SOME OUTLINES OF THE AGRICULTURE OF MAINE.

By Samuel L. Boardman, Augusta

 It may be well, before speaking of the agricultural condition and practices of the State, to glance at its general outlines of situation, climate, soil, and productions.

The State of Maine occupies a little less than one-half of the surface of the New England States, and extends from latitude 43° to 47° 30' north, and longitude 5° 56' to 10° 10' east from Washington, its extreme length, from Kittery Point to the northeastern angle of the State, being 350 miles, and its greatest width, from Quoddy Head to the New Hampshire line, 200 miles. The area of the State comprises 31,766 square miles, or 20,330,240 acres. According to the census of 1860, the number of acres in farms was 5,700,675, while the number of acres under cultivation was but 2,677,136. Population in 1860, 628,276.

 The climate of Maine is variable. We have extremes of both heat and cold. The temperature ranges between 100° above and 30° below zero, but the changes are seasonable and do not at all interfere with the personal health of the inhabitants. The season of active agricultural labor is short, as winter rules half the year; and although vegetation is late, it is rapid and vigorous. The growing season begins, usually, about the middle of April, extending to the middle of October, although the period of the most active growth lasts only for three or three and a half months. The apple trees blossom, on an average, from May 26 to June 6. Indian corn is planted from May 25 to June 1, and is ripe for harvesting about the first week in September; and the work of securing the crop of hay begins about the first of July and continues through the month. In situations along the coast the summers are rendered more pleasant by the recurrence of sea breezes, and in counties in the eastern part of the State the atmospheric temperature is somewhat modified by the vapors and fogs rising from the Gulf Stream, which, in these latitudes, sweeps the shores. Droughts of brief duration but great severity frequently occur during the summer months, although the annual average rain fall is not far from forty inches. Occasionally late spring or early autumn frosts seriously damage the crops of corn, beans, and the less hardy cereals. The surface of the land contiguous to the seaboard is generally flat, and its character sandy. Back from the coast region it is pleasantly varied with hills, valleys, and plains. One marked feature in the physical geography of the State is the absence of continued ranges of mountains, or even elevations approaching appellation of "high hills," although in the northwestern portion there are numerous detached elevations, which may quite properly be regarded as the sentinel outposts of the White Mountains. The highest elevation of land in the State is Mount Katahdin, which rises 5,385 feet above the level of the sea. Almost every variety of soil is found in the State—sandy, clayey, gravelly, rocky—and of various degrees of fertility. The coast lands are light, but with the application of considerable quantities of marine manures produce average crops. In the valleys drained be the Kennebec, Penobscot, Androscoggin, Sandy, and smaller rivers, there are rich fields admirably adapted to grazing purposes, and comprising the best-farmed sections of the State, being in a high state of cultivation, and yielding productive crops of every description. In the eastern part of the State there are extensive tracts of plain land, generally of a light character, originally covered with a white pine growth, and of a fair degree of fertility; but from the increased attention heretofore given to lumbering, their culture has been somewhat neglected. Along the coast in some counties are salt marshes of considerable extent, which are used for the purpose of cutting hay, and are generally owned in sections or lots by those having farms remote from the coast. The underlying rocks throughout the State are chiefly primary, with a large division of those that refer to the transition period, while in the eastern portion is an important region of the lower secondary formation. Fisher says: "Everywhere it has alluvial and diluvial deposits, and vast igneous formations, not only in the interior, but forming a barrier against the ocean surge along a considerable part of an immense sea-coast." The mineral deposits are various and extensively distributed throughout the limits of the State, and, through the instrumentality and scientific survey, (recommended in 1860, of science,) many important but hitherto unknown deposits of valuable minerals have been discovered. The one most worthy of mention is that of an extensive deposit of iron, discovered in the past season (1862) in No. 13, range IV, Aroostook county. This ore is of the same quality as that obtained from Woodstock, New Brunswick, which, according to experiments conducted by the English government, was the only iron from a large number tested that would withstand the pressure of a 250-pound ball from an Armstrong gun. The ore is a compact red hematite, containing about 30[%] of metallic ore, is favorably located for mining and smelting, is inexhaustible in extent, and its discovery is regarded as highly important at this time. Granite, limestone, and marble constitute the principal mineral products, the two former being extensively quarried; and the latter, of which some new deposits, excellent in quality and large in extent, have recently been found in Aroostook, is quarried to a limited degree. Lime is abundant in the southeastern section of the State, and is burnt in great quantities for exportation. It is also found in many other localities.

