STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 73 



ent crops in a different way." It is a definite law of nature that 

 every industrial change offers new opportunity and new power 

 to the farmer who will only take hold of it like a man and fight 

 for it. Here in the State of Maine you have the ideal rural 

 community. 1 don't believe the old rural community is passing 

 away. In this State you preserve the old character, the old 

 tradition, and the old simplicity of living. 



The Maine farmer of to-day does not need to run away to the 

 West. All about him are glorious opportunities to save and 

 make over the strongest and best of soil. Save a farm ! Save 

 a farm from the ^vilderness ! Save a farm for your country. 

 Don't let the woods claim it again. Don't let the wilderness 

 grab it, but stand by that farm and save it, and fight for it. Save 

 a farm, the noblest work a man can do. Save it for your family 

 and country ! T know of people who used to say this, "Farm- 

 ing in New England is dead, because the farms are worn out." 

 That is where these people make a mistake. Soil is never worn 

 out. That is not a piece of ground on the face of the earth that 

 is "worn out." I believe that for 265 years the gardens in Ply- 

 mouth have produced vegetables and I don't know now many 

 years before that the Indians raised their corn there, and they 

 still produce the best of crops. Land cannot be worn out in less 

 than 5,000 years ! I believe that a soil will lose its character. 

 I will tell you v/hat I mean. As an illustration, you have per- 

 haps knov/n in your life some great, big, powerful man, strong 

 of heart and soul, looking you right in the eye. That man goes 

 wrong and the v/orld points the finger of scorn at him ; he loses 

 his reputation, his "character." His muscles are as strong as 

 ever, but through lack of character his powers are wasted. 

 Something you cannot estimate or analyze or weigh comes into 

 his life and saves him. Then you have seen a change in that 

 man. He throws back his head and his shoulders, his character 

 has been restored. Now the so-called "worn out" soils of New 

 England have lost their character. I can make more money by 

 buying land that has lost its character and putting that char- 

 acter back than I can in selling stocks with the same amount of 

 money. 



How can you bring character back to soil? You can't sit 

 down in a chair and scratch vour head and do it, but you must 



