Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-04-15

the crop of the preceding year.
Weather conditions have been very
discouraging the past two years. Most
of the flint corn grown is packed In
sios and the same is true of a large
percentage of the slower from sweet
corn. Silos have increased in num-
bers quite rapidly in the last decade
Small Grains.
About 5000 acres of wheat were
produced in the State during the past
year, the crop averaging something
like % bushels to the acre. About
5000 acres were sown to barley and the
yield is figured little under 80 bush
els. to the acre Buckwneat covered
an area of about 1900 acres. with
yield of so bushels to the acre. The
most important grain crop in the
State is oats. The acreage and the
yield were above those OF immediately
previous years. The area was 10000
acres: yield, 40 bushels to the acre.
Oats have been sown largely on land
to be seeded to grass, they seeming to
protect the latter during its early
growth. In late years many farmers
are seeding to grass in their corn.
This method tends to reduce the oat
with many to cut oats green and feed
them in the straw. We believe oats
to be a very valuable crop and worthy
of more extensive cultivation. Should
future seasons prove to be unfayor-
able to corn, it may be wise to make
more of a speciality of oats with great
er care in the selection or seed, using
varieties giving large yields. The
Of h,tc holc n
may be very largely increased. In
fact, it is possible to double 1t.
Potatoes.
In cash value the potato stands
next t. hay. The acreage for the past
year was about 10 per cent larger than
that for the preceding year, while the
yield per acre was increased in about
the same ratio. The report from
Washington fixes the total yield at
2s, 0OO, 900 bushels, an increase of $780,
600 over that of the preceding year.
The area planted is 128000 acres. Early
in the crop season reports from WASH
ington indicated a large shrinkage in
the potato crop of the country. rms
led Maine growers to anticipate a long
price for their tubers. and the future
of the potato. industry looked very
been good. it has not been so high as
was expected. That, and more par
ticularly other conditions affecting the
crop, have had a depressing effect.
The fact that dangerous diseases exist
in most other potato growing coun-
tries and the possibility of their in
PRODUCTION in our country, is a source
of unrest and uncertainty among our
potato growers. Every effort must be
made to keep such diseases out of the
State Should they at any time be
found here, it would become the duty
of the State to stamp them out.
Orchard Crops.
1.-THE apple crop of the past year
was about % per cent or that OF the
preceding year The quality was va
ried. On some farms and in some To-
calities il was good. while on other
farms and in other localities 1t was
inferior The difference in quality was
not due to chance, or to any favor
itism on the part of Providence. No
where is ii more true than in orchard
ing that AS you sow, so shall you
also reap.
"A cursory view shows many or
chards are left unpruned, nncult-
waited and unfertilized-a quick prey
| to disease and insect pests. Planted
i'll hops, grown in increasing neglect,
starving. scra gged, unkempt, sym
boil of nnthriftiness. many an apple
tree stands today by wall or in the
omen doomed to an early or disgrace
full end And the armies of tent cater
pillars and brown-tail moths are
marching on, feeding. devouring, de-
stroying How long. oh, now long. are
these trees to suffer such neglect?
1.-THE price of apples by the barrel
or box at the farm during the past
wear was about double that of the pre-
ceding year.