 In that part of the State extending from the Kennebec to the Penobscot rivers, in the southern portions of Piscataquis county, are extensive beds of roofing-slate, which have been quarried in a number of places, especially at Brownville, where a large number of men are continually employed, and slates in the extreme eastern and western parts of the States, and iron has for many years been smelted in considerable quantities at the Mount Katahdin and Pembroke mines. Bog-iron ore is so common as to be put down as occurring in almost every county in the State, in many of which it has heretofore been worked. The upper silurian limestones, suitable for the manufacture of hydraulic cement, which is a most important article in building, occurs in several localities in Eastern Maine. Soapstone, sandstone, and brecciated rocks of many varieties are found; also jasper, including the beautiful greenstone trap, and its varieties, and porphyry. Fisher remarks: "The trap-dykes are numerous and exceedingly distinct; they cut through most of the other rocks, and produce upon them most distinctly those peculiar effects which, to a demonstration, prove their igneous origin; while the diluvial deposits, the boulders inherent in rocks which once formed the sea-coast, although now elevated 26 feet above the water, a salt spring at Lubec, and many other interesting phenomena, illustrate parts of the scientific geology of Maine." It has been estimated that one-tenth of the State is covered with water.  The rivers are numerous, and many of them large and important, affording, in nearly every instance, excellent opportunities for mills, although the rapids in them interrupt their navigation to a great extent into the interior. The northern section is drained by the St. John and its tributaries, the eastern by the Penobscot, the central by the Kennebec, and the western by the Androscoggin and the Saco. Lakes and ponds are found in great numbers and many of them are of such an extent as to form a characteristic feature in the country; and while many of them are noted for the picturesqueness of the surrounding scenery, not a few are fast becoming useful channels of interior communication, and are likely to become still more important as fields for the propagation of fish, when the experiments which have been begun, and which have thus far proved so successful, shall have been extended to those ponds suited to the enterprise. The largest in extent are Moosehead, Chesuncook, Pemadumcook, Umbagog, and the Schoodic. The islands on the coast are numbered by the hundreds, ranging, in extent, from sixty thousand acres of inhabited and fertile land, to those numberless smaller islands which are little else than a mass of rocks. Upon many of these islands sheep have, within a few years, been introduced, and they are likely to become the best lands for sheep ranges that we have in the State. Away from the worrying and dangerous chase of dogs, and protected from the cold winds by the low, thick evergreens with which the shores of these islands are studded, they offer most excellent situations for this branch of husbandry. A mixed course of husbandry is pursued by the farmers. There is no one branch of operations which farmers engage in as a specialty, but all the staple crops are usually grown upon each farm, and a mixture of stock, including horses, sheep, neat cattle, &c., are kept. The barns and farm buildings are in good order, many of them being elegant and expensive, and all are well adapted for their purposes. The size of the farms ranges from 100 to 300 acres.

 Maine is pre-eminently a stock-growing region. It has rich pastures, and furnishes a large amount of that indispensable staple in stock husbandry, good hay. The value of the farm stock, as furnished by the census of 1860, was $15,437,380. Let us present some notes on the early history, introduction, and present condition of the various breeds of cattle.

 Maine, until 1820, was a part of Massachusetts; consequently, our early history of the introduction of neat cattle must include those brought to New England. In Hubbard's New England, p. 34, the author says: "In March, 1624, Mr. Winslow's agent for the colony arrived at Plymouth, in the ship Charity, and, together with a good supply of clothing, brought a bull and three heifers, which were the first cattle of the kind in this part of America." These were cattle which came from parts of Devonshire and adjoining counties, where Devon cattle equally prevailed. Subsequently to this, in 1630, it brought over more or less stock of the Devon breed. So early as 1630, Captain John Mason, an enterprising and energetic pioneer, had several plantations on the Piscataqua, now including the towns of Kittery and Berwick, in the western part of the State. The cattle imported by Captain Mason were Danish (C.E. Potter, esq. Transactions New Hampshire Agricultural Society. 1854.); and although, prior to 1630, he had imported a few cows for the purpose of affording milk for the workmen on his estates, in the two or three years following he "made frequent importations of bulls, oxen, and cows" for the purpose of stocking his somewhat extensive farms. They were chosen on account of their capacity for labor and endurance of the rigors of our climate. They were large, of powerful make, and yellow color. In 1634 there were some three hundred cattle upon Mason's patents, mostly of this breed; and six years later, according to Barber, "it was judged that they had 12,000 neat cattle in New England," and some writers assert that of this number eleven hundred were, without doubt, Devons, and the remainder of the Danish cattle imported by Captain Mason. Dr. Holmes says (Agriculture of Maine, 1855, p. 80): "Now these Denmarks of Captain Mason, thus distributed through Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, soon became mixed with the cattle that had been imported into the Plymouth and Massachusetts colonies, and which may be mainly called Devons, and formed that cross or breed of cattle denominated Natives," or, in other words, the "Old Red Stock of New England." But few facts can be obtained concerning the importation of cattle into this State between the dates above mentioned and 1791-'92; but it is probable that they were occasionally brought in my masters of vessels who traded with different parts of Europe and with the West Indies. In 1791-'92 the late Mr. Charles Vaughan, who, with his brother, the late Benjamin Vaughan, LL.D., both gentlemen largely interested in agriculture, had previously migrated from England and settled on an extensive estate in Halowell, imported a number a number of cattle from England. Their first importation was made in 1791, and consisted of two cows and two bulls, the animals arriving in the Kennebec river in the fall of the year. The bulls were selected from the cattle in the Smithfield market, and the cows from the milch farms near London. These cattle were probably the Bakewell breed, which was an improvement of the Long Horns, as they were called. During the war with England, in 1814, an English vessel was captured and taken into Portland, that had cattle on board. A bull from this lot, a few years subsequently, stood in some part of the Kennebec valley, and was known as the "Prize Bull." He left some good stock. "Up to 1718, therefore," says Dr. Holmes, "the native cattle of Maine, so called, and, indeed, of all New England, were a mixture of the Denmarks, imported by Mason; the Devons, brought over by the pilgrims of Plymouth, and, probably, of some black cattle, brought at some time from the West Indies or the Spanish Main; the Vaughan importation, and the "Prize Bull." There were also occasionally found some polled or hornless cattle, which were probably introduced from England or from some of the British provinces adjoining us."

