. Here in Maine the men who can
not take their seats in congress until
December, 1909, are nominated and pre-
pairing their campaign speeches. The
Northport campmeeting is going to have
full week of fair weather, and as the
Bangor fair comes during the same week,
most everything that is coming of fol-
the next six months is arranged for
ahead. The season is very forward
Il one