2154 NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



Station is a strong factor in the line of horticultural 

 progress in the state, especially in plant-breeding, with 

 such crops as potatoes, corn, oats, beans and fruits; 

 plant pathology, rendering great aid in identifying 

 plant diseases and giving directions for their control; 

 entomology, where expert advice is given, by means of 

 bulletins on insect pests of the farm, garden and 

 orchard. 



About fifteen of the secondary schools in the state 

 are offering courses in horticulture. 



The State Department of Agriculture at Augusta has 

 charge of all the nursery inspection work of the state 

 and also holds orchard demonstrations. 



The Extension Department of the University was 

 organized in 1907, and work is now being carried on in 

 nine out of the sixteen counties. Farmers' institutes 

 are also held by the Department of Agriculture. 



The Maine State Pomological Society was organized 

 in 1873 and has had a great influence on the horticulture 

 of the state. There are nine local fruit-growers' asso- 

 ciations which are doing good work for better fruit for 

 Maine. The Maine Seed Improvement Association was 

 organized in 1910. The Gardeners' Union of Lewiston 

 and Auburn was organized in 1914 to promote horti- 

 cultural interests. The Maine State Florists' Society 

 was organized in March, 1915. The leading establish- 

 ments in the state are located at Portland, Bar Harbor, 

 Lewiston, Augusta, Bath, Bangor, Biddeford, Water- 

 ville, Freeport, Yarmouth, and Houlton. 



Statistics (Thirteenth Census). 



The approximate land area in 1909 was 19,132,800 

 acres. The land in farms was 6,296,859 acres or 32.9 per 

 cent of the land area. The improved acreage in farms in 

 1909 was 2,360,657; the woodland in farms, 2,775,621; 

 and other unimproved land in farms, 1,160,581. The 

 total number of farms in 1910 was 60,016, the average 

 acreage a farm being 104.9. [The total area of Maine 

 is 33,040 square miles.] 



The leading agricultural crops are hay and forage, 

 forest products of the farms, and cereals. In 1909 hay 

 and forage occupied 1,255,011 acres, or 53.2 per cent 

 of the improved land area. The value of the products 

 in 1909 was $15,115,821, which was 38.4 per cent of the 

 total value of all crops. The value of the forest products 

 of the farms in 1909 was $5,573,763, as compared with 

 $2,652,252, their value in 1899. Cereals occupied 159,- 

 616 acres in 1909, the value of the production being 

 $3,100,902. 



Horticultural products grown are tree-fruits and nuts, 

 small-fruits, potatoes and other vegetables, and flower 

 and nursery products. The value of the fruits and 

 nuts in 1909 was $2,215,116, as compared with 

 $841,811 in 1899, an increase of 163.1 per cent. Small- 

 fruits decreased in acreage from 1,585 in 1899 to 1,260 

 in 1909, when the value of the products was $233,124. 

 The total acreage of vegetables, including potatoes, 

 was 161,087, and their value $12,377,717. This was a 

 marked increase over the acreage in 1899 when it was 

 91,777. The acreage of flowers and plants and nursery 

 products decreased from 178 in 1899 to 169 in 1909, 

 when the value of the production was $324,249. 



The total quantity of orchard fruits produced in 1909 

 was 3,694,251 bushels, valued at $2,207,748. This was 

 a marked increase over 1899, when the value of orchard 

 fruits was $834,000. In 1909 apples contributed over 

 98 per cent of the total quantity; pears and plums and 

 prunes most of the remainder. The number of bearing 

 apple trees in 1910 was 3,476,616; those not of bearing 

 age 1,045,123. The production in 1909 was 3,636,181 

 bushels of apples, valued at $2,121,816. The number of 

 pear trees of bearing age in 1910 was 46,683; those not 

 of bearing age, 13,013. The production in 1909 was 

 38,964 bushels, valued at $43,524. The plum and 

 prune trees of bearing age in 1910 numbered 43,576; 

 those not of bearing age, 22,491. The production in 



1909 was 14,637 bushels, valued at $31,954. The more 

 important of the other orchard fruits were 2,403 bushels 

 of cherries, valued at $7,164; 2,014 bushels of peaches 

 and nectarines, valued at $3,205; and small quantities 

 of apricots and quinces, valued at less than $100. 