 About the year 1817 an increased attention was given to the rearing of stock. At this time the old "Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture" (many farmers in the District of Maine were members of this society) offered a premium of $100 [~$1895 in 2018 value. -ASC] for the importation of a thorough-bred Durham shorthorn bull. This resulted in the procuring of a fine animal, imported into Northboro, Massachusetts, by the late Stephen Williams, esq.—the first short-horn bull imported into the United States—at a cost of about one thousand dollars. He arrived November 5, 1817. He was sired by Denton, by Comet, by Favorite, &c., &c. His dam was by Baronet, grand-dam by Cripple, &c. He was called "Denton 2d." This arrival was kept in Northboro' and Worchester until 1827, when he was presented by Mr. Williams to Dr. E. Holmes, of Gardiner, in this State. He was the first throughbred Durham short-horn ever brought into Maine, there having been a few half-bloods previously introduced. Denton was at this time about seven years of age. He stood a part of the following season at Gardiner; afterwards two seasons at Livermore, and was from thence carried to Starks, in Somerset county, where he died of old age in April, 1830. Other importations were made by General Robinson, of Hallowell, and John Davis, of Augusta.

 The first Hereford introduced in Maine was a grade bull, "Young Sir Isaac," brought into Hallowell, in 1830, by Sanford Howard. This animal took the Hereford portion of his blood from a bull of the Hereford breed, presented to the "Massachusetts Agricultural Society" by Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin. About fourteen years later, 1844, J.W. Harris, of Hallowell, purchased of Messrs. Sotham & Corning, Albany, New York, (who imported this stock from England in 1841,) the full-blooded Hereford bull "Albany." He stood in various towns in Kennebec county, and sired some of the best working oxen raised in Kennebec county, and sired some of the best working oxen ever raised in Maine. Subsequently to this, a bull and a heifer of this breed were imported from England into Searsport by Captain Phineas Pendleton.

 The Devons, although beautiful and compact and well adapted to the various purposes of grazing country, are not found in great numbers in this State; yet they give promise of becoming a prevailing and favorite breed. "They are as large as the fertility of Maine soils generally are capable of feeding fully and profitably." The first of this breed sent to Maine was by Isaac Thorndike, esq., of Boston, to his farm in the town of Jackson, Waldo county, in 1834. It was a full-blood Devon bull, from the Patterson herd in Maryland. From this animal grades were obtained on the Durham and other stock of the vicinity. Subsequent to this full-bloods were obtained by Messrs. Percival, of Waterville, Mr. Mitchell, of Pittston, Mr. Harris, of Dixmont, J.F. Anderson, esq., of South Windham, and Mr. Joseph Tufts, of Paris. The two latter gentlemen are quite largely engaged in breeding this class of stock.

 In 1852 or 1853 William S. Grant, esq., of Farmingdale, purchased a thoroughbred Jersey bull and heifer. The Jerseys are now quite extensively disseminated in many parts of the State, especially in the rich grazing district of the Kennebec country, in which section there is a number of gentlemen engaged in breeding them.

 Among the first importers of Ayrshires from Scotland to this country appear the names of Captain Randall, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, and Hon. J.P. Cushing, of Watertown, Massachusetts. From these two herds several animals were brought into Maine by enterprising farmers. The dates of these importations we are not able to determine. How extensively this breed has become spread throughout our State, or how careful breeders have been to preserve the purity of the blood, we cannot say. It is to be feared, however, that the care necessary for the perpetuation of valuable properties in stock—and this applies to one breed as well as to another—has not been so fully attended to as is necessary in order to preserve these characteristics. In 1852 Dr. Holmes wrote as follows: "We have had all the well-defined breeds of English cattle brought into Maine, except the Alderney and West Highland. But very few of our farmers, however, make a systematic business of breeding any particular breed of cattle. They have no system at all in this business, but are continually mixing and crossing anything and everything that comes to hand." Notwithstanding the truth of this at the time—and, to a limited extent, even now—yet there is a large number of breeders who keep their breeds pure and choice. There has also been a decided improvements in the general character of all the breeds of stock, which is due to the high character present excellent condition of our working oxen and cows is traceable to these thoroughbred animals and their grades.

 Agricultural societies, by offering premiums for the importation of choice breeds, have contributed much to elevate the character of our neat cattle and other stock, and have accomplished a work that would not have been so quickly done by individual enterprise. If the only proof of the benefits derived from the establishment of the old "Massachusetts Society" were found in the importation of the single bull, "Denton," into this State, it would be a convincing argument in favor of agricultural societies. That one animal has been of incalculable worth to the State of Maine. Another good work done by these societies in the matter of stock-breeding has been in the classification of breeds, and offering premiums for each distinct one. Previous to 1845 stock was not classed for premiums by the societies then existing in Maine, and premiums were awarded for the best bull, best cow, &c., &c. Since then, by awarding premiums to distinct breeds, societies have helped greatly to induce farmers to have a more judicious care in breeding, and in this way have contributed directly to the development and perpetuation of known excellencies in breeds. It could not have been so well done by any other method.

