The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1911-11-10
HERB WARREN'S LETTER.

1t is with pleasure that L give
a few details of my months trip
thru Aroostock county in Maine.
The first place of especial inter-
est is Houlton, a town of six or
seven thousand inhabitants. The
town is rich in modern public
buildings and most of the resi-
dent homes are on the bungalow
style. There are four millionaires
| in the town, and it is the second
richest place in New England,
Brookline, Mass, being the first.
Here in Houlton is the largest
Grange in the world, having 1900
members. A general store run by
the Grange, for patronage of the
Changers exclusively, carries on a
business of two hundred and TWEEN
ty-five thousand. One of the fin
est Elks' halls in the state is here.
About fifty miles north is Fort
Fairfield. This place is on the
main line of the Bangor and Aroo-
stock and also the Canadian Pa
cific. 1t was settled in 1920, and in
1889 a dispute arose concerning
the border line, which resulted in
war known as the "Bloodless
Aroostock War" Signs of fort
made by a posse of men sent by
by Governor Fairfield are still
standing. Thirty miles north is
Caribou, which sends out more
potatoes than any in the country.
The soil is light dry merle and
especially adapted for raising this
crop. About ton of phosphate to
the acre is used
Little attention is paid to hay
or cattle raising. Oats and buck
wheat are raised and threshed in
the field and the straw is burned.
All business is flourishing this
fall, the price of potatoes being
S1.S5 per barrel, some being held
for $500. The land is valued at
500 an acre and from this land
700 to 500 barrels can be raised.
Much attention is given to apple
raising and the care of their or
chards, by cultivating and spray
ing their trees, wrapping and as
sorting the apples and packing in
boxes has increased their value in
the eastern markets. Farming
implements are not housed as
those used on the Connecticut riv-
er farms, but rather left in the
fields where last used ready for
another spring.
Pressure Isle, twenty miles from
Caribou, is a flourishing town of
four thousand. Electric lines con-
meet it with the neighboring small
towns. A Grange hall recently
built affords a fine place for the
weekly meetings, where a goodly
number attend and fine programs
are carried out. A Grange store is
in connection, which quotes low
est prices to members
Fifty miles north is Van Buren,,
on the st. Johns river, a lumber |
and milling town. Farming is lit
tie thought of, and corn is not |
raised at all. An iron bridge has
just been completed connecting |
this place and ST. Leonard at a |
cost of eighty-seven thousand |
dollars. Farms on the Brunswick |
side worth $1,000 are valued at |
$4,000 on the Maine side. The |
Brunswick business men had hop
ed that reciprocity would be pass
ed, thereby increasing real es-
tate. One hundred miles north of
Quebec the winters are usually
long and cold.
Business all thru this country is
all in a rush. Sixty Ford automo-
biles were sold in less than two
weeks. Commercial travelling men
all branches of bust
ness were very plenty; forty and
fifty at the different hotels each
hight. One tobacco agent sold
over two tons of tobacco in a
Caribou store. Phosphate and i'm
element agents we're the most
noticeable, and occasionally an in
Iurance agent. The farmers have
lad a hard time for the past two
years, but this season the potato
.rop did not suffer from dry wea-
her in the summer season as was
in many other places.
Taking into consideration that :
his county is most as large as
yermont, and is recognized as the
Harden of Maine, much can be
aid of it and takes you a long
ime to cover the state. You can
lot find a creamery or corn
hop during your travels. Many
# the farmers are from the pro-
-inces and know but very little
f modern up-to-date farming.
hey have good teams to do their
york, but as far as home COM
orts they know but little of.
III, p, Warren.