76 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Avitli onerg}-, if he would succoed. Lot him grow his grains, his 

 grasses, his roots, for this one object ; and let every calf in his 

 stalls be a cow in iniiiiatiire, else not raise it. Let hiui bo tlior- 

 oughly conversant with the price current, that he may know when 

 to buy as well as when to sell. In fine, let him be a master work- 

 man — one who needeth not to be ashamed. If he finds himself in 

 a locality where it is cheaper to go across the continent to mill rather 

 than grow his wheat at home, while he remembers that man cannot 

 live by bread alone, he must be careful in exchanging his produce, 

 that his farm is not weighed in the same scale, and thus, for the 

 sake of a little wlieaten meal, he sells his birth-riglit. If it is de- 

 sirable to grow his wheat at home, then let him under-drain his 

 land, put in the clover, and follow up with wheat. 



Some might go on, but though we are not disposed to set bounds 

 for this or that man to follow, 3et we would like to refer to a few 

 general facts. Maine is said to be a stock-growing State — better 

 adapted to stock-growing than grain-growing. Now, are her pas- 

 tures adapted to the growth of large, or small stock? Do we want 

 cattle for lumbering purposes, or beef, oi" for the dairy? Where is 

 the lumber in the older settled parts of the State? Would this be 

 named the Pine Tree State, if named to-da}'? If it takes one 

 bushel of corn and one hundred pounds of hay to make ten pounds 

 of beef, who, in Maine, would pursue this branch of business for 

 a living? And is there a more encouraging look in the direction of 

 the dairy? Are the facilities for making good cheese and butter, as 

 good in Maine as in the dairy regions of New York and Vermont? 

 Is there market for the cheese and the butter? Maine imports large 

 quantities of cheese aunuall}', and there is no end to the butter 

 caterers. 



Then the egg business is not an insignificant affair. I know of 

 one hermit upon Mount Desert island, whose only means of support 

 is forty hens. The little town I have the pleasure of representing, 

 sent to market one year $19,000 worth of eggs, or about 7G,400 

 dozen. 



Sheep husbandr}- should receive more attention than it has yet 

 received by the farmers generally ; and in urging this, we are fully 

 aware that we cannot compete with the pampas of South America, 

 or with the wool-growing regions of Australia, in producing either 

 mutton or wool, yet we do believe that we can raise the mutton for 

 home consumption much cheaper than we can buy it, and that as an 