 In breeding stock, our farmers have paid too great attention to size, leaving other important qualities in the background. The aim has been to produce fancy stock—steers and oxen well matched for color, form, size, &c.; and by following this plan our working oxen are unsurpassed for hardiness and good working qualities, but our cows are not celebrated as milkers.   We are glad that that the true policy is becoming understood, and that breeding for the dairy is beginning to receive increased attention, while the other is not neglected.

 From the historical sketch of the importation of choice breeds into Maine, with the careful breeding and close attention to purity of blood, which, in many cases, have marked the course of their breeders, a very correct opinion of the present condition and character of our neat stock can be obtained. We have preferred to give this historical sketch, instead of remarking upon the characteristics of the various breeds as they are now well understood by all intelligent farmers.

 This State has not been less celebrated for its horses than for its neat stock, while of both we have now, and heretofore had, some of the best specimens to be found in the New England States. The number of horses by the census of 1860 was 60,741.

 It is probable that the early residents of Maine derived their first breeds of horses from Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Messrs. Gorges and Mason, who were the proprietors of that portion of Maine west of the Kennebec river, and who took great pains to introduce neat stock into this State, probably brought horses also, which were disseminated by early settlers throughout the extent of their settlements. Previous to the days of agricultural societies, the introduction and improvement of stock rested upon individual enterprise; but of these no records have been transmitted to us. In the early records of the county of York, there are but one or two instances where horses were made the subject of public auction. In 1653 we find the following order, made by the general court of Massachusetts, for the valuation of horses, and it is copied here as a specimen of the curious records of the past:

 "Whereas the order made to regulate, in point of rating, for the countries use, provides how horses, mares, and colts should bee valued, which at present is farr below what, they are worth; for redressing of which this court doth order that henceforth ev'y mare, horse, or gelding, of Foure yere's old and upwards, shall bee vallued at Sixteen pounds; and of Three yere's old at Tenne pounds, and of Two yere's old and upwards at Seaven pounds, and at One yere old at Three pounds tenne shillings, any Lawe or Custome to the Contrary notwithstanding. And, further, it is ordered that this Lawe shall Continue for two yere's onely, except the Generall Court shal see Cause to Continue or alter it."

 It would be interesting to the agriculturists of the present day to follow out the early history of the introduction and breeding of this useful animal, to give a connected account of the different families or breeds that have been introduced into our State, and by whom they were introduced, and to trace the results that have followed from the course of breeding, though pursued with but little system, and often on incorrect principles; but it is impossible to do this, there being no date from which to start such a work, or to carry it along through the early years of our agricultural history. Up to about 1816 the horses of Maine were, doubtless, a collection of what the farmers of England would call "horses of all work," and this definition would apply, with much correctness, to the horses of Maine of the present day. In 1855 the secretary of the State Agricultural Society, in his annual report, wrote as follows:

 "At present there are three breeds of horses that may be considered as being predominant in Maine, viz: Messengers, Morgans, and Black Hawks. These breeds, however, are not kept very distinct, being crossed and mixed up in no very systematic manner, according as the fancy or convenience of the farmers who wish to raise colts may dictate. It is not a little remarkable that, notwithstanding this lack of system in breeding, some of the fleetest trotters in the Union were raised in Maine."

 Imported Messenger, according to the "American Turf Register," was brought from England by Mr. Benger in 1791, and landed in New York in the fall of that year. He stood two years near Philadelphia, and was afterwards sold to Mr. Henry Actor, and stood one season on Long Island. After this he was carried to Dutchess county, New York, and in 1808 he died on the farm of Mr. S. Cook, on Long Island. The "Winthrop Messenger," or, as he is best known by residents in this State, the "Old Messenger," was a grandson of "Imported Messenger," and was purchased in Paris, Oneida county, New York, by Alvin Hayward, esq., of Winthrop, and brought by him into that town about the year 1816. Those who have seen him describe him as "a large white, muscular horse, with a clumsy head, but well proportioned body and legs." His form and general appearance indicated a powerful animal, but he never exhibited any of those qualities which would have entitled him to be called "a fast horse." When his colts came into service they were found to be superior roadsters, and very many of them became fast trotters, and were possessed of great endurance. On this account they were sought after in the markets, and our farmers sold off their best animals, which were carried to other States, where they were trained to the course, and, becoming celebrated as trotters, gave honor and reputation to the stock horses of States where they were subsequently owned, when, in fact, the reputation should have been given to Maine and her horse-breeders. The names of some of the descendants of “Winthrop Messenger ” raised in Maine,¹ which have been celebrated as trotters, will show the truth of this remark—Fanny Pullen, Tacony, Lady Swan, Henry, Lafayette, Celeste. Among the others were Ice Pony, Tom Benton, Independence, D. D. Tompkins, Zachary Taylor, Mac, &c. So eminent a writer as Sanford Howard, esq., in 1852, made the following remark:  "Maine has, until within a few years, furnished nearly all the trotting stock of any note in the country.”  "Old Messenger" was kept as a stock horse, in various parts of this State, until between twenty and thirty years of age, and died in Anson, Somerset county, in 1833 or 1834, The Messengers were excellent horses for the road or for work, although they were late in maturing.  The name became a standing recommendation, and was even applied to horses to whom it did not belong, as an inducement to purchasers.

