The Republican journal., 1917-06-14
Waldo County.

The farmers of central and western
Waldo are interested in mixed farming.
No one branch is of pre-eminent import
gone away, that many farms are not
worked to their full capacity, the older
men doing what is easiest or that which
has to be done. There is no especial
change The dairy industry is gaining in
importance; farmers are selling their
whole milk and are making less butter
and cheese, because there is less labor in
volved. Some boys and girls clubs have
been organized and the idea is good; it all
helps.
Appropriations for highways and schools
have been increased in recent years, but
owing to higher wages paid on the roads,
about the same amount of work is being
done as formerly.
No one has enlisted from this vicinity,
but the boys are ready when called for,
and the towns have not forgotten how to
care for the dependent families of those
drafted. The towns here did their full
duty in '61-'65 and will again.
Grass has started well; very little win
ter-killing There is considerable old hay
on hand, the most at this time of year in
recent years. Very little hay has been
pressed, or will be. 1t will be carried over
and fed out. The price of hay has ruled
low-about $40 per ton, loose.
The acreage of potatoes and beans will
be Internationally or quite doubled.
Sweet corn will be decreased, in spite of
the fact that factories are making great
effort to increase acreage, and have raised
the price to cents. Farmers regard
sweet corn as an uncertain crop, and
this is no year. to take chances. Most
corn will be for the silo.
The request to increase acreage has
little effect on what may term the vet
eran farmer. Such had already planned
the years work, and no more work could
be considered All that could be cared
for would be planted. He needed no urg-
ing; he saw the situation and had planned
to meet it. Some new to the business,
however, have planned to plant more than
they can care for; they want to pillow up
more than they can fertilize properly.
The result will be failure and shortage in
hay, | am afraid
The price of grain is very high, but
eggs are nearly correspondingly high;
milk and cream are not so high, only a
little more than usual, but the COWS are
now about to get on grass, and little grain
will need to be fed The solution of the
situation is an abundant grain crop this
year Quite a number of farmers here
will SOW wheat.
There is no change in the horse or sheep
industries. Many farmers would like to
keep flock of sheep, but where can they
buy them? 1t will take years to replace
the tlocks of 40 years ago. There is a
scarcity of little pigs, and they are selling
for S. each, Well, brother farmers, let
us ''stand our hand" be not stampeded.
Don't sell the cows or hens. Raise all the
calves we can feed, and the usual number
of chickens. When grain is high, eggs
are high, too, Cattle will live with less
grain than they have had. Plant all that
we can care for, and no more, and remem-
Der that our hay crop is our most import
ant crop in southern Maine. A shortage
in potatoes or garden truck can be easily
remedied, as the next few months will
probably show, but our flocks and herds
once depleted are not so quickly restored.
r. W. HOWARD.
In Maine Farmer