138 



MAINE. 



9. Soil. The fertility of the soil in the most favorable situations, is thought to equal that of 

 any part of the Northern States ; its quality, however, is not uniform. On the coast it is gene- 

 rally poor ; between the Kennebec and Penobscot, and in the valley of the St. John, it is 

 generally excellent ; among the mountains in the N. W. it is very inferior. The most fertile 

 counties are estimated to produce 25 bushels of grain to the acre, averaging the different sorts, 

 and the poorest, 7 bushels ; but this estimate is thought to indicate bad husbandry rather than 

 the true powers of the soil. Land is obtained so cheaply in this State, that most cultivators 

 undertake the management of more than they can till to advantage. 



10. JSTatural Productions of the Soil. The most renKirkable and important production is 

 that of forest trees ; a large portion of the country may be considered as one great forest. 

 White Pine is abundant in the northern part ; Hemlock and Spruce abound everywhere ; White 

 and Red Oak are met with on the coast ; the Butternut and Walnut are more rare ; the Beech, 

 Maple, and Ash, are also plenty, and Birch of many sorts is in great abundance. Fruit-trees, 

 such as the Apple, Pear, Plum, and Cherry, succeed well, but the Peach has generally failed ; 

 it has, however, been successfully cultivated in some situations, at 10 or 12 miles distant from 

 the sea. The land in this State is well adapted to grazing, and the number of neat cattle and 

 sheep annually produced, form a considerable proportion of its valuable productions. Peat 

 exists abundantly in swamps and bogs, but the cheapness of wood for fuel, renders it of little 

 importance. 



11. Minerals. Iron is found in all parts of the State, but few mines have yet been worked. 

 Lead occurs in small quantities. Lime is most abundant at Lincolnville, Thomaston, and 

 Camden, where it is burnt in great quantities for exportation. In Thomaston the rock is prin- 

 cipally a beautiful bluish marble, much of which is cut and polished for oinamental purposes. 

 An extensive mass of fine statuary marble forms a part of the bed of the west branch of the 

 Penobscot. Marble is also found at Brunswick, and lime is burnt at Phippsburg ; 1,000,000 

 casks are annually exported from the State. Granite and gneiss, suitable for building, are found 

 in most parts of the State ; quarries have been opened in Hallowell and Augusta, upon the 

 shores of Penobscot Bay and in other places ; most of these are easily accessible. Slate oc- 

 curs extensively between the Kennebec and St. John, and is worked both for roof and writing 

 slate, and found to be of superior quahty. 



12. Face of the Country. In a general and comprehensive view, the surface of this State 

 may be considered as moderately hilly ; a comparatively small part swells into mountains, some 

 of which rise above the region of ordinary vegetation, but most of them will admit of some 

 degree of cultivation. Near the coast, and along the banks of many of the rivers, are plains 

 of small extent ; the remainder of the settled portion of the country is infinitely diversified with 

 b'U and dale, in all their various forms. 



POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY. . ^ 



1 Divisions This State is divided into 13 counties. 



Counties. County Towns. 



Oxford, ... Paris. 

 York, - - - Alfred. 

 Cumberland, - - Portland. 

 Kennebec, - - Augusta. 

 Franklin, - - Farmington. 



C Wiscasset. 



Lincoln, - - < Topsham. 



r Warren. 



Counties. County Towns. 



Piscataquis, - - Dover. 



Somerset, - - Noiridgewock. 

 Penobscot, - - Bangor. 



Waldo, - - Belfast. 

 Hancock, ... Ellsworth. 



Washington, - - Calais. 

 Aroostook, - - Houlton. 



The seat of government is Augusta. The towns are about 300 in number, and the 

 whole population of the State is 500,000. There are also Plantations which have some of 

 the privileges of incorporated towns, but, possessing less than 1,500 inhabitants, are not singly 

 entitled to representation in the State legislature. Several plantations may unite and choose a 

 representative, when their collective numbers equal 1,500. 



2. Canals. Oxford canal extends from Sebago Pond to the sea at Portland. It is 20| 

 miles in length, and opens an extent of water communication exceeding 40 miles. The arti- 

 cles brought down this canal, are timber, wood, stone, ashes, and country produce. 



3. Roads. The roads in Maine are bad, and traveling of course difficult, except for a short 

 tune at certain seasons. At the breaking up of winter, both on the seacoast and in the interior, 



