Year: 1871

AroOstOok Lands and Crops.


The new comers to Aroostook during the
last two weeks are unanimous in their admi
ration of the early vegetation of this vicinity,
compared With ''outside." This word ''out-
Maine beyond the Mattawamkeag river
"Aroostook" means all of Maine this side of
that river, as "outside" does beyond. they
all say when they arrive here that the grass,
grain, and, indeed, every growing crop is larg-
er here then there. This year grass es-
pecially is said to be very small and back
ward In the western part of the State, whilst
here it was never better nor larger. The win
ter here was unusually severe, yet no more so
than in Kennebec, at Augusta, where we were
for two months. There was to be sure more
snow to lay here than there, but this is not
regarded as undesirable, because by it the
ground is protected from severe freezing, the
grass roots preserved in healthy state and
ready to grow at once the first warm day of
spring. The ground remained covered with
snow rather later than usual this spring, on
account of the long term ofcloudy weather we
had the last of April aud far into May. The
weather, although wet was not cold, and the
roots OF everything in the ground were swell
ing with sap, throwing out shoots, ready to
spring into luxurant verdure in day almost
after the covering of snow was gone. Six
weeks ago last Saturday, Sunday and Monday
we had heavy fall OF snow, probably foot or
a foot and nalf, il none had melted. At
that time there was any amount of winter
snow in the woods which did not finally all
disappear until two weeks afterwards. This
snow, however, did not very materially inter-
fere with the work of our farmers. 1t was
soon gone and as there was no frost i'm the
ground, in two days they were blowing and
sowing. In three weeks after this fall of snow
our earliest field flowers, the dandelion, cover
ed our fields and pastures with their golden
glory, a perfect carpet of yellow was every
where spread out. These have already ma
tured, perfectly ripened, and their millions of
seeds Oh feathery wings have been sown by
the breeze for crop next year. The yellow
blossoms OF the dandelion have nearly all dis
appeared and in many fields and pastures the
splendid and beautiful buttercup is in fulI
bloom, standing two, and two and half feet
high.


The grass crop promises to be the largest
ever known here. We measured yesterday
the grass in a field which was last wear in
oats, and found it full two feet high on an av-
erage, and very thick, the clover blossoms in
state Of forwardness. We have potatoes in
our garden the tops foot in height, and in
many OF the hills covering space OF foot in
diameter. We have peas in blossom and the
vines two feet in length; beans which stand
SIX inches high, and turnip set for seed the
stalk OF which is five feet high and in full
bloom. We name these, not because there
may not be other specimens of early yepeta-
bles equally as large OF larger, but to show to
those who have not been in Aroostook the
character OF our seasons and the fertility of
our soil. Two or three weeks more will bring
the products of our fields and gardens to such
state OF fOrwardness as will astonish all un-
acquainted with the process of growing crops
here. There is no such thing as fail in the
crops In some eighteen or twenty towns and
townships in this vicinity. If the seed is in
the ground it will grow and produce a crop.
With the exception of small tracts OF black
mud swamps (which when drained are the
richest soil in the world the land is all of
the same quality. There is no difference in
the soil. The ridges are alike. 1t is useless
to ask wdere the best land is, for there is no
best to it. The land in Fort Fairfield, Eas-
ton, Mars Hill, Presque Isle, Chapman,


Washburn, Perham, Woodland, Lyndon and
New Sweden, and all the intervening towns
and plantations is the same. 1t all has sub
stratum OF argiaceous slate which is con-
stantly decomposing by the action of the air.
neat, irost and water, forming new soil of the
same KIND that the surface now is, the rich
est and productive in the world. 1t can never
wear out because it is being constantly re-
plenished by new, There is no such thing as
having ''run down" or sworn out. farm in
this vicinity, in any other sence than having
the fences decay and the fields grow mn to
weeds and bushes. One of our best farmers
was askef in our hearing by new conner, if
tae land here would make good old farms ?n
nis reply was, II have been on my farm for
" years, and it produces just as good crops
now as II did the first year was ON it. 1
nave land which haee'eulffvated for twenty
years and have never manured it, and it grew
last year ton and halt of hay to the acre"


We have been in tfrh tow Zen years and
have never known drouths til mention
ing as producing an injury tothe crops. The
hardest we ever had was lastYsar and Shere |
were never better crops than kst yeaG. Dur |
ing all OF last July there was ne rain and the
Top OF the grouud became very dry, yet it was
astonishing how everything grew. The top
OF tne ground was damp every morning,
whist the sky was dry and brassy for weeks.
Inc philosophy OF it is probably this: The
surface soil is mellow and light. 1t rests on a
ledge of argiJaceous slate which is saturated
WIN water, and all the crevices are filled in
wet time. 1t is probable that there are reser-
volrs holding water constantly on the top of
the ledge. When the dry and hot season
comes this water is constantly working up
through the surface SOIL and the roots of the
piants are forcing themselves down to reach |
tne water, and thus supply of moisture is
kept up until Heaven is pleased to replenish |
the surface with rain. Something of this
KIND is probably the reason why our crops are |
never injured by drouth. We have been ac- |
qualnted all over Maine. We have seen |
=, ,s,VAesnlng OF the land from Maine to Caro- |
llna. We.have never seen land which in our
estimation, taking all in ALL is superior to the |
iand OF Aroostook. Nor do we know of a
better place to live in than AroostOok |
Wnen we can have railroad so that we can |
have q connection with the "outsides world |
we will not swap Aroostook for any place This