The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-04-06
NEW ENGLAND
FARMING NEEDS
Department of Agriculture Specialist
Makes Some Suggestions as to
Remedies for Present
Situation.

Washington, ID. c., April 1.-THE lane
and the farming of New England have
often been criticised. There are two
chief classes of critics. These are com.
posed of people who have known the
farming of these states 20 years ago
and of those who are seeing it to-day In
superficial manner.
For a generation or two past the
changes in farming the country over,
had left the farming of New England
in a depressed condition, according to a
specialist of the department of agricul-
ture. The reaction of the last decade
is now remedying this depression. 1t
was true that New England land could
not produce some of the staple crops in
competition with the land of the cen-
trail states, especially when that land
was low priced. The present change IS
due to the large and growing consum-
ing population of New England and the
difficulty in importing some of the per.
ishable or bulky farm products from
other states.
Observation from railway trains often
results in statements which exaggerate
the amount of rough land in New Eng
land. As rule some of the poorest
land lies in sight of the railways, while
the rest of this region is by no means
all of the same character. The tillable
land is much more extensive than Is
often understood, and the non-tillable is
a valuable asset as grazing or wood
land.
af bIfA for mr.
on New England land has not yet gone
so far but that there are now many Sec
tions where the land is really cheap, con-
sidering its productive capacity. To
make the production of crops pay good
interest on the value of the land, it
must, of course, be so chosen as to avoid
the speculative values caused by sub
urban or summer residences, or in a
few cases by over-estimated farming
values. The very cheap land is often
to be avoided also, because it is not fit
ted for farming, and is at the moment
devoid of forest covering Some OF the
cheap farms are not large enough in
acreage, or produce too little income per
acre, to keep farmer and his family.
Such farms, however, may form desir-
NDt parts VI larger ldiul puoIp7SS.
Most of the real farming is done on
land valued at from $40 to 500 per acre
and the greater part of it is perhaps on
the land worth from $25 to $50 per acre,
the whole farm taken together.
The distinctive features of New Eng
land farming are due to the fact that
the region as whole is particularly
adapted to the growth of grass and
trees. So, in general, the kinds of farm
ing which depend on the grass crop, pre-
dominate. These kinds of farming are
proftably supplemented by orcharding,
and derive great help from the presence
of woodland. The last furnishes winter
employing for many farmers and their
teams.
Hay growing for the market on the
moist or loamy soils of New England
is more profitable than corn growing in
the central states. Potatoes on the well
drained lands of northern New England
and apple orchards on the uplands of
all but the most northern parts are
profitable and command markets which
are not so easily reached from other
states. Truck and small fruit crops are
in demand and are profitable to raise