While the Messenger stock was in the height of its popularity, a horse called "Quicksilver” was brought into Winthrop, (Kennebec county,) where "Messenger” was also owned, and they were for some time rivals in the same town and neighborhood.  "Quicksilver” was sired by “Dey of Algiers,” a full-blood, imported gray Arabian; his dam was a full-blooded imported English mare. “Quicksilver” was, therefore, one-half Arabian and one-half English.  He was raised by Gorham Parsons, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was sold in 1818—being then thirteen or fourteen years old—to James Pullen, of Winthrop. He was kept in this State six or seven years, and was then sold to Mr. Hamilton, of Cornway, New Hampshire, where he died, at the age of twenty-one or twenty-two years. His color was nearly a dark bay. The beauty and splendid appearance of the Quicksilvers was in strong contrast with the heavy and sedate appearance of the Messengers, and the former, in a business point of view, for a while superseded the latter in popularity; but as the Messenger colts came into service they began to be appreciated, and still bear the ascendency, while the Quicksilvers are nearly forgotten. The Quicksilvers, however, were handsome, docile, and sprightly, but generally lacked endurance, while the Messengers are of slow growth, heavy, often of bad disposition, but, when matured, of uncommon powers of endurance and excellent as roadsters. About 1830 a horse called the "Indian Chief” was brought to Augusta from Canada by T. W. Gale, esq. He was a small iron-gray horse, was a racker, and possessed great speed and bottom. He died, in 1844, at Vassalboro’. Some of his stock were great trotters, and were famous for their strength, energy, and powers of endurance. After the Messengers began to decrease, some descendants of the famous Morgan horse occasionally stood in different parts of Maine and left some good stock.

An importation of the Morgan Black Hawks was brought into this State a few years ago by Thomas L. Lang, of North Vassalboro’. It consisted of the following animals: Black Hawk, Telegraph, General Knox, Bucephalus, (bay stallion,) Taylor, (by Bolivar,) General Wayne, (bay stallion,) Trenton, (bay stallion.)

Mr. Lang’s enterprise in introducing stock ot so established a reputation into this State is deserving of the highest commendation; and under the management of go intelligent and skilful a breeder his establishment must exert a great influence in giving character and reputation to our already celebrated stock of horses. The Black Hawks combine good size, intelligence, symmetry, elegance of motion, and great speed, and much of the best stock of the original Black Hawk is to be found in Maine.

About 1850 or 1851 the full-blood Arabian horse "Imaum” was sent, as a present from the Sultan of Muscat, to Hon. David Pingree, of Salem, Massachusetts.  "Imaum" was purchased, in 1854, by David Elder, of Gorham, Cumberland county, and kept for some years in different parts of Maine.  “Tartar,” sired by Imaum, is owned by J.S. Leavitt, of Salem, New England. This breed may be of much service to these desiring to raise elegant and splendid horses.

The soil and climate of Maine are both well adapted to sheep husbandry, and within a few years this has become one of the leading pursuits of the farmers. The census of 1860 gives the number of sheep as 432,458, and the value of the wool purchased as $4,485,189.

Previous to the war of 1812 the sheep denominated as natives were described as tough, hardy sheep, capable of withstanding the cold, accommodating themselves to the varieties of pasturage and keep which the sand plain or the rough hill-sides produced, their wool of medium quality, and their mutton of good flavor. The islands on the coast and the clearings on the seaboard were found, at an early day, to be excellent pasturage for them, and it is probable that many specimens of foreign breeds were early imported by vessels belonging in this State that had been on foreign voyages; but if imported at all it was not with any systematic plans, on the part of individuals, until after the above date. The war of 1812 interfered with the importation of fine woollen fabrics, and our people, being obliged to manufacture their fine cloths, of course turned their attention to producing wool of the same quality. At this time very fine wool commanded two dollars per pound. The first merinos introduced into Maine were from the flocks imported by Hon. William Jarvis, while he was United States consul in Spain. After the establishment of peace this breed of sheep was much neglected on account of the direct importation of the finer qualities of woollen fabrics. About the year 1824, and subsequently, occurred the "Saxony speculation,” which resulted in the importation of individuals of the Saxony breed by Judge Hayes, of York county, but the exact date we are unable to give. Although, by the mixture of the Saxony and the merino, the fleece became finer, it was diminished in weight, and the carcass and constitution became greatly deteriorated in strength and vigor. On account of the enfeeblement produced in the breeds of sheep by this crossing, farmers began to raise other breeds which were more hardy and better fitted for the production of mutton, and others turned their attention to the introduction from abroad of coarser woolled and stronger constituted breeds.  The Dishleys or Bakewell breed were first introduced into Maine by Dr. E. Holmes—from the flock of Stephen Williams, esq., of Northboro, Massachusetts, by whom they were imported—in 1828. A few years later others of the same breed were brought into this State by Charles Vaughan, esq., and Sanford Howard, of Hallowell. About 1835 these sheep were introduced into Winslow (Kennebec county) by R. W. Green, esq., whose name has been heretofore mentioned in connexion with the introduction of choice stock. The first Southdowns imported into Maine were obtained by Charles Vaughan, esq., of Hallowell, in the fall of 1834. During his lifetime this gentleman devoted considerable attention to breeding those sheep, and also imported many direct from England. He endeavored to combine the merino fleece with Dishley carcasses, but with indifferent success.  In 1844 Dr. E. Holmes, of Winthrop, the Nestor of agricultural improvement in Maine, brought into this State, from the flock of Messrs. Corning and Sotham, of Albany, New York, a buck of the Cotswold breed—the first of this breed brought into Maine. Subsequent to this some of the Leicester breed were introduced from the British provinces, and also imported into York county by the Messrs. Bennett and others, of Parsonfield. About the same date (possibly as late as 1842) a number of gentlemen in Kennebec county purchased in Vermont a considerable number of the so-called "Vermont merinos,” obtained from the flocks of Solomon Jewett, esq., and crossed them with their own flocks with undoubted advantage. After this, by the ente rise of distinguished breeders in New England, importations were made from France of two varieties of merinos, known as the “French” and "Silesian” merino.

