Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-05-10
irstsIImsnt Number Tive


| are given for excellence in stool.
Traditional habits are not Of ..r,.s
favor as to prevent our farmers Sroaa
adopting any real Improvements TIM
come In their way. The cast ts.a
pillow has long been generally n..s
j The cultivator Is coming into eers.a.
use and 70 Is the roller. The ~
moving and threshing macb;,a-
everyone uses. Horserakes are ).
casionally seen. Improved s.vss.
snaths and cradles can be bowss.
anywhere. s't
Recently stranger from ye,u...
has introduced here an implemsa..
| to follow the cradle and gather tss
grain into parcels for binding. "e
Machines for sowing seeds are
much used. Corn shelters will CIV NV
when, like the Vermont farmer 'e
shall raise $500 bushels OF corn Nc
a single farm. The exertions IN y "a
trOduce six culture into Main. =
worthy Of praise. A patriotic inai
vidual is about to Introduce s;u.
manufacture into our immed;a. .
vicinity. May success attend ~
experiment. 1t may keep our vo,ns
women from the corrupting atno.s
phere of Lowell. The times han.
been hard for the last two or a.
years. The people got into an idI.
spendthrift habit and suffered ,r..s
it. Our rulers have been unvIsa
and the Ssate is burdened with An.
We hope that the new rulers in Ia
uary VIII turn over a new leaf"
Mr.. McClellan's prophecy ahor,
the corn shelle- was hardly corrse.
Many a small farmer bought sns
used them. The revolving horsa
rake was the first one used ana MAJ,
today can recall riding the .ois
mare" while his father or hired rrau
manipulated the rake. ""
The first sheep here were of an in
ferior grade. Jonathan Farrar
jeremiah Fairfield and Amos Rata,
introduced the Merino, and wool
growing became more profitabls
Many carloads of wool We're shipped
to the Boston market. On June ~
1877, Amos II. Fletcher shipped four
carloads in a single day.
The moving machine was intro.
duced in the first half Of the decade
of the fifties, but did not come into
general use until after the Civil
War.
1t was long question whether the
mower would pay on the rocky and
rough upland farms Of Skowheean
where so much of the moving must
be done with the hand scythe. The
machine proved a paying investment
on many farms. The Buckeye was
q favorite, as it allowed the cutter
bar to be folded over and to lie hori.
Zontal in front of the driver. iona.
than Weston and Ruel Homestead
wore early users of the moving ma.
chine in Skowhegan. The former
was an agent for the Buckeye.
In 1851 the farmers in Skowhegau
flourished exceedingly well. The
experiment Of raising winter wheat
was apparently successful.
The fields were beautiful as they
waited for the sickle. Then it seemed
that Maine would attain that condi.
ton so long desired OF raising her
own food stuffs, and would no longer
be obliged to go to New York to
mill"
The farmer always liked to have
green peas for his table by July 4th
In 1860 the Skowhegan House
served green peas raised in town On
June 30th.
The crop of hay in 1851 was one.
third larger than that Of the previous
year, and was selling at an advanced
price of 800 per ton.
James Steward boosted of a cali
weighing 120 pounds at birth and
Gideon Wells killed a steer of 200
pounds live weight, 1854 dressed.
TallOw 220, hide 1873. In order to
stimulate the production of wheat 80
that Maine might have enough for
home consumption, the Legislature
in 1887 passed an act giving bounty
of $500 for the first twenty bushels
Of wheat raised by one farmer and
six cents for every bushel over. A
considerable sum was paid by the
State on this bounty. The wheat
pearance in 1884 or 1885. Since then
the general culture of wheat here was
abandoned, though there was
period in the fifties when winter
wheat was a success. Its failure iR
most cases. was due to autums
drought and not to the severity d
the winter. Barley was more rel.
able. had less insects to destroy il
and was frequently raised.
Oats were considered an exhaus'
tive crop and occasionally rust due
to a microscopic worm would attack
it. Rye was grown more in the
earlier years than at the present
time.
Potato rot appeared in 1S45. Or i,
chards We're usually neglected ex'
cept by those specially engaged IN
fruit culture. The natural apples
were largely made into cider. The
grated" apples may be excelled IN
appearance by those raised in ohter
parts of the country but nowhere do
apples have a flavor superior to those
grown in Skowhegan.
Ito be continued)