No. 4.] REPORT OF SECRETARY. 29 



and many more visits to farms made possible thereby. Twelve 

 fairs were visited and over fifty meetings addressed on various 

 subjects. 



During the summer a trip was made to Maine and Nova 

 Scotia. In Maine the potato industry was investigated. Very 

 few people in New" England realize the extent of the production 

 of this crop in Aroostook County, w^here in an area about as 

 large as Massachusetts potatoes are the principal crop. Travel- 

 ing through this country one is impressed with the apparent 

 prosperity of the farmers, as is testified to by fine farm build- 

 ings, good machinery and horses. Farms average about 160 

 acres in size. Rotation of oats, hay and potatoes is practiced, 

 covering a period of four years. The soil is generally found to 

 be a light clay, fairly free from stone and much of it only 

 recently reclaimed from the woods; in fact, clearing operations 

 are now in progress in many places and the practice is to cut 

 the wood and lumber on the land and pasture for about three 

 years; then the stumps are pulled and either oats or potatoes 

 planted; hay and clover are seeded in the oats and remain for 

 two years, when potatoes are planted on the grass sod. Plow- 

 ing is usually done in the late summer, and the land is not 

 replowed in the spring. Fertilizer is used in large quantities, 

 and this section of the country is one of the large outlets for 

 the product of the fertilizer dealer. Practically all of the 

 farmers grow 25 acres of potatoes, and many fields of 200 acres 

 were seen. At harvesting time the potatoes are either stored 

 on the farms or in the potato houses along the railroads. These 

 houses are frost proof and much of the shipping is done during 

 the winter months in heated cars. About 25 per cent of the 

 crop goes for seed. Starch factories use the surplus and culls, 

 and some seasons a portion of the crop is fed to hogs. 



There is a greater tendency for the farmers to raise cattle for 

 beef, and in many places horses are being raised to a large 

 extent. Many fine Belgian stallions were seen, as the heavy 

 draft horse is the prevailing type. 



The draw^backs to this section are heavy freight rates, a short 

 growing season and poor selling conditions. No co-operative 

 organizations were noted. 



In Nova Scotia very different conditions were found. Here 



