The Republican journal., 1915-08-12
UNAVOIDABLE CROP REPORTS.
Loss of Over 100000 on Hay Alone.
Apple Crop SO per Cent Below the
Average. Corn in Poor Condition. Po-
tato and Dat Fields Promise Good Yield.

tato and Dat Fields Promise Good Yield.
The growing and reaping season of
1Sl5 promises to be disastrous one for
Maine farmers whose income depends
upon the hay and apple crop. If condi-
lions observed in central Maine hold
throughout the State, and it is believed
that the conditions are general the State
over, there will be a loss of over 81, OOO,-
600 on the hay crop alone, says the Ken
nebec Journal. Orchardists in central
Maine declare that there is no such thing
as 1915 apple crop; and that beyond a
few barrels of poor fruit from the best
trees, fit only for making cider, the
orchardists will not harvest. The 1914
apple crop in Maine was SO abundant
that good fruit was allowed to rot on the
trees; the 1915 crop was attacked by
early June frosts, accompanied by high
winds and at maturity, in central Name,
at least, will be of little or no value.
State Horticultural Gardner states that
under normal conditions would demon
strate value of about 81, 500. 600, where
as the 1915 crop will probably be worth
no more than $250,0OO and probably not
that much.
Farmers in central Maine are putting
into their barns about two-thirds the
normal hay cut; an average of one third
of this cut is too poor to sell at all and
is worth not more than half the market
price to the farmer who can consume it
in his own barns. Maine is one of the
81 States in the Union which produce
over 1000, 900 tons of hay each annually
under normal conditions, and a recent
Maine crop of l, 1874, 900 tons was esti-
mated to be worth SIG, 597, 900. If facts
and figures relating to the hay crop in
central Maine are indicative of the hay
crop of the Safe as whole, Maine hay
farmers will this season pitch upon their
moWs 1860 tons which at the normal
price for Names average hay crop
would be valued at only $7,376, 444, har-
vesting part of the crop in wet weather
having detracted one-sixth of the nor
NAL value.
Some farmers with only Is or 30
tons of hay to cut have succeeded in
lodging the rain and have hauled the
full tonnage into their barns in first class
condition, but nearly all have experience
ed difficulties which have resulted in a
damage of so per cent of the value to
one-third of the crop. The loss of one
sixth of the crop harvested cannot
be doubted when added to the damage
done to small hay crops one considers
the thousands of tons that have been en-
tirely ruined on farms of large crops.
August Sd there were 1000 tons of hay
in Kennebec and Somerset counties
alone which had been lying in the fields
in swaths, windows or punches for
from two to three weeks and in addition
about 8, 900 tons which had been cut for
over week. In central Maine there
| are few instances noted where hay has
been entirely ruined, though some farm
ers declare they have hay laying out
which will eventually be placed upon the
compost heap.
| The Central Maine potato fields are at
present in very good form and it is hop
ed that the yield will be as good as the
appearance OF the crop now promises.
The oat fields also promise a splendid
yield, but corn, crop of secondary i'm
portance in Maine, is in rather poor con-
dition.
The Department of Agriculture in its
July report says the apple crop in Maine
will be short this year and estimates the
yield at so per cent of the ten year aver
age of 70 per cent, indicating yield of
3,077. 600 bushels, compared with Z, AGO.
600 bushels last year.