Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-11-19
Old Ruts and New Paths.

how easy II Il to work along In the
old ruts formed by much going In that
Same way, to "do - father did,! How
hard Il 10 to branch out into new paths,
to seek shorter way or to find an easier
one! The less energetic and the more
conservative ono 10 By nature, the greater
10 the tendency to ''leave well enough
alone" and to follow tho lines Of least
resistance.
But our surroundings, the conditions
changing. While the principles on
which nature works always remain the
Same, the forms she takes arc constantly
progressing. So also economic laws are
always the same, but the local coudi.
tions which they govern change from
decade to decade.
1t is obvious, is 1t not, that II the man
stands still In the old rut and II local
economic conditions change, usually pro.
crossing, the time will come when the
man will no longer fit the conditions un-
der which he lives? Yet this 10 what
some of us in the East are trying to do.
We are following the old rut when all
successful business Ii along the new
path. New conditions require new
methods successfully to cope with them.
When the Eastern states were first
settled and when farming began In this
country the region was the granary OF
the United States. The soil was virgin
and productive and much land was
cleared and planted to crops, which, al
though It returned q profit then, is no
longer able to do 80 because Of the COM
petition OF new lands better adapted to
the growing of these crops. The condi.
tion of the soil, the prices Of products,
the markets, the increased cost Of pro-
duction as we'll as competition all de-
mand a readjustment, local reorgani-
zation Of the business of farming.
New crops have been introduced.
Markets for new products have grown
up. The demands for certain products
and the requirements in marketing them
have changed. II farming in the East is
to be continued on profitable basis our
crops, our methods of management, In
some cases our whole system of agricul-
ture, must be changed to meet these new
conditions.
Take dairy farming, for example.
When dairying flrst became an impor..
taut industry in the East the principal
demand for dairy products was for but
ter and cheese. Later the demand for
milk arose. Now the competition OF
parts of the West, where butter and
cheese can be more cheaply produced
than here, is keenly felt. But our near
ness to the great markets gives us an ad-
vantage in milk production, II We will
only make good use of 1t. When we
first began to produce milk 1t was most
ly done on pasture. Now our pastures
are running out and our land is bec0m-
ing more valuable. Corn silage and al
falfa afford cheaper means OF pr0due-
ton on which to rely.
The competition Of other more favor
ably situated regions, changed soil con-
ditions, increasing land values aud
other factors demand q closer adjust
ment of crops to soils and to conditions
than ever before. To succeed, our crops
must fit the soil, the climate aud the
markets as nearly as possible. Corn,
oats, wheat, rye, fruits, oil our common
crops must be put to the test: Do they
ftp Are they the most suitable onesf
The high cost of labor makes 1t in
creasipgly necessary to utilize 1t In the
best possible manner.
Ali this simply means that We are rap
idly nearing the time, il we have not al
ready reached 1t, when all our loose,
careless methods must be abandoned,
when our farming must be organized and
systematized, as the Chinese, the Eng
lish, the Germans and other older ma
tions had to do long ago.
While general guiding principles may
be laid down, every farm 10 essentially
problem by itself, and each farmer must
make his own application. The first
step Is accurate knowledge, records OF
ones own farm.-Tribune Farmer.