204 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



the soil will be as much exhausted as the fields of the older towns 

 in the county at the present day. The present practice is a bad 

 one, both for the farms and the farmer ; impoverishing the one, 

 and completely wearing out the other. When shall the evils which 

 I have pointed out be clearly seen and remedied ? 



Again, where lumbering is pu.rsued by many as a chief business, 

 agriculture is apt to be neglected. This is particularly the case in 

 sections in the immediate vicinity of the lumber regions, as at 

 Dead River, &c. Men can receive good wages in the logging 

 swamps in winter, and upon the river in the spring and summer ; 

 hence, farming is not pursued with much of interest or atten- 

 tion. If those who have farms go into the woods for the winter, 

 they often return late in spring, the work on the farm is done in a 

 hasty manner, the crops are in some cases left to themselves, and 

 the result is often poor or light returns— except in situations where 

 the soil is fertile, clean and productive. 



There are in Somerset county north of range III, east Kennebec 

 river, six townships. In this section there are several ponds of 

 considerable size, with streams emptying into the Kennebec, which 

 furnish good chances for lumber operations. The Canada road 

 follows the river on the east side, as far up as the Forks, at which 

 place it crosses the Kennebec, continuing in a direction north west 

 until it reaches the line. From the Forks, the county is thinly 

 settled to Ilolden township, a distance of about thirty miles, there 

 being here, and at Dennes plantations, which joins, a small settle- 

 ment. At Parlin Pond township, is a U. S. Custom House, post 

 office, &c. This place is about fifteen miles north of the Forks. 

 According to the report of Dr. Jackson, the rocks along this space 

 arc found to consist of argillaceous and calciforous slate, with 

 numerous beds of fine grained graywacke. Small deposits of bog 

 iron ore also occur in this vicinity. The forest growth consists of 

 mixed soft and hard wood trees. 



By looking at a map of Somerset county, it will be seen that west 

 of the Kennebec, and between Dead and Moose rivers, there is a 

 large extent of territory, comprising about twenty-five townships, 

 considerably cut up with large streams, and well supplied by ponds, 

 which may be called the heart of the lumber region of the county. 

 Dr. Jackson's* account of some of the ponds in tliis section, fol- 

 lows : " Parlin Pond is three miles long, and is supplied by Boise's 



♦Third Annual Report on the Geology of the State of Maine, Augusta, 1839. See 

 page 47. 



