The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1911-08-10
Pearl Brook Farm.
An Object Lesson in Farming by Business
Man.

tice by its racing stock, has attracted wide at
tention; but the farm itself, and the work car
ried on there, is no less interesting and in
structive. 1t is not show place like Thomas
w. Lawson's Dreamwold, nor plaything; butts
straight business proposition, and for that rea-
son is the more worthy of study by those in
terested in the advancement of Maine agricul-
ture. 1t of course requires large capital, as
well as business ability, to carry on farming on
such an extensive scale, but the methods en-
ployed may be adopted on smaller places with
advantage. Mr.. Maitland B. Smith, the pro-
prietor of Pearl Brook Farm, is not only busi-
ness man, but man with whom it is pleasure
to do business-a man of his word and of un-
failing courtesy. While resident of Hart
ford. Conn.,, he took over the home farm, when
advancing years compelled his father to give
up the management, and later added to his
holdings the adjoining farms of Samuel Cur
ney and Freeman W. Shepherd, giving him
farm of about 800 acres. The greater part Of
this area is in the valley of the Passagassa-
waukeag river. 1t is free from rocks, and the
soil is loan that responds literally to proper
cultivation. Mr.. J. F. Wilson is an enthusiast
regarding Pearl Brook farm. He has farmed
successfully in Aroostook county and in Waldo
county and has visited the great farms of the
west and noted methods and results, and he
considers this farm, within the city limits of
Belfast, second to none.
Last Friday the writer had the pleasure of
visiting Pearl Brook Farm in company with
Mr.. Wilson, whose frequent visits had made
him familiar with the place, while his pract-
cal knowledge of farming was both enlight-
ening and instructive. An early start was
made and the route taken was out Waldo ave-
nue.. 1t was beautiful morning, and the
drive afforded views that should tempt the
brush of painter. The lumber piles on hill
indicated the approach to the mill of Fred A.
Holmes, and soon the mill came into sight,
with the adjacent piles of shingles, laths,
water power and does large business in long
and short lumber. Turning the corner by the
cooper shop of the Hatch Brothers, a short dis
tance farther on came to a bridge over the
back water from the Holmes dam. as placid
between its green banks the proverbia al
mill pond, and crossing this bridge we enter
Pearl Brook Farm. Mr.. Wilson called atten-
tion to some ploughed land on the left
showing the nature of the soil and the alb
sence of rocks, and it was also noticed that
the earth was turned in the burrows per-
fectly if it had been done by machinery. A
little farther on an excavation had been made
preparatory to erecting large barn. On en-
quiring at the house it learned that Mr..
Smith was not at home, but expected
Sunday. So our team was headed across the
farm in the direction of the tobacco patches,
but a stop was made where the work of dig
ging and barrehng potatoes for shipment was
in progress. Mr.. Smith has ninety acres in
potatoes; 25 acres in Irish Cobblers, and the
naming acreage in the Green Mountain va
riety. The Cobbler is early variety, but
does not yield largely. They were getting about
ITO bushels of merchantable potatoes to the
acre, which at present prices ought to be pro-
htable. The potatoes are packed in barrels
holding about 24 bushels, are heaped up in the
barrel and then covered with burlaP. Those
seen were smooth and white, uniform in size
and just the right size for use. The small po-
tatoes are picked up, but the men did not know
what use would be made of them, and Mr.. Wi
son suggested that starch factory was needed
here. The potatoes dug by large ma
chine drawn by four horses. Every other
is dug and when the potatoes in these rows
are picked up the remaining rows are dug.
This plan is followed as otherwise the horses
would trample on and destroy many potatoes.
We next came to the two acres of tobacco
from Cuban seed, over which is great tent of
cotton cloth stretched over wives from cedar
posts nine feet high, with walls extending
around the entire area. This method is
ployed in growing this grade of tobacco in
Cuba or elsewhere and prevents what is term
ed "scalding' by the direct rays of the sun,
and is also protection against insects. This
tobacco showed most luxuriant growth and
had nearly reached the cloth overhead. When
ready for market it brings $3.50 pound Four
acres of tobacco from Connecticut seed, ad-
joining and unprotected, showed an equ Ally
strong growth with.not blemish on the broad
green leaves. One leaf was measured and
found to be 10 1-2 inches wide. Near by is
building where the tobacco will be dried. Every
other board in the sides is removable. A larger
building on the hill at the Shepherd place has
been prepared in like manner and part of the
barn will also be used for this purpose
There are ten acres in corn for the canning
factory now in the silk and showing vigor-
GUS growth; 100 acres in oats, handsomely
headed out and several large patches of bar
ley. The oats are lodged in places, but not
+! sufficiently to lessen materially what promises
to be an unusually heavy yield. We did not
see the orchard, but Mr.. Wilson said that Mr..
Smith had set out a large number of trees and
they have the same attention given to other
details of the farm.
The Passagassawaukeag river runs through
the farm and at two different places are what
may be called pumping stations, where the
Bordeaux mixture is prepared for spraying.
The pump is set in the river and carried UP to
an elevated platform from which the water
flows directly into the barrel or tank in which
the mixture is prepared. One of these pumps,
we were told, delivered % gallons at stroke
There are now about Is horses on the farm
and half of them are work horses. Mr. Smith
has been very successful on the turf, but it
looks as though farming may claim of his
attention than racing and prove even more
profitable.