Agriculture of Maine

1916

By B. Walter McKeen.

XX. Advanced Agricultural Thinking

The Board of Agriculture held its winter meetings for 1872 at Paris January 23rd to 26th inclusive. The attendance was not what it had been the last years and some disappointment resulted. More talent was gathered for these meetings than for any Other session. Upon the list of the members of the Board there appears for the first time, the name of Elisha E. Parkhurst, of Presque Isle, the pioneer in the spraying of potatoes for blight. Mr. Parkhurst's work along this line preceded that of any experiment station and formed a foundation for what has been done since to overcome this trouble. The writer has been over the piece of land, with Mr. Parkhurst, where this early spraying was done, and it was with some degree of deserved pride that he related all the circumstances to me. The name of S. L. Boardman, who at that time was the editor of the Maine Farmer, appeared as a member at large, appointed by the Governor and council.

The first vote of the Board required the agricultural societies receiving aid from the state, to expend one-fourth of the money in premiums for farm improvements, these premiums to be in the fall of 1874. By this vote, the money heretofore devoted to the encouragement of wheat culture was turned in another direction and the attempt to keep Maine in the column of wheat growing states was abandoned. It may be of interest to note some of the crops of wheat grown that year as recorded in the reports of the secretaries of the various agricultural societies. These are as follows:

"A. Hunter, Strong, 29 bushels on one acre. F. N. & C. Frye, Fryeburg, 115 bushels on 7 1-2 acres. Peter C. Barker, Orrington, 58 bushels, on one acre (this was known as "Lost Nation" wheat). A. J. Wiggin, Stetson, 71 1-2 bushels on two acres. Edward Jay, Patten, 31 bushels on one acre. W. Vickery, Unity, 44 1-8 bushels on one acre." When we consider that flour had averaged for the whole year to sell for $15 per barrel, and that conservative estimates placed the cost of imported flour for the year 1868 as high as $9,750,000, it seems a pity that interest couldn't have been maintained in the cultivation of wheat.

To give a somewhat local flavor to this paper, which may be interesting to my older readers, I am going to quote from the report of the West Oxford society, as made for the year by its Secretary, Dr. D. Lowell Lamson. He says: "Corn crop very good. From statement made to the committee, the following are selected and noted here: J. G. Swan, Denmark, 75 bushels per acre: cost of crop, $49.00 per acre; value of same, including fodder, $111.75; net profit, $62.75. A. O. Pike, Fryeburg, 91 bushels on 1 1-2 acres, cost of crop $89.00, value including fodder, $134.00, net profit, $45.00. A. H. Evans, Fryeburg, raised 90 bushels rutabagas in 1-8 of an acre. The society voted to expense $1,200.00 in and about the grounds, which will bring it into debt again. Amount of premiums paid, $362.20." As a comparison, premiums paid in 1915, were $1,296.00

Secretary Goodale and Professor Fernald were appointed a committee to attend a National agricultural convention, called by the commissioners of agriculture, to meet in Washington, February 15th. As far as the writer knows, this was the first meeting of its kind ever called and possibly it was the beginning of the Farmer's National Congress which has now become a power for good.

The public exercises begun with an address by Governor Perham, in which he spoke in a general way of the interests of agriculture and gave statistics to prove its importance to the state. President Allen, of the State College, followed the Governor in an address outlining the aims and methods of the college and from this address I will quote one paragraph:

"The Maine State College is not a professional school to prepare the students exclusively for any trade or occupation in life. It is not designed alone for those who are to be farmers and mechanics. It does not teach fully the art of farming, or any of the useful arts. Its design is to lay the broad, deep foundations of a liberal education which is best adapted to industrial pursuits, so that into whatever department of industry its graduates may enter, they will be successful business men, farmers or mechanics, and also intelligent, educated men; prepared to lead and guide the thought and intelligence of the whole community where they dwell." If the thoughts contained in that paragraph could have been kept in the minds of the people of the state during the years the college was struggling for existence, it would have been much better for all concerned.

A new departure was made in the subjects treated at these meetings when Professor Fernald was asked to read a paper on protection from lightning. Other states had been drawn on for talent and T. S. Gold, Secretary of the Connecticut Board of Agriculture, gave a lecture on orchards and fruit culture. In this lecture, the apple maggot was discussed. The speaker said he had not reached Maine and that the state was fortunate. But, like other pests, he did not pass Maine by, and soon many of her fall varieties of apples were badly infested with the maggot. Hon. John Stanton Gould, of New York, gave a lecture on the management of meadows and pastures. In this, we find the first mention of the Thomas smoothing harrow, as it is known today. Its use as a tillage implement is recommended. From this lecture probably sprung the practise of "harrowing" corn, now quite commonly adopted in the state. Mr. Gould also speaks of the relations of railroads and transportation companies to agriculture. This is the first time I have seen this matter treated before the Board or the farmers, and it is to be regretted that no copy of the lecture appears.

To those who are familiar with the great number of books of the present day which treat of the various branches of agriculture it may seem strange that Secretary Goodale couldn't find but two at that time that he would recommend. These were Practical Dairy Husbandry by X. A. Willard, and How Crops Grow by Professor S. W. Johnson of the Sheffield Scientific school of Yale to call "Walter culture" and notes that Maine was the pioneer in calling attention to the possibilities of the culture of fish, which was first done in his report for 1864. Since then, Congress has recognized its importance and, pending the adoption of a bill carrying a limited appropriation, listened to a speech by representative Roosevelt, of New York. This speech, the Secretary uses entire. He adds in a foot note that much progress has been made in stocking New England waters with salmon and shad.

The Autumn session of the Board was held at Skowhegan, October 9th, 10th and 11th. The attendance was not as large as it had been at some of the other meetings. The first business of the meeting was to listen to the report of the committee which attended the National agricultural convention. This report was made by Professor Fernald, and while it is not within the province of this paper to give it in detail, we may note some of the subjects that received attention. They were the expediency of seeking further grants of land from Congress. The establishing of experimental farms. Best methods of cooperating with one another and with the college of agriculture. The preservation of timber lands. The necessity for a general plan for a meteorological observation and crop reports, and a general system of communicating the same by telegraph. The distribution of valuable plants and seeds by the Department of Agriculture was urged, and special request was made that samples of the Threadwell and Diehl Winter wheats, such as are grown in Michigan, be distributed throughout New England.

Following the regular business of the session, the Junior class of the college of agriculture gave a class exercise designed to exhibit the character of the instruction given at the Institution. From a lecture on "Life's Callings" by Hon. C. J. Morris we cull the following figures, the contemplation of which should give every Maine farmer cause for serious thought and reflection: "The average per acre value of the nine principle crops in all the states, viz: corn, wheat, oats, barley, buckwheat, potatoes, tobacco, and hay is $18.71, being 84 cents per acre short of the average for Maine. Maine is ahead of the other New England states in the yield and value of her corn crop, and she is but nine tenths of a bushel short of the average yield of the six largest corn growing states in the Union, and exceeds these states in the per acre value of her crop $23.26. Maine's wheat crop exceeds the average yield of the six largest wheat states two and four tenths bushels per acre, and $14.00 per acre in the valuation."

The session closed with an address by Hon. S. L. Boardman on the power and influence of the agricultural press. As a whole, the crops for 1872 seem to have been fairly satisfactory. There were no insect pests and no serious droughts. The returns for the crops grown seem to have been satisfactory.

—The Fryeburg Post, Fryeburg, Maine, Sept. 12, 1916, p. 5.