The production of grapes is relatively unimportant 

 in Maine. The total production in 1909 was 231,529 

 pounds, valued at $6,954. The vines of bearing age in 



1910 numbered 9,731; and those not of bearing age 

 1,944. 



Few nuts are grown in Maine. The total production 

 of nuts in 1909 was 12,922 pounds, valued at $414. 

 The value of the different nuts were as follows: butter- 

 nuts, $152; chestnuts, $100; oil-nuts, $60; and black 

 walnuts, $50. 



Strawberries are by far the most important of the 

 small-fruits grown in Maine, with raspberries and logan- 

 berries second in importance, closely followed by black- 

 berries and dewberries. The acreage of strawberries 

 increased from 512 in 1899 to 698 in 1909, when the 

 production was 1,626,250 quarts, valued at $168,847. 

 The acreage of raspberries and loganberries decreased 

 from 131 in 1899 to 127 in 1909, when the production 

 was 154,121 quarts, valued at $20,657. The acreage of 

 blackberries and dewberries increased from 123 acres in 

 1899 to 145 in 1909, when the production was 153,816 

 quarts, valued at $15,931. The production of cran- 

 berries in 1909 was 100,192 quarts, valued at $7,957; 

 that of currants, 76,031 quarts, valued at $6,986; and 

 that of gooseberries, 65,867 quarts, valued at $5,881. 



The potatoes are by far the most important of the 

 vegetables. The acreage increased from 71,765 in 1899 

 to 135,799 in 1909, an increased acreage of 89.2 per 

 cent. The production in 1909 was 28,556,837 bushels, 

 valued at $10,224,714, which was 26 per cent of the 

 total value of all crops. Other vegetables increased in 

 acreage from 20,012 in 1899 to 25,288 in 1909, when the 

 value of the products was $2,153,003. The more im- 

 portant of these vegetables were: 8,693 acres of sweet 

 corn, valued at $272,614; 353 acres of cabbage, valued 

 at $71,434; 472 acres of turnips, valued at $42,585; 257 

 acres of green peas, valued at $29,747; 201 acres of 

 squash valued at $22,460; 60 acres of tomatoes, valued 

 at $9,728; and 31 acres of cucumbers, valued at $8,185. 

 Other vegetables grown were green beans, beets, 

 carrots, cauliflower, celery, lettuce, onions, radishes. 



The acreage devoted to the growing of flowers and 

 plants increased from 71 in 1899 to 112 in 1909. The 

 total area under glass at this time was 706,917 square 

 feet, of which 624,472 were covered by greenhouses, 

 and 82,445 by sashes and frames. The total value of 

 the flowers and plants produced in 1909 was $301,005. 



The acreage of nursery products, on the other hand, 

 decreased from 107 in 1899 to 57 in 1909, a decrease of 

 46.7 per cent. The value of the nursery products in 

 1909 was $23,244, as compared with $46,207 in 1899. 



E. F. HITCHINGS. 



New Hampshire. 



The soil of New Hampshire (Fig. 2488) is very varia- 

 ble. In fact there are practically no large continuous 

 areas of any single type, and nearly every farm has 

 several soil-types on it. In the main the soils are of 

 granitic origin, being the result of glacial action to- 

 gether with a partial reworking of the glacial deposits 

 by rivers and streams. Within narrow limits can be 

 found all gradations of soil from sand to pure boulder 

 clay, and they mostly carry a relatively high percentage 

 of potash. In only a few sections of the state is any 

 limestone soil found and the areas are rather limited. 

 The soils of the valleys, coastal plains, and rounded 

 hills are relatively fertile, but the highlands are rough, 

 rocky, and mountainous and become more rugged as 

 they extend northward until the White Mountains are 

 reached. Roughly speaking, there is a high ridge, 



