THE POTATO 333 



great area of 4,000,000 acres, has gone hand in 

 hand with the expansion of the Bangor & Aroos- 

 took Raihoad, and it is by this road that the pota- 

 toes are sent forward to the metropoUtan markets. 

 Although the number of new farms increases each 

 year, there are still thousands of acres of desirable 

 land. Aroostook has seen a marvellous growth in 

 the past decade — a growth which bids fair to be 

 even more remarkable within the next few years. 

 Dozens of stations along the line of the Bangor & 

 Aroostook Railroad are potato shipment points 

 for farmers, while the thriving towns of Houlton, 

 Presque Isle, Caribou, and Fort Fairfield sent out 

 hundreds of potato trains each season. 



*'The standard size of the Aroostook farm is the 

 regulation 160 acres. At the present time this is 

 considered a large farm. Near any of the business 

 centres of the county, in a locality easily accessible 

 to a railroad shipping point, under good cultivation 

 and with ample buildings, such a farm will range in 

 market value from $10,000 to $20,000 according to 

 the percentage of good potato producing land it 

 contains. The buildings on an Aroostook farm 

 must comprise, among other things, ample barn 

 room for the storage of hay and grain, a good frost- 

 proof potato storehouse capable of holding from 

 2,000 to 3,000 barrels. The equipment must in- 

 clude all appliances for planting, cultivating and 

 harvesting the potato and other crops, such as 

 seeders, planters, diggers, sprayers, mowing and 

 reaping machinery, etc. Usually from four to six 

 heavy draft horses are required, and the invest- 

 ment outside of the land runs from $2,000 to $3,000 

 and many times much more. 



"The average price of good, cleared land in 

 Aroostook, well located and under good cultivation 



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