Some thirty-five years ago there was a breed known as the "Otter sheep,” which were then quite numerous. They are described as of medium size, short-legged, with a wide, heavy tail. They were unable to jump. Specimens of them have been seen in Kennebec county so late as 1837. Of late years our farmers have given considerable attention to sheep husbandry and to obtaining choice breeds from abroad.

In the "Agriculture of Maine” for 1855, p. 141, Dr. Holmes writes as follows: “The farmers of Maine have had heretofore, or have now, a sufficient number of varieties of sheep to meet the various wants and demands of the community, so that their success or failure in sheep husbandry must depend more upon their own judgment and prudence of management than upon a lack of different breeds of stock to operate upon.” As to the best breed of sheep for our farmers to keep, much depends upon local circumstances and condition.  In our own opinion, however, the Spanish merino, crossed with judicious care (added to general good management) upon our hardy natives, or some of the coarse-wooled breeds, forms the best breed of sheep for this State. The old English rule in feeding sheep was three pounds of hay per day to one hundred pounds of live weight. This, however, is more than the average weight our flocks consume, as most farmers regard two and a half pounds per day a sufficient amount.  The season of feeding sheep during the winter is about one hundred and fifty days.  Experienced flock-masters prefer to have their lambs dropped about the last of April. It has been the custom to wash sheep before shearing, but it is gradually going out of practice.

In no branch of stock breeding has there been so little attention bestowed as in that of swine. Farmers were not formerly so particular to get good breeds of hogs as they have been during the last eight or ten years. Almost any animal that went on four legs, had a long nose, and could squeal well, was regarded good for pork-making purposes, and these were very numerous upon our farms until within a few years. Nearly all the different breeds of swine which have been propagated in different parts of the country, and have been celebrated for their many excellencies, have been tried in Maine.  Some breeds have continued in favor longer than others, while some have been at once discarded, after a short trial. It is very readily admitted that no class of stock changes its characteristics so easily as swine; and from this fact, in connexion with another, that farmers have not been very careful in breeding them, we often hear the complaint that the breed has “run out,” which means, in brief, that they have lost their original character and qualities, and have become degenerated, and are of less value. When farmers learn to exercise the same attention and care in breeding them that they do in other farm stock we may hope that the good qualities of a breed will be perpetuated, and their characteristics established and maintained through a series of years. The “Newbury White” was at one time a favorite breed among our farmers, and they were kept pure for some years, but they are now extinct. The "Mackay” and the “Bedford” came into repute after this, and continued in favor many years. After these came the Berkshire and its different varieties, followed by the Suffolk and grades, and also the Essex in limited numbers. The Chester Whites are now the most extensively raised of any breed, and they are highly prized. They fatten early, are cheaply kept, and are quiet and contented in their dispositions. Pork-making is not a prominent part of our farm operations; enough is raised by each farmer, in connexion with other branches of husbandry, for his own consumption, and but little is fattened for market. It is seldom that more than ten are kept by any one farmer. In 1860 the number of swine reported was 54,578.

Notwithstanding the fact that Maine has a soil and climate and other natural advantages which render it especially adapted to grazing, yet there has not been so much attention paid to dairying, as a prominent branch of husbandry, as these circumstances would warrant. There is hardly a farmer but what makes a sufficient amount of butter and cheese for his own use, while many of them have a small surplus for sale; but there are few, as yet, who make the manufacture of dairy products a leading pursuit. Hence it is a fact, no less remarkable than it is true, that cheese is an article of import to, rather than one of export from, the State. Heretofore it has been the practice of our farmers to raise beef cattle and beef for the eastern and for the Brighton markets, and this course of proceeding has turned their attention more to the rearing of cattle that would come to early maturity, readily fatten, and attain a large size, than to milch cows. Of late years—probably stimulated by the high premiums offered by agricultural societies for this class of stock—many of our stock-growing farmers have also given much attention to producing fancy matched cattle. The two courses of breeding have had the effect of developing other qualities in stock than their milking properties, and hence the race of deep milkers has become less prevalent than formerly. This has awakened the attention of some, and they are beginning to retrace their steps, and to breed for purposes of milk as well as for beef or looks.

