Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-02-22

pervised by what is known as the !
Station Council.
At the last regular meeting Of the
Council committee consisting OF |
the Commissioner Of Agriculture and !!
the representative OF the Maine Seed !
Improvement association was APP
pointed to make careful investiga-
ton Of the present status Of the Sta
tion's work and to make recommen-
dations as to what ID necessary to
bring it back to it's pre-war state OF
efficiency. In their report they rec
ommend that in addition to the pres
ent appropriations now. received by
the Station, provision should be
made for general maintenance, for
replacement of members Of the star
who have resigned or left the Sta
TONS employ and whose places have
not been filled and for general emer-
gency work upon agricultural prob
lens in various parts Of the State.
which require special attention. For
these three items they recommend
$1,000 for the fiscal year 1923-24 and
$1,000 for the fiscal year 1924-2o.
Ihees items are covered by the re-
solve under consideration.
President Little Tells Of Work
DR.. Little, president of the Uni
ycrsity of Maine, stated that the
practical results of the work for the
farmer rests on a three-legged tripod.
One leg Of this tripod is research.
another Is teaching in the college,
and the third Is extension work. DIR.
Little showed how each Of these de-
ponds on the others for efficiency.
and he read the letter from Dean >.
Merrill Of the College of Agriculture
summing the relationship OF the
work of the experiment station with
that of the University.
"YOu gentlemen Of the committee
are in an enviable position for you
have n mighty good case to argue,
said DR.. Little. lie spoke of the
number of people in the State that
agriculture affects and said that he
the necessity of getting the station
back to pre-war efficiency.
Interesting Figures
The following are some of the facts
brought out at the hearing by Roy
F'lynt of Augusta, graduate OF Uni
vcrsty Of Maine:
F'ifty-two per cent Of Maine people
are engaged in agricultural pursuits.
according to a recent statement Of
the Commissioner of Agriculture.
One half of the money appropriate
cd by legislative enactment is raised
by taxes assessed on farm property.
Eighty. per cent of all foodstuffs
consumed in New England is sent in
from other states.
Ninety per cent Of all foodstuffs
consumed in Maine comes from out
side states.
22S6 students are enrolled today in
the College of Agriculture at the
University Of Maine: 296 last year.
Over ninety per cent of these boys
come from the farm. Approximately
eighty per cent engage in agricul-
tural pursuits after leaving college:
seventy per cent Of this group re-
main in Maine to practice agricul-
trre along progressive and modern
lines. These boys have tremendous
influence for good on their neighhors
and others who learn up-to-date
methods through observation.
The dairy and farm buildings at
the University of Maine. with the eX-
ception of a brick building erected a
few years ago are Inadequate, I'M
sanitary and in a dilapidated condi-
ton. These buildings are the same
as the writer observed on the cam
puS twenty-thrce years ago.
A Massachusetts man who has pur-
chased six abandoned farms in the
town of Jefferson Philip r. Park.
131 State Street. Boston) for the
purpose of raising beef cattle and
other livestock. told the writer that
he could not send his farm mana
gers boy to the University of Maine
to learn progressive methods of agri-
culture, after seeing the quality OF
the livestock. the housing arrange
ments and general surroundings. He
couldn't understand how the State
of Maine could allow its College of
Agriculture to SO run down.
Mr.. Park said that better blooded
cattle could be found on his own
farm of twelve hundred acres and
on the farms of many of his neigh
bors and friends. than could be
found at the University: that better
hens in better houses could be found
raised by a woman in the town Of
Waldoboro than the Experiment Sta
ton floc!ls.
The state of New York. conting-
uous to the New England states and
competing with foodstuffs in our
markets. appropriates one million
dollars per year for the New York
, Experiment Station at Ithaca and
three hundred thousand for the sta
ton at Geneva. Isn't it to be sup
posed that the bulk Of the foodstuff
now coming into New England is
raised on New York state SOIL fos-
tered and encouraged by the agri-
cultural stations so literally provid-
ed for?
The State auditor gave me the fol-
lowing figures today showing all
money appropriated by the Lesisla-
ture for agriculture as follows:
Extension work, cooperative
agriculture and supple
mentary extension work,
1922 and 1923, (Exp. Sta
tom ................ .s4o.957.2s
Scientific !nveS ig q t on
Aroostook Farm ..... 100000
Scientific investi 6 ton,
Highmoor Farm ... 100000
Animal Husbandry (High-
moor FARM ............ 100000
State College of Agricul-
ture, University of Maine 67,50O.OO
State apartment of Agri-
culture ................1 ITO, 90
Total Observation-Disclosures. 293. 951.2S
There was raised by taxation in
1922 ($637,000 valuation at six mills)
$3,S22.000. One half of this is ST.
oil 900, the part raised from taxable
farm property. This is fifteen per
cent of s293,957.oS. In other words.
the farms contribute fifty per cent
of the amount spent by legislative
appropriation and receive back for
all agricultural purposes. fifteen per
cent. This does not seem to me to