Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-09-15
AGRICULTURAL REPORT.
State Commissioner Gilman Reviews
Work of Year.

1
Work of Year.
The annual report of Hon. A. W
Gilman, of Foxcroft, commissioner o
agriculture for the year 1908, which
has been submitted to the governo
and council, says in part:
"In briefly reviewing the agriculture
conditions of our State for the past year
while there have been some discouragine
features, we see many indications OF an
upward trend in our farm life. The
farmers are mere alert, more anxious tc
learn new and improved methods and are
placing their farming on a broader and
more intelligent basis. They have had to
contend with some serious obstacles dur
ing the past year, such as unfavorable
weather conditions which materially
anected some OF the crops, unusual insect
depredations, etc.; but those who have
learned to anticipate these conditions by
providing supplemental crops, by a system
OF rotation and fertilization which tends
to produce vigorous drought resisting
plants, and by intelligent methods OF
combating insect pests, have kept the
margin on the right side.
1.-THE short hay crop Of last year, the
light yield Of grains and the scarcity OF
iced occasioned by the severe drought and
the unusual infestation Of grasshoppers,
have emphasized the necessity Of. pro-
viding more supplementary crops to meet
this emergency. This led the department
to issue buelletin on 'supplementing
the Pastures and the Hay Crop which
contains many valuable suggestions.
1.-THE corn crop was Of good quality and
the yield was above the average. A spec
ial effort is being made all over the coun-
try to increase this industry. 1t is esti-
mated that during the past year there
were produced in the United States 2,643, :
600 900 bushels of corn. There is no other
crop in this country or any other that is
worth as much. Not only the grain itself
is the corner stone of our prosperity, but
an advance is being made in the develop
ment of the valuable by-products.
"New England practically abandoned
corn raising many years ago, when corn
was raised SO abundantly on the cheap
lands of the West and was sent to the East
and sold at very low figure. Then it
seemed to the average farmer that he could
buy it cheaper than he could raise it, but
the day of cheap corn from the West has
passed. There is no cheap corn land, and
the farmers of Maine will do no wiser
thing than to give more attention to this
industry and create new interest in it.
"The corn plant has two feeding values,
one as grain and the other as fodder. An
acre of corn fodder is generally worth as
much as an acre OF good grass. In ro-
tation with cash crop like potatoes, this
crop is of great value. The premiums Of
cred by DR.. G. M. Twitchell at the State
dairy conference at Dexter for the best ex-
hibit of corn raised by boy OF eighteen
of good corn, and we are confident stimu-
lated a new interest in the growing of
this valuable crop. The indications are
that the acreage of corn planted in Maine
this year will exceed that of 1908 by one
third.
'tThe constantly increasing price of
corn has aroused the farmers, and they are
becoming convinced that they can pro-
duce their corn to better advantage than
they can purchase it. Another thought
that encourages the farmer is that the
possibilities of improving the corn crop
through careful seed selection and thor
ough culture are large. Experiments
show that an advance in yield of ten
bushels per acre has been gained as the
result of selection of seed. This would
mean three to five million dollars added to
the value of the corn crop in the United
States. Maine should be doing her part.
II by careful breeding a variety can be
obtained which will mature earlier as we'll
as yield more abundantly, it will mean
much to the corn industry Of our State.
"Plant breeding through seed selection
is line of work which has been too
much neglected. In recent years results
are being worked out which show that
to practice scientific selection of seed of
plants as it is to breed his live stock
according to principles of selection. We
believe some work in this line could be
profitably carried on by the department,
if funds were provided.
''With the potato crop there is also a
promising field for seed selection. Prof.
Weber, of Cornell university, states that
forty or fifty good-sized potatoes per hill
have been grown by right seed selection
and methods Of culture. The farmer Of
Maine have been giving potato culture
special attention for several years past,
and each year we are doing more in this
line. By careful selection of seed, by
thorough preparation of the seed bed and
by the use OF improved methods of Guilt
walton, this industry has been largely de-
velopei. Only that seed should be planted
in which the eyes are strong and indicate
the growth of a strong, vigorous plant.
'The orchard industry is one OF our
main branches of farming, and in spite OF
the fact that unfavorable weather condi-
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