FARM CROPS. IQl 



FARM CROPS FOR AROOSTOOK COUNTY. 



By D. M. Dunham, Bangor. 



The topic assigned me is of more importance than all the 

 others. The time was when himber was high and found so 

 ready market that it would pay to buy corn from the west to 

 feed teams to draw the lumber to market ; but if it is started 

 to the landing now it must be with teams fed upon the pro- 

 ducts of our own soil. 



For the last twenty years much of Jhe stock that has been 

 raised in the western part of the State, has been fed upon 

 feed raised one thousand miles away ; but the cases are grow- 

 ing less every day in which this class of feeding will pay, as 

 it is found that it costs much less to transport beef to our 

 market than the feed upon which to make it, and we see in 

 all our markets a very large per cent, of western beef, and 

 for us to compete successfully in our own market even, we 

 must certainly depend upon our own field crops. So with 

 dairying, the time is past when the price of butter and cheese 

 will allow feed for cows to be brought a very long distance, 

 and we can only hope to succeed to the extent that the feed 

 comes from our field crops, and as the food of man comes 

 very largely from the flocks and herds, the feed for them is 

 of the utmost importance. As grass is the natural food for 

 cattle, and the only food that we can raise upon which they 

 can profitabl}^ subsist, we may well say that grass is king, 

 and put it down as the most imjiortant of the field crops. 

 This being the case, we should be most careful in selecting 

 the seed adapted to the soil and climate. 



We know too little of the value of the different kinds of 

 grasses, which can only be ascertained by careful experi- 

 ments. We have too long been content to raise timothv 

 11 



