Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-04-02
Agriculture in Maines

Governor Brewster addressing the
Farmers Week audience here this
evening on the subject Agriculture
in Maine" said: With sixty thousand
and agricultural products to the
value of over one hundred million
dollars annually Maine is naturally
and vitality concerned with the pos
sibilities of it's soil. The sweep of
the farm pendulum back East is be-
ing more and more convincingly
shown. The farm lands Of Maine are
today cheaper and more productive
than in the so-called bread basket
of the Middle West and transporta-
ton costs to the great industrial
centers along the Atlantic seaboard
are appreciably less.
The cost of farm lands in the West
has been inflated out of all proportion
to their productive values as a result
of the expansion incident to the
World War and agricultural liquida-
ton has left them with a problem
that offers Maine a golden oppor-
tunity at this time.
Hundreds of New England farms
have been purchased by middlewest-
erH farmers of New England ante
cedents within the past few years.
This has accounted in a substantial
AOT Tie llCISdSt III Tie
number of our cultivated farms as
contrasted with the steady decline in
almost every other section of the
country.
Our thrifty New England Presi-
dent has terminated the free grazing
areas upon the government domain
and also an irrigation policy which
amounted to nothing other than
subsidy against the New England
farm.
Increasing transportation costs
and the resultant receiverShipS upon
certain of the great railroads feeding
the northwest are further differ
entails arguing for the agricultural
resources of the East and the cattle
are re-appearing upon thousand
New England hills.
When the people of Maine last year
decided to broadcast their advant-
ages to the world the recreational
expansion was the readiest means at
hand because of the immediate re-
Spouse that could be secured. No
time was available for the careful
preparation of data and the mature
consideration necessary for agri-
cultural and industrial development
which is matter of months rather
than of days
The results of our recreational
publicity exceeded the most opti-
miStic estimates. This year that
work will go steadily forward along
lines that have been demonstrated as
sure success. Meanwhile the en-
phasis of our efforts this year will be
placed upon our agricultural appeal
This is to be Names year in agri-
cultural expansion as definitely as
last year was the period of our rec
aaA h x.-,; oh, hoe n
veloped resources that will carry it
steadily on.
Plans have been carefully formu-
lated for the presentation of Names
agricultural appeal. This follows
lines which have been successfully
tried in certain other New England
States in making an appeal to the
Middle West. During tho past year
exhaustive data has been compiled
regarding our agricultural possibili-
ties in every line. Literature has
been carefully prepared of an at
tractive and authentic character and
advertisements are appearing this
week for the first time in farm
journals throughout the Middle West
telling the story of the agricultural
opportunities to be found in the
State of Maine.
The repopulation of our unoccupied
farms is generally recognized as one
of the great opportunities for
Names growth. Lists of these
farms in various parts of the state
have been compiled. and in coopera-
ton with all agencies interested lin
their sale, we propose this summer
to demonstrate to our visitors and to
many of the sons and grandsons of
Maine who have gone far afield that
they may find happy and prosperous
lives the year around here in the
State of Maine.
Biographies have been compiled of
"One Hundred Successful Maine
Farmers" located in every county in
our State coupled with accurate data
as to the ways in which they started
and the methods by which they have
achieved success, whether they came
from city, a school-room. a store,
or from the far West.
Moratorium for Pessimism
The first essential in merchandise
ing Is to build up communities that
believe in themselves. Let us for a
year declare a moratorium upon pes
simism and talk only of the things
that are lovely and of good report.
eliminating with the visit of the
National Grange in November, which
will bring thousands of visitors to
our State from every part of this
broad land and attract nationwide
attention to the vitality of our agri-
cultural life, we shall realize that
Maine Is on the eve of healthy de-
velopment in, every line and shall
bring home to the country the unique
appeal of the products of our soil
which we shall seek to make avail
able in ever more attractive form.
More Californians settled in Maine
in the last decade than went from
Maine to California in that per
and the same thing is true for Maine
of every other state in the union ex-
ponf Naw yorly ond fba South Tho