Satisfied that Maine has every requisite, including good stock and good pastures, for becoming a dairy-producing State, and that it is a want of knowledge in regard to the correct principles of cheese and butter making which interferes with its becoming one of the foremost States in this particular, the secretary of our Board of Agriculture, S. L. Goodale, esq., has, the past season, investigated the matter, travelling over portions of this State and also through the dairy regions of New York and Connecticut, and, in his report for the present year, (1862,) gives a complete review of the whole subject of dairying, including the manufacture of cheese and butter, and giving, in a small compass, a more complete and practical view of the subject than can be found elsewhere, and which must be of incalculable benefit to the farmers of Maine in turning their attention to this neglected but most important matter.

The whole State, by the last census, produced 11,687,784 pounds of butter and 1,799,862 of cheese. That section of the State which may be called the most exclusively dairy region is along the valley of the Androscoggin; and according to the statistics which we have at hand, a larger amount of dairy products was made by the town of Jay, Franklin county, than by any other one town in the State; and this quantity is produced chiefly by small dairies.  There are but two or three farmers in the town who keep above twenty cows, and the number is quite small of those who have a dozen cows each. The usual number kept is from four to six, and in some instances eight. To make up the amount of stock on farms of a hundred acres, there are usually a yoke of oxen, a pair of steers, one or two horses, and the remainder of the stock consists of sheep. By substituting cows in the place of oxen and other stock over and above what is necessary for doing the work of the farm, nearly double the number of cows could be kept; farmers would find it to their advantage to establish a cheese manufactory, and not only the product per cow, but the total amount of dairy products would be largely increased. So long as there is such a large foreign demand for cheese, and so long as Maine cannot produce enough for her own consumption, there is no fear that the business will be overdone, or that it will cease to become, what it is destined to be, one of the leading branches of our husbandry.

The plan which has recently been adopted in New York and some other States, of establishing a cheese manufactory in a neighborhood or district where from two to four hundred cows can be kept within a circuit of two or three miles, possesses many advantages; and we believe it can be introduced in many portions of Maine with decided], favorable results. We have many sections where from two to three hundred cows can be kept within a radius of two miles, and in such places these cheese factories will ere long be established.  In order to do it, however, farmers must abandon the practice of raising fancy stock, which, although a laudable and praiseworthy matter, yet we doubt if it is one which has ever, in fact, paid. Some other things must also be attended to; among them, the improvement of our cows, and the introduction of such breeds as are known to be superior milkers; the renovation and improvement of our pastures; the use of better apparatus in cheese-making, and the employment of more knowledge and skill in its manufacture.  When this is done we can produce an increased amount of cheese, of a better and uniform quality and we can not only manufacture enough for our own consumption, but help to supply a foreign demand, and thereby become one of the most important dairy States in the Union. It will be done at no very distant day.

The hay crop of Maine is our most important crop. Without it we could have “no cattle, no manure, no crop.” It not only enters quite largely into our articles of export, but is an absolute necessity in providing for the want; of our domestic animals, which form so large a part of the economy of our farms, for they are obliged to be kept on dry forage, chiefly hay, one hundred days out of the year. In 1860 the census gave the hay crop as 975,716 tons valued at $9,757,160. The hay crop in this State will average about one ton per acre. During the past ten years the total amount of the hay crop has largely increased, although it is doubted if the average amount per acre has advanced.  The increase is due to the use of improved machines for securing the crop, particularly the mowing machine and horse-rakes. The former are very generally in use, and, in order for their complete and successful working, fields are cleared up and the surface made smooth. Thus, the use of this machine not only lessens the labor of harvesting the crop, but leads to an improved and more perfect system of husbandry; for, in the ratio that mowing lands are made smooth, and better fitted for the mowing machine to go over them, in the same proportion every other branch of farming is generally improved. But it is a question whether, by rendering our mowing lands smooth, and by cutting the grass close, we do not thereby injure the sward or roots of the grass by letting the water into the stem, which causes it to decay. The experience of some farmers is, that timothy, cut below the lowest joint, soon decays, because the water and snow are admitted, while, if cut above this joint, it is rarely injured during the winter. The truth of this would seem to be corroborated by observing farmers who have noticed the fact; and we are assured that the general practice of spring and autumn feeding of mowing lands is one of the most ruinous forms of farm practice that is tolerated among us. In many cases it becomes an almost absolute necessity, when pastures become short during the drouth of summer, to turn cattle into the mowing fields, but it should never be allowed. Better put cattle into the yards, and buy hay to keep them on, than to allow them the range of mowing fields after the crop has been taken off. Moderate feeding, however, where a second crop of grass or rowen is not cut, will affect no injury. By the improvement of low lands—usually denominated meadows with us—a large addition has been made to our surface of mowing grounds, and consequently to the annual yield. The growth of grass of these low meadows, naturally coarse and inferior, has by culture been brought to a fine quality, excellent for forage. The top-dressing of grass lands is beginning to be practiced, and is the true policy. By doing this they are kept in a good state, retain their original yield for a number of years, and are not required to be so often turned over. The autumn is the best time for performing this operation.

