Daily Kennebec journal., 1910-12-23

|
| ers and water every night. As q
er3 and water nveery night. AS q
rule they are young and generally
claim to be looking for work
In order to establish successful COM
| nercial corporation We must agree
upon a plan Of action suited to our
peculiar conditions and in harmony
with Tie laws of political economy
1t must be free from those features
which experience has shown to be
fatal defects, must contain the fewest
possible clements of uncertainty and
must make of the undertaking a rea-
sona5ly sound business venture,
| which will inspire the confidence nee
essary to induce investments of capi
| tai.
| Cooperative buying of farm sup
| plies presents much less difficulty than
cooperative selling of farm products,
| since it is always easy to convert mon
ey into merchandise but it is not SO
easy to convert merchandise into
money.
| it is not expected that cooperation
will compel consumers to buy a thing
which they do not want or pay high
prices for inferior goods, but it is
| hoped that by cooperative effort we
| may produce the best in kind and
| quality. and deliver it to the consum-
| er by the most direct method. there
| by increasing the value of our product
and at the same time securing to our
| selves Il greater proportion Of that
value.
| By cooperation We may assemble
under single management sufficient
quantities Of any agricultural commod-
| ity TO attract large buyers. and by uni-
form grading. and by an honest guar
anty associated with g permanent
trade mark VIC may greatly encourage
ready sales at fair profits.
While your committee has faith that
| extensive systems of commercial CO.
operation will in time be effected in
Maine. but we hold the opinion that
| for the present time our policy should
| be to encourage the formation of local
| associations. wherever the necessary
conditions exist. and that by the law
| OF natural selection those which prove
| most successful will reach out and
| absorb the less prosperous until the
desired proportions are reached.
G.. Il. Gale of Eliot chairman of the
committee on officers salaries reported
that no increase was called for at the
present time.
George Y. Brown Of Caribou, chairman
of the committee on agriculture, present
ed the general report of the committee
! on agriculture. which was as follows:
Report Of Committee on Agriculture.
In reporting upon this important sub
lcct your Committee fully realize the
difficulty which confronts it in having tn
deal with such !; great subject in the
limited time which is allowed us. When
we consider that agriculture is the fun
dammental occupation of the whole hu-
man race. upon which all other industries
ana occupations are more or less depend
ent. and that whatever promotes the
welfare of this great industry and helps
To increase the food supply of the nation.
| IS comforting Il direct benefit upon all the
people of our country; and when we fur
ther consider that the great order of
Patrons of Husbandry wis founded and
exists for the sole purpose Of improving
the conditions aud promoting the welfare
| Of those engaged in the great occupation
subject and the necessity of viewing 1t
| in a comprehensive and intelligent man
ner becomes at once apparent.
The state of Maine because of its close
| proximity to the great markets of the
country, the fertility and natural re-
sources of the soil, and because Of the
industry, thrift and intelligence of its
agricultural classes. is rapidly coming
to the front as an agricultural State and
Judging the future by the near past, is
destined to become the great Agricultural
state of the East.
Because of the great area of our State
and the diversity Of our products, great
many local problems arise, which it is
impracticable for us to deal with, but
there are certain problems which con-
front us. that are common to all the far
| mers in our State and are of vital i'm
portance to us all. To these problems
questions wish to devote our time.
not with any hope of solving them. but
| that we may impress the Importance Of
| them upon your minds SO that when you
| return to your homes and your Oranges,
| it will be with determination to help
solve, them for yourselves and for your
The first great problem that we desire
| to call your attention is that of Con
| servation of the resources of the soiF.';
| by this we mean system of agricul-
| ture that, instead of exhausting the nat
| ural fertility of the soil. will SO increase
| it that each year will bring us increased
sections of ol,r State the fertility which
Nature had been storing in our soils for
thousands of years. was by wasteful and
| incompetent methods Of farming. prac-
| tically exhausted in a few years and as
| Il result hundreds of abandoned farms
! dotted our hillsides; our young men
! found it difficult, to obtain living on the
| farms cleared by their ancestors, and,
attracted by the cheap lands of the Great
West, left our State for those fertile
lands: and 20 years ago; agriculture in
/ Maine was in u bad condition.
During the past 70 years great changes
West are a thing of the past; improved
transportation facilities. the demands of
the great markets. and the great pro-
gress made by the science of farming.
have again brought New England to the
| front as a section in which great agri-
| cultural possibilities abound. In none OF
| the New England States has ~-"iculture
| made such progress as in our own state,
and we are just beginning to realize our
possibilities. Today in all agricultural
| products raised within her boundaries.
! with the sinole execution of hay, Maine
/ has the greatest average yield of any
| state IN me Cnion. With our great nat
J ural advantages. our nearness to the
! great centers Of population and our
| quick transportation. We should be the
| foremost state in the East along all