100 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



These peculiar plants occur on the shores of many tril)utaries of 

 the upper St John and in the neighboring woods. The whole region 

 througii which thev are distributed is covered by a tliick growth of 

 coniferous trees, most of which are of good size and valuable for 

 tun timber and deal. 



Move directly south and east of the lower limit of this district, 

 we come into a dilferent vegetation. The St. John i)lants have 

 entirely disappeared, except along the river banks, to which they have 

 been floated by the spring freshets. ****** This second 

 region, which we can distinguish by the appellation of Aroostook 

 District^ is characterized by the occurrence of a different flora. In- 

 stead of conifers we find a prevalence of hardwood trees. * * * * * 

 Of course the lower limit of the Aroostook section must, for the 

 present, be considered entire!}^ provisional, because we have not been 

 able to devote sufficient study to this portion of the subject. It is 

 my opinion, however, that it will be found that the ''wheat-growing 

 lands," as the farmers call them, are much better north of AVeston, 

 on the eastern boundary, than south of the same town." 



This much bv wav of introduction, in order clearlv to show what 

 we are to talk about in discussing potato cropping in our county. 



The boundary line of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, in it? pure 

 artifi(nalness, and so artificial that its noi thernmost point, which had 

 been declared to be in the highlands between the St. John and St. 

 Lawrence, was located in the bed of the St. John River, just about 

 bisects the calcareous formation of the middle portion of the water- 

 shed, and on that limestone are the towns which have the wealth, 

 population and potatoes of Aroostook County. The settlements on 

 the clay and other formations are scattered and feeble, while all the 

 rest is the wilderness of forest. 



It is a diflicult task to make safe estimates of the yield, in bushels, 

 #f a crop like potatoes, in so large a section of country as Aroos- 

 took County. It can only be approximated, at the best, and in the 

 figures no reckoning is made for the Madawaska District. 



A beginning was made by note of the shipment by rail of market- 

 able potatoes. From the books of the railwa}- compan}^ we have 

 in bushels, between August 1st, 1886, and January 1st, 1887: 

 From Houlton, 147,300; Fort Fairfield, 125,880; Caribou, 32,320 ; 

 Presque Isle, 51,653 ; total, 357,153. What proportion is that of 

 the whole amount to come to market? Our most experienced buyers 

 stated, in theii' judgment, from all they could learn in all directions, 



