Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-01-03

provided that he Shail take care to
see that the laws be faithfully ex-
eeuted. SO far as | may be able,
shall try faithfully to fulfill this
mandate of the Constitution; but
shall not, in any way, interfere with
or seek TO exercise any of the func-
tions of the other two CO. ordinate
branches of the government, the
legislative and judicial The Con-
stitution also provides that the Gov
ernor shall from time to time give the
Legislature information as TO the con-
dition of the State, and recommend TO
its consideration such measures as he
may judge expedient. In accordance
with this time -honored custom, |
shall on this occasion call your at
tention to some of our conditions as a
State. and make such recommends
tons as | deem worthy of your con-
sideration. not by any means, how
ever, expecting to cover to any con-
siderable extent the great number of
subjects you will undoubtedly be
called upon to consider.
General Conditions of the State.
We have the advantage of the last
census report of the Federal Govern
ment for 1910, with which to inform
ourselves somewhat as To our condi-
ton. This report shows our popula-
ton to be 1921, gain over 1910 OF
1895, or 81 per cent. This is the
largest relative gain of any decade
since 1S60-and more than one third
OF the whole gain made in fifty years
which has been 1872. This gain APP
pears. small when compared with the
average gain IN the nation of II per
cent. in the last ten. years, but it ap-
pears very afacorable when compared
with the oorrespondingrgain in other
New England states and some of the
western states. of this population, 80
per cent is located in our 90 cities
Ten counties show an increase of ST.
3S4ssSix decrease of 1929. Aroostook
county exceeded the average increase
9f1fls the states of the Union, and is
22.s per cent. The 20 cities. and 35
towns Of $500 population or more
haze 51.4 per cent of the population
which mey be called urban, and 4S.S
-ptr. cent. is in, the smaller towns ana
may be called rural, The one MOI
:. bic thng, and one much to be
regretted, is the fact that the gaiAsiA
she urban population in the pascgsen
.Syears has been 1928 per cent. White
that in the rural population has beeR
spsly II per cent.
Our Farnos.. d
= yhe area Of tae sfatt., is. .1glE 500
q tbs. s.29e 80 aerasxarS { In
farms With only 1850 esIiatstss * fss n
PROVED. IL I'm lands. @hT Ms ia DO
acres 4sss than.s italsssss'. Ia iSso. Ne
have e1ols .farAQst 6s increase .of.s71g
in ten yeafs. a, 4 asalt tale same an,
erage acfea&1 os.9 acres. This farm
land, the Hiadinss thereon, With farm
mathinetyx ard domestic animals. is
valued AZ s$I99, 271 .so4, an Increase. over
Il 800 of Hs per cent The average
prtef :.of fafE land rose from about IS
pen. acre in, 1900 td nearly s14 in 1910.
Fere has been relative increase in
*alues OF farm MACHINERY and live
fstock, OF all Of these.farms. 95.7 per
Z cent are operated by owners and man.
ayers with only 4.S per cent in the
hands of tenants, and 41,309 of them
are free of mortgag e-while the aver
= smortgage debt ON farms geems to
have Hkreasee in the past 90 wears
: sS.s'pef lent; the average value of the
same .fafns has increased s7.6. her
J cent. ana,while the average mortgage
debt was 6hens as -s6.7 per cent. of the
: value ofsthess farms in 1900, 1T. was
gifen irf 1910 aSsonly 29.5 per cent. The
most of this data is very satisfactory,
and shows marked improvenaent< in
our agriculture during the past decade.
But l am constrained tosNy that, out
side of Aroostook county, which is ne
sponsibie fora large. part of this. i'm
-pFovemest, neglect and eareIessnesss41
evidenced on every .hand in thes.fdrsS
life of the'State. - 4
i Our State university and aexperfs;eAt
station, and the State farm. ale sh III
work. on the problem of. a better agl
rfchltuse; sbut the result afs the scien-
tine investigation vxtish, has been car:
1spfead altnSethsr. foo slowly among
!, the farms soS the. State. i realize. that
the Grange, rhe agricultural societies.
the Fsrniers Institute, sthe Dairynoen,s
4esoeiation,. the Poultry Associate
tho Pnnnolegie Society, and other as
;ssoeia tions;of. a similar nature, are all
Working together, earnestly and hon,
s.esffy. to improve the conditions OF ag-
. srieuitsfraI s:..lffe in. our States vet. Il
!. ttfifis that more should be done along
this. line. We have. never been. taxed
: to amy considerable extent. for the ben.
eft OF agriculture or horticulture. all
though about. one,half of our entire
population are engaged in farm work
, of one kind or another The United
States Government is probably spend :
ing as much money 3or.. the ad!
vancement- of agriculture in M9ifse
as is the State itself. ands L ur6
derstand the State is to receive, IN the
near future, some benefit from. the
iarge private bequest of Mr. John ID
rockefeller, in four of our countfes
upon four different lines of agricultur.
al work; and yet, with all this il
seems to me that the work is progress
sing too slowly and that more money
Is needed to push it forward, and I be-
f heVe that You can look Well into this
subject to see if. there are not ways
IN which you can profitably aid in the
uHbufiding of the Maine farm. We
are ANXIOUS to convince the rising
generation of the relative desirability
of life on thpca farms We ORC