270 AGRICUI,TURE OF MAINE. 



feeds and 67,081 tons of flour were also imported by consumers 

 in Maine. Think of it! Over $5,430,820 going out annually 

 for grain alone! Study the accompanying chart (see table 

 No. 2) and note the quantity of grains our farm stock and poul- 

 try consumed in 1910, and how nearly we met the demand by 

 cereals grown on Maine farms. 



Most people will be surprised to learn that if the 60,000 

 farmers of Maine grew 3 acres of wheat, yielding 30 bushels 

 per acre, they would have 400,000 bushels of wheat more than 

 the farm live stock consumed. If each farmer grew 10 acres 

 of oats yielding 50 bushels per acre, Maine would have 

 20,000,000 bushels of oats to sell ! 



Not only must quantity be in the minds of the grain growers 

 but quality should play a large part. Thousands of bushels 

 of superior seed oats and feed wheat are being imported by 

 Maine farmers from states 500 to 1000 miles west. We paid 

 85 cents per bushel for oats last spring to a Wisconsin farmer 

 who had 2000 bushels of selected Swedish oats for sale. We 

 have personal knowledge of this same farmer having sold over 

 1000 bushels of the same variety of oats in 1908 for 90 cents 

 per bushel. Members of seed improvement associations of cer- 

 tain of our states are making good incomes by paying attention 

 to the quality of the grain they offer for sale as seed. No trick 

 of advertising or cunning of trade mysteries is getting them 

 trade, but good reliable goods, honestly selected, is bringing its 

 merited return. The opportunities for members of this asso- 

 ciation to make good returns from such work were never 

 brighter. You have heard of the profitable seed grain pro- 

 duction of the Swedish people. Why cannot Maine farmers 

 do equally good, careful work? 



It is our opinion that a diversified type of farming, except in 

 such cases as where a farmer is located very near to a large 

 city — diversified farming, practicing a good system of rotation 

 of crops, and making a specialty of seed grain raising to a 

 limited extent, would not only build up the fertility of our 

 farms but would build up the pride of our farmers, and aug- 

 ment their finances to an extent that was not deemed possible 

 on the farms of this State. Not only would this be possible, 

 but inducement would be held out for the establishment of 

 manufactories using cereals as raw material, to locate in this 



