1(34 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



portations of sugar alone is more, annually, than all the gold 

 and silver dug from the mines in the United States, we may 

 well look about us and see if this drain cannot be stopped. 

 Of this we are sure, if we fail in findins; sugar makinsf remu- 

 nerative we have food for cattle that is of very great value. 

 And last but not least, we have the fruits, without which no 

 good farm is complete. Ever since the ancient history of 

 the first apple we find nothing that brings more happiness to 

 the family than a plentiful supply of that fruit, and the 

 immediate attention of the Aroostook farmer should be called 

 to this subject; and while removing the temptation from the 

 boys to slyly visit their neighbors' orchard, by having a 

 plenty at home, and Avhile we are waiting for the apples to 

 grow, we should not forget the small fruits, which costs so 

 little and bring so much happiness to the family, and may be 

 grown in a short time. 



Discussion. 



(Following the Papers of Messrs. Xelson and Dunham.) 



Mr. Floyd of Winthrop. It seems to me the president 

 of your meeting struck the key note when he said the great 

 object should be to keep up the fertility of the soil of Aroos- 

 took county. When I came over yesterday morning from 

 Fort Fairfield I was impressed with the beauty of your fields, 

 and I thought with such excellent fields and pastures you 

 farmers about here ought to make nice butter and cheese and 

 large (juantities of it, and I suppose you do. Probably you 

 do not sell much of your hay or other farm products, because 

 they would not ship anything that would be profitable. I 

 felt sorry as I saw your cart-loads of potatoes being hauled 

 down to the starch factory. I followed down, and when I 

 saw a great portion of those potatoes going down stream, I 

 thought to myself — as other gentlemen have expressed in 

 this meeting — that the fertility of the soil would soon be 

 exhausted' by such a course. I asked a gentleman whom I 

 met on the street if he did net consider the raising of pota- 



