378 



Maine, — Its vigriculture, 6fC. 



Vol. III. 



Tbc IVortlicrn Shepherd. 



We are indebted to Dr. E. Holmes, Cor- 

 responding Secretary of the Kennebec county 

 Agricultural Society of the State of Maine, 

 for a copy of the " Northern Shepherd,^'' 

 being a report of a Committee to said Agri- 

 cultural Society, on Sheep. It is divided in- 

 to three parts — The Management of Sheep 

 — The Diseases to which they are subject — 

 Miscellaneous Remarks, &c. We have been 

 able to give this little work as yet, only a 

 partial examination — but from that examina- 

 tion, and the knowledge we had previously 

 acquired of its character, we think it de- 

 serves the title of the Shepherffs Manual. 

 We shall refer to it again, and with permis- 

 sion, make some extracts for the benefit of 

 our readers. 



Itlaine»lt8 Agricultural Prospects* 



Maine is advancing rapidly in the high 

 road of agricultural improvement and pros- 

 perity. She possesses advantages, (all cir- 

 cumstances combined,) unsurpassed by any 

 other state, for the successful prosecution of 

 Cattle and Sheep Husbandry — a system, 

 which, if properly managed and persevered 

 in, will keep her soil enriched, and gradu- 

 ally fill the coffers of the hardy tillers of her 

 soil. An astonishing change has taken place 

 in Maine within a short time. Five or six 

 years since, while traveling in thai state, we 

 had frequent conversations with farmers and 

 others on the state of agriculture, which to 

 us appeared to be, in most places, in a lan- 

 guishing condition, especially so far as regard- 

 ed grain crops; while the grasses and roots 

 presented the most luxuriant appearance, and 

 gave ample promise of an abundant harvest — 

 and we found that one opinion generally pre- 

 vailed, and that was, that Maine could not 

 grow her own bread stuff's .'.' In consequence 

 of this opinion but little attention was paid to 

 the cultivation of grain ; and the citizens of 

 Maine paid annually to the farmers of other 

 states, very nearly, if not quite, two millions 

 of dollars for flour, an article they could 

 have raised and manufactured themselves, as 

 the sequel has shown, thereby demonstrating 



the truth of that beautiful sentiment — ** no- 

 thing is impossible to a willing mind." 



The committee on agriculture made a re- 

 port to the legislature of Maine in the spring 

 of 1837, in which they state the population 

 at five hundred thousand souls, requiring each 

 one pound of bread per day, or for the whole 

 populatron, 915,500 barrels of flour, of 200 lbs. 

 each, per annum. The amount of wheat 

 raised and manufactured into flour in the year 

 1836, is set down by the committee at 257,331 

 bi'shels, making 57,466 barrels, and leaving 

 a deficit of 835,034 barrels. But from this 

 deficiency of bread stuffs is to be deducted 

 636,805 bushels of corn, and 62,96.5 bushels 

 of rye. It was therefore apparent that by far 

 the greater portion of bread stuffs necessary 

 to supply the wants of the people of Maine, 

 were purchased out of the state, and of course 

 presented an immense drawback on the pro- 

 ceeds from their grazing and fattening of 

 stock, the lumber business and the exportation 

 of roots, mainly potatoes, to other states. — 

 This being the case, the legislature, at the 

 suggestion of the committee determined to 

 hire the farmers to promote their own inter- 

 ests, by turning their attention to the cultiva- 

 tion of grain crops, which had been previously 

 almost wholly neglected, under the prevailing 

 opinion that neither the soil or climate of 

 Maine were adapted to their cultivation. The 

 bounty offered by the legislature was two dol- 

 lars to every farmer, who raised twenty bush- 

 els of good and well cleansed wheat, and six 

 cents for each additional bushel. A small 

 premium was also offered on 6orn. Although 

 the premium on grain raised in each township 

 was to be paid out of the township funds, it 

 was nevertheless considered as a sufficient in- 

 ducement for the farmers to address them- 

 selves to the work. Many engaged zealously, 

 from a desire to outdo their neighbors, but the 

 great mass were stimulated by the love of 

 gain, to the successful cultivation of their own 

 soil ; and gainers indeed they have been, al- 

 though, by far the greatest proportion of the 

 bounty was simply transferred from one pocket 

 of the farmer to the other. Now, with this 

 inducement to cultivate grain, feed them- 



