Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-06-09
MAINE EDITORIAL COMMENT.
A Forward Season.
unr NaNS

(BangOr NewS.)
Not in one year out of five are lilacs
bursting into bloom on Memorial day
in the latitude of Bangor, not one year
in ten is the grass so far advanced as
it was on the first of June, 1903. In
spite OF a cold April and many days of
wind and overcast skies in May, the
spring came on apace. There We're
bobolinls singing in the fields on May
10. and two days later the kingbirds
We're screaming from the tops of fence
posts and shade trees. Before May ~
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
rule, was here on May 20, and the cat
bird. which seldom shows up on the
clay grass lands until the wild roses
are in blossom, was screaming and
'meWing" among the gooseberrv BUSH
es before the shad bush puts out its
white flowers, and while the elms We're
engaged in producing their annual
crop of scaiy 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 1oWn east. The heavy rains of
May 81 and June l practically assured
q good hay crop on new fields, and if
occasional showers are timely, the
barns will be filled to overtlowing.
From the fact that the season has al
ready given us a number of brisk
thunder showers, the inference is that
during the present summer Maine will
be visited by frequent and possible
serious manifestations of electrical
energy, and as it is an old and undis-
puted tradition that years of frequent
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 arc not so encouraging
as they We're a week ago, as floods
from Texas to Kansas have wrought
great damage, though corn planting in
the great corn belt is well advanced,
and the outlook for an abundance of
forage was never better
The entire world is baskine in the
sunshine of peace and prosperity.
Though our great fleet of battleships
mas cut loose from the Atlantic shore
front, and no longer serves to protect
Bar Harbor from a foreign invasion,
this country-in spite of Hobson's
peSSimism-haS just now negotiated an
amicable treaty with Japan, ard those
who have preached invasion from
Japan and blOOdShed and war for more
than year, now find themselves dis
credited and without any kind OF en-
ployment.
William II. Taft is as good as nomi-
mated as the Republican candidate for
President, and William J. Bryan is
confident of leading the Democratic
forces. William r. Hearst is no longer
capable Of annoying or deranging the
plans of either party. Up in AroOStook
they are planting Il wonderful crop of
potatoes. Here in Maine the men who
cannot take their seats in congress
until December, 1903 are nominated
and preparing their campaign speeches.
The Northport Campmeeting is going
to have q full week of fair weather
and as the Bangor fair comes during
the same week, most everything that
is coming of fer the next six months
is arranged for ahead The season is
n very forward one