Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1912-01-17

an experimental farm and paid $40 900 for 1t.
The men from the University of Maine,
under Prof; Wood. OF the Maine experiment.
ment they made was upon the orchard which
had practically never borne an apple. but the
land had raised a small crop OF hay every
year.
The trees were full OF tops and we're yellow
with starvation. Under the direction of
different kinds of fertilizers; small section
was fenced of, into which hogs were put; an
other section into which sheep were pastured,
and the rest was pioughed. AZ the trees
were pruned, all waste wood being cut out OF
the TOPS, and they were all sprayed. They
were kept pioughed for two yeats-not only
ploughed but narrowed, and the grass KEPT
down; and the present season this worthless
farm, practically abandoned as far as the
orchard was concerned, produced over $4,000
worth of apples.
so called abandoned farms, rocky aud
sod bound, which are naturally adapted TO
the cultivation of apples, and we can raise
favor, and the one that will keep the longest,
OF any state In the Union.
Why should men, young or old, go West,
North or South to develop any new industry,
when Maine land well adapted to orcharding
can be bought, many times with good build
ings connected, on the basis Of s25 an acre?
What better opportunity for increasing the
per cent Of our rural population for the next
ten years than can be furnished by the pros
poets OF this industry
SUMNER RESORT BUSINESS.
While we are rehearsing these things about
our State, let us not forget about our
enormous summer business. This begins
in the spring and lasts till faR, Visitors
begin to spend money from the.time they
pass the Portsmouth bridge until they reach
the remotest corners of our ten millionaire
forest reserve, or the tinfest island along our
more than three thousand miles Of seashore.
All figures Of income from this source In
crease constantly from year to year. The
best economists in our State claim that the
balancing power Of this income has carried
US through the last two panics without
knowledge of their existence, except as we
read in the newspapers.
This crop OF scenery and climate, of health
and pleasure, which we dispose OF annually,
needs no phosphates or spraying. There are
no taxes to be paid upon IL. All ii needs is a
liberal advertising with proper care and at
of style, and commands the highest price, 1t
has few competitors.
OUR WATER POWERS.
We have but one real, commercial city In
the State-Portland, and that has manu-
featuring than many OF us imagine. A few
goods are distributed from Bangor, Rockland,
Lewiston. Auburn and Augusta. but the most
OF our cities and larger towns depend upon
their pay-roils, which very largely depend
upon the water power in those localities, and
around which these various towns have
grown up.
There IL no more interesting su beet for con-
sideratiou than these water powers. From
them have practically resulted the cotton bust
ness in Lewiston and Biddeford. Augusta and
/ waserviile. and the pulp and paper industry
| in the many towns along the Androscoggin,
Kennel bee and Penobscot rivers. 1t is claimed
\ by experts that we are the third State In the
union 10 the value OF our water power. We
are said to have 1858 lakes and over 5000
rivers and streams, and that our average
| rainfall is forty-two inches.
| Our state Is peculiarly situated in this
| regard. Our population is situated along
/ the river valleys, mostly in the southern and
eastern portions OF the State. at small
| elevation above the sea level, while our great
| forest aud lake regions are in the northern
/ aud western portions OF the State, aud not far
/ removed, with the mean elevation of six
| hundred feet above the sea. There are
| twelve principal river systems, along which
/ Is already developed good deal of water
| power, and yet but o slight development as
compared to what we may expect in the
| future.
To illustrate, the Kennebec river rises In
| Moosehead lake. l.Q2s feet above the sea level,
| and runs only about one hundred miles To
the Augusta dam, furnishing great power
| in that short distance. The Androscoggic
| finds its rise only about ITO miles from
4 Brunswick, 1911 feet above the sea. Com
\ pare these two rivers for illustration with the
| St. Lawrence river, which rises 800 miles
from the sea at an elevation of $50 feet, or the
Mississippi river, which rises in Lake Itaska
1890 miles from the sea, at an elevation of less
than thousand feet, and you will see the
| point OF great advantage of the water powers
/ In Maine.
| Not only this, our State has one lake to
1 square mile Of water surface to every IA 3-io
| square miles of land, and Waiter Wells, In
| 1868, estimated the possible development Of
/ our water falls at 2,655.200 horsepower, OIL
equal to the working energy OF 100000 OF
| men.
! These lakes furnish great baiahoing power
| by their storage for the use of this water bus
! the real storage which keeps the rivers rum
| ming constantly throughout the year, that
/ machinery can be run and men and women
| can work without shutdown or interruption
L. ,,t ~ in he Star
\ and northern part of our State. 1t is here that
| the rainfall Is husbanded by the shade of the
| trees, kept from evaporation, and slowly but
/ continually trickles down the brooks and
streams into the great river systems, and our
| supreme court has decided that the people
! have an interest in the preservation OF these
forests. that every holder OF this class of prop
| erty. whatever may be his title, holds IL under
the applied liability that his use of 1t shall be
so regulated that 1t shall not be injurious to
the equal enjoyment of others, having an
qual right to the enjoyment of their proper-
ty, not inju rious to the rights of the commu-
nifty, and that such property is not the result
of productive labor, but derived solely from
the State itself, the original owner, being in
capable OF increase - that they cannot be
wasted or destroyed. so as to improve ish the
people in this great asset of water power; that
the very purpose of government protects us in
the conservation Of these forests and 1t is
most gratifying to know and TO realize that no
one is more Interested in this conservation
than are the great majority of owners in this
property. While they own these lands, they
also own mills, located on the rivers below,
and water power is as great an asset to them
, as is the timber which stands in the forests.
There are Just two enemies to this great
property--the first is FIRE, and the second, the
portable saw-mill, which is always the ac-
cessor of the small landowner, and his prac-
tees of "cutting clean" is as nearly destruc-
tive for che preservation OF timber and water
power alike, as is the forest fire.
From these water powers we may expect
much in the future for the development of
our villages and towns, for light heat and
power, and believe the day is not far dis
tant when all our railroads will be electric
railroads; aud II Mr.. Edison can perfect his
storage battery, as he assures us he will, this
power will be made use of, not only in the
cities and villages, but in the country and on
the farm, to the great enjoyment of our rural
population, and the great increase of our
agricultural wealth.
GOOD ROADS.
Our State is large in area, and for six
months in the year invite the world to
visit us for their pleasure and enjoyment aud
for our profit. For their enjoyment and our
advantage, the subject of good roads should
always command our attention. We have
$500 miles of highway in the State, and a
previous generation has lined many of them
very generally With very good stone walls.
With electric current near by, IL is simple
matter to transform these walls into the very