Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-12-28
Taking Up Old Farms.


deavor and hundreds of dollars in at
tempting to build up these old farms
TO a. condition that would support an
ordinary family. He believes il man
who has no farm intends to go TO
farming in any part Of New England,
he should go back to the unsettled
portions ard take UP new land. which
can be bought for a song and where
he may clear and build and conserve
his wood and timber at the same time
he is reaping the best benefits Of the
virgin Soil.
The work OF restoration OF fertility
to worn out farms has been given the
attention by the keenest minds of ag-
ricultural Institutions of the United
States and of other countries in re-
cent years. Fifty years ego a large
part of the arabic land OF England
was worn out, and the simple country
people were ready to abandon it and
move to the crowded cities to lead the
hard life of factory hands, but brains
and capital have redeemed the i'm
povcrished sol! and slowly but surely
the lands have been restored TO their
ancient state of fertility This has
been done mainly by rotation of crops,
and so remarkable has been the trans
formation that today no lease OF Eng
lish acres is without a clause provid
ing for crop rotation.
The rcdeeming of New England's
unoccupied farms is hardly to be
measured by tho profits it will bring
in this generation. In England it has
required generation TO complete the
work which has saved the entire Gull
t;vablc land to the farmers, and the
been TIE delight Of the people in going
back to the soil. to breathe the fresh
posterity would inherit the benefits Of
their unselish labor. SO it is destined
to be in this country. Great reforms
move slowly, but they are sure to
come. and il the present generation
does not live to see it, their children
will-the day when ali these farms
" i'll DC under cultivation and be pro-
ducing more and better crops than the
best of our acres are doing today.
One of the most precious harVcsts
which our fathers produced was the
knowledge that there is no real hap
pincss except in living for others. As
VIC SOW today. our children and our
chldrcn's children will reap in the flu
tUrc.
In the vast eXpanse which We call
Tue West, tho railroads are complet-
ing plans for increasing farm produc-
ticn and for rcjuvenating farm lands.
1t is also true as far East rs New
York, where the New York Central
provides for purchasing abandoned
farms which will be cut up into 40
acre plats. This land will not be ham
died as realty speculations, but will
be sold to permanent settlers. WHO
must give pledges to convert it into
flourishing farms.
Out in Wyoming, another plan has
been adopted, where 4 corporation al
lied with railway is promoting truck
farms. This company is TO have $780,,
900 common stock and $4,000 pre-
fcercd. Most of this stock is taken by
local capitalists. That is, the capital
low rate OF interest on long time to
tenants VINO have no money and
whose capital is elbow grease and Il
desire to be independent farmers.
The land owned by this company is
mostly swamp land and will require
several miles of expensive drainage.
II some Contemplating promoter. of
brains, and good religion, who knows
more or less law and little gospel,
would set about interesting some Of
the people of Maine who have money
to invest in mining and land develop
ment schemes of the West, in taking
stock in a company Of this sort to
take up and rejuvcnate some OF
Names unoccupied lands. both old
and now, they would save money 10
the state and save the land to future
generations. They would be promot-
ing something worth while and estab-
lish an industry which would provide
for tho future for traders driven out
OF business by the parcels post, and
for editors who have become too anti
quated to keep up with the newspaper
profession.