The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-10-03
Waldo Farmers Opportunity.

To THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL. In these
times of high prices-and especially high
prices of agricultural products-every farmer
in Waldo county should plan to make eyery
acre produce to its utmost capacity. The cause
of high prices is medium or poor crops: and
the cause of poor crops is careless individual
effort 1t will not do to raise average crops
farmer who is not above the average is
lowering the standard of his profession, And
whoever does that binders, rather than helms
in the affairs of life. No one wishes to be
drone. No one desires to be looked down upon
Especially should this be so among the aeri-
culturlsts, upon whom. more than any other
class, depends the prosperity and happiness of
all the people. No industry is watched so
anxiously as the farming industry. If crops
are abundant we all know that 40 100000 of
our people will be able to buy literally of the
products Of the other industries, and SO pros
perity is assured and those engaged in other
lines of business prepare for an enlarged out
put. Let there be falling off in the farm
crops of 20 per cent in any one year and if
means over $1.50O,O0O,OOO less that farmers
will have to buy other products with: and the
depressing effects of such calamity will be
felt in every industry in every part of the
land. Too little consideration is apt to be given
to the vast Importance which agriculture plays
in our industrial economy.
If our farmers conducted their affairs as
carefully as do those in other occupations, and
kept account to see where they were making
profit, or loss, they would have more courage
to enlarge their output, and put more energy
into their work. Farmers are too apt to re-
gard all other industries as more profitable
than their own. But most careful table pub
lished by the American Economist shows that
labor is getting 10 per cent more out of the
industries in which it works than is capital;
while in agriculture the farmer is getting about
33 per cent more profit than is paid out in wages,
or profit of over ss,4l2 oCO. 900 year. So we
see that the farmer who employs and intelli-
gently manages his help up to the capacity of
his farm receives larger net profit than the
one who neglects or fails to do so.
From quite extensive observations believe
the farmers in this county are well situated
in SO far as soil, climate, markets and other
opportunities are concerned. as are these in
any other State. In yield per acre in most
crops the Maine farmer far exceeds those in
the west. In prices obtained he also has the
advantage. By "a .judicious system of crop
production, and by selling those that remove
the least soil fertility he is enabled to obtain
the largest return for the amount produced.
Thus, if he sells potatoes, which consist
largely of water he is removing small amount
of fertility from his soil. If he keeps cows
and sheep and sells cream and wool he is also
receiving large returns for a very small
ing an intelligent system in his wood lot he
can get good income every year by simply
harvesting the condensed sunlight which ma
ture so lavishly stores up for him in the form
of forest products.
People who come here from other States all
say they see no reason why Waldo county
farmers cannot be prosperous and happy.
There are no better opportunities, and few as
good, in other sections as are to.be found right
here. People from other sections seeking
farms can fin d no better locations than we can
give them; and in communities, too, in which
no one need fear to bring their children. And
that means more than we often give credit for
Farm prices here are far below their value.
The boom in prices has not reached here Not
that conditions will not justify it, but it
is because we have never been used to try
to drive sharp bargains but are content to
take reasonable price for value received
In the past five year there has been
good demand for farms from people from out
of this State, and many from Aroostook have
settled here, and many more from there
have been here and looked the situation over
and intend to settle here as soon as they can
arrange to do SO. They say that our farms
can be bought for one third what they have to
pay for farms of equal value in Aroostook, and
the climate and market are far better here
than they are in the northern part of the
State.
Waldo county farmers have made great
progress in the past ten years and everything
indicates that in the future years they will OBJ
tain far better results. C. E. SMITH
Thorndike, Me.