Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-08-07
KERNELS FROM CORN BELT
Best Citizens Of Ohio Hope Maine Will Take
No Backward Step in Prohibition
Agriculture in Buckeye State.

That the best citizens of Ohio are
looking toward Maine and hoping
that she viii not vote down her prohlbl-
tory law. is the statement made by
b. F. w Thorpe. of Springfield, ONO
formerly editor of the Maine Farmer
and a one time resident of the city
of Augusta, in a letter to the Ken
/ nebec journal in which he describes
! interestingly the prevailing social
and industrial conditions in the Buck
! eye State Mr.. Thorpe writes as
| follows:
Editor Kennebec Journal:
Southwestern Ohio, accurately
speaking is hardly in King Corn's
recognized domain, yet farm husband
| ry here is based on the production of
| the staple cereals and their CONVEX
sion into pork and beef to supply the
| sineWs of business to a much more
noticeable extent than in any state
east of her boundaries. Other stock
and fruit are locally influential in
| swelling the opulence of the Buckeye
State together with the manufact-
uring interests which her agriculture
| SO well supports. In fact, when the
| Western countries are traversed, the
/ rolling and broken land of the East
| gives place to the broad sweeps of
| the praries that once threatened to
make new England forsaken land.
| But that time is past. Corn belt
| farmers have done we'll in material
| things. but now getting start with
| land ranging from 800 to 5000 per
| acre is no weaklng job. Journeying
| in almost any direction for score
| or two of miles from this city VIII
| bring to view plenty of farming land
| that is changing hands at the figures
! above mentioned. This land has adj
| vanced in selling value at least one
| third during the past decade and now
| must be handled to the very best adj
| vantage to return profit, where at
| tention to future productivity is kept
I! in view and buildings and equipment
| are maintained in full degree.
| viewed by critical New England
/ bred optics the farming operations
Il will hardly pass muster in all respects
i While the standard crops are given
Il excellent culture and produce large
II aggregate Yields, there is lacking that
4 finished appearance resulting from
i more intensive farming and making
Il the most of all tillable areas that
Il marks the true Yankees thrifty nat
ure and gives charm to rural land
scapes in the New England States.
There the rule is to farm to the limit,
where soil and surface favors produce
II ton. and let nature have her way with
the uncongenial tracts. Here where
nearly every square rod is tillable the
unkelnpt. ragged edges of the big
II areas strike the eastern eve unpleas-
antlv. The question that presents
II itself to the farmer in tho corn belt Is
will it be economically profitable 70
best the weeds in that 20, so or lo'
acre wheat field that is spotted WITT
winter injury, clean out that temper
ary fence row where corn was hog
eed'' off last year. and to be repeated
this year or to let the stock do the
ioh 1uite indifferently. The farmer
shapes his operations according to the
feasibility of machine farming and IN
| consequence some otherwise maghiI-
ieent farm scenes are sadly marred.
The Grange as Factor.
| Socially and educationally the
| rural people of this section of ONO
| are not on par with Maine. organ
iZation among farmers has not ad-
i vapced so far Numerically the
Grange is considerably weaker here
than in New England, although ONO
Is counted one of the strongholds ol
/ the p. of II. order. The Farmers
| Union and other farmers organlza
I tions are not perceptibly influential
here. either. The farmers OF th'
rougher landed areas of the State anc
country generally seem to take more
readily to organization than the corr
belt dwellers whose larger opera
tjons have enabled more wholesal'
dealing and discouraged social an'
educational meetings
A Farm, Machinery Hive.
The magnitude of the tillage oper
ations from Ohio westward. to tn
north and to the southwest are bu
family realized by those unfamilia
with the prairies, bottom lands ant
plains The extent of these has mad
the agricultural machinery bushes.
a colossal industry. On this Industry
rests the farmers ability to till the
: immense stretches that now are oeihe
/ taxed to furnish the bread. meat anu
fabric material, yearly required III
greater quantities.
Springheid, ONO mas inc
being the leading center OF farh ma
chinery manufacture, In the great piah's
covering scores of acres an army OF eN'
| pert mechanical workers are empioyeu
These shops frequently operate Witiou'
halt in many of their departments hleh'
| and day shifts being required 10 Keep ul
with the orders.
/ Motor Machinery Gaining Ground.
, Among the more modern types OF ma
chinery here manufactured that is prom
Using TO have a pronounced bearing OF
: economic conditions is the motor truck
, This means of transporting merchandise
and heavy goods. heretofore moved D!
horse power. is a source of no little con
| lecture as to where This elimination o
the horse Is going to end, AS | write, al