72 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



We have no time to waste in apoloj^ies for the appearance of our 

 surroundings ; we are almost glad that you have caught us, as the 

 women say, " in the suds" ; for 3-ou will thus he enabled to discover 

 at a glance our needs as farmers ; and we assure 3'ou that we shall 

 gratefully receive that advice and information which you will, no 

 doubt, be able and willing to impart. 



To men, obliged — as most of the farmers of our countv, or at 

 least of this section of it are — to toil industriousl}- for a sub- 

 sistence, an3'thing that shall tend to lighten the burden of life and 

 make rest healthful and benign, will meet with grateful recognition 

 and be gladl}' welcomed. 



But we are not of those who are disposed to quarrel with Fate 

 for having thrown us upon these rock-ribbed hills, though we are 

 obliged to harrass the earth, as it were, for our subsistence, instead 

 of simply '■'■dressing and keeping it," as originally intended. We 

 scarcely' realize that we are enduring the primal curse for "original 

 sin." 



We are not of those who regard our State as fit only for the home 

 of the Indian, or even as merely "a good place to emigrate from" ; 

 but we have it as our native land, our home, homel3" though it be. 



True, we often feel for a moment like repining at our lot when 

 we compare it with the ease and splendor which surround many of 

 the other walks of life ; and however much mav be said and sung 

 about the joys of the farmer's life, we cannot overlook the fact that 

 the farmer holds, in the public estimation, a rank far inferior to that 

 of most callings or professions. 



Let those who doubt this point us to the man of wealth and re- 

 finement who, having a son endowed with a sound mind in a sound 

 body and capable of accumulating and enjoying wealth, would ad- 

 vise him to settle upon a farm in Hancock count3^ and reap only 

 what might be derived therefrom, however pi'oductive that farm 

 might be made. 



With all the aid to be derived from a course of instruction at our 

 State Agricultural College, how man3' of its students intend ever to 

 become practical farmers in Maine? And wh3' so? There are sev- 

 eral reasons. 



In the first place, there seems to be a growmg aversion for the 

 labors of the farm. We no longer hear " the swain responsive to 

 the milk maid's song." That old-fashioned picture has disappeared 