Many of the pastures, some of which have been used as such ever since they were originally cleared, begin to show signs of impaired fertility. Many of these are situated at some distance from the farmstead, are rocky, and other ways incapable of ploughing or culture. Something must be done to renovate them, or our farmers will be obliged to resort to new cleared lands—now in wood lots—for pastures. The attention of farmers and agricultural societies, engaged the past number of years in the improvement of low meadows and swamps, can now be turned to the renovation of pastures, with a sure prospect of benefiting the agriculture of the State more by this method than by any other in the whole range of farm economy. The census of 1860 makes returns of 48,851 bushels of clover seed raised, and 6,307 of other grass seeds.

The culture of this crop has steadily increased. By the census of 1840 the yield of corn in Maine was put down at 950,528 bushels; for 1850 it was placed 1,750,056; but the yield for 1860 is given as only 1,546,071. This falling off between 1850 and 1860 is probably due to the fact that in 1859—the year previous to the taking of the last census, and upon which estimates were based—was an extremely dry season throughout the State, and the yield of corn was below the average.

The stalks of Indian corn, especially the top part of the stalk, leaves, and husks, are highly prized as food for neat stock, and are carefully housed.  They also make a good fodder for sheep, and, as a change from other food, are excellent for an occasional feed for horses. Now that public attention has been turned to new material for paper-making, it is possible that corn husks and stalks will form an important part of paper stock; and if so, a new demand will created for this product, which will cause farmers to raise somewhat largely it for this purpose.

The average yield of Indian corn, taking the State together, may be safely estimated at thirty bushels per acre. It is the common practice to grow beans and pumpkins in connexion with corn, but it is a plan which should be discarded.

By the failure of the wheat crop farmers were led to the culture of barley as a sort of substitute therefor, and it has become an important crop. It is largely cultivated. The grain makes a very fair quality of family flour when bolted; and when ground for feeding purposes it is found to be a superior article for fattening hogs, and also for feeding horses, milch cows, and poultry.  It is less liable to the attacks of insects than wheat, and is regarded as a safe crop. The average yield per acre is twenty-nine bushels.

Formerly this was considered as the main crop throughout the State, but this was before the days of the rust and weevil. Farmers who did not grow wheat enough for their own consumption were looked upon as poor husbandmen; but when the crop began to be cut off they turned their labor into channels where a substitute for wheat, or a crop that could be exchanged therefor could be produced. The law passed by the State, giving a bounty for the encouragement of the growth of this crop, gave a strong impulse to its culture, but it did not prove permanent.

New lands in the State continue to yield excellent crops of wheat. This is true throughout Aroostook county, and the newly-cleared sections, Franklin, Somerset, and other counties. During the past six years more attention has been given to the culture of wheat. The various varieties of spring wheat, sown early, give very favorable results. Winter wheat, grown to some extent a dozen years ago, has gone out of cultivation. To show what could be done in this State at growing spring wheat, with a season favorable to the crop, but unfavorable for the midge, we may remark that in 1860 reports from twelve, out of the sixteen counties in the State, gave the average yield of premium crops as thirty-four bushels per acre, the smallest yield in a county being nineteen, and the largest fifty-one bushels per acre.

Previous to the rot no crop was raised in greater abundance, or with more sure prospects of a good yield, by the farmers of this State, than potatoes.  They were largely grown for the purpose of manufacturing starch, and also for shipping. But the prevalence of the rot has made them a rather uncertain crop, although the yield has largely increased during the past ten years.

This increase is probably the result, in part at least, of the introduction of new varieties which are not so readily affected by the rot. Much activity has been created in this particular within a few years—so much so that the old varieties are wholly superseded by other sorts. Immense quantities are annually shipped from Bangor, Belfast, Augusta, Portland, and other ports, in addition to those transported by railroad. The most popular market sorts are the Jackson’s, and those commonly grown for the purpose of feeding out to stock are the Californians. On account of the greater ease with which they can be grown, they are more largely raised for feeding purposes than are other root crops. The average yield per acre is one hundred and fifty to two hundred bushels of the former and four hundred of the latter variety.

Although our soil and climate are both favorable to the culture of fruit, and although we have always had extensive orchards, it is only within a comparatively recent period that this branch of farm economy has been regarded with that importance which is now attached to it.  The early settlers were not without their love for the orchard and its fruits; they brought a large amount of seeds, and numberless orchards were the result. The original fruit was, however, very inferior in quality, and was chiefly used in the making of cider, of which large quantities were annually consumed in farmers’ families, and also sent to other markets at a remunerating price. “Among the great number of seedling trees thus grown,” says Mr. Goodale, “are to be found some bearing fruit of high excellence, and well deserving extensive propagation.” At a subsequent period, as the value of good fruit for the table began to be appreciated, and as choice varieties also found a ready market, the neglected orchards began to receive attention, and new ones were planted, and in a few years a great reform had been started in the culture of fruit. The value of the orchards throughout the State has been largely increased during the past ten or twelve years, and many farmers who before were negligent of their fruit trees, now make fruit-growing a leading branch of their business. The raising of choice varieties of apples, and the conversion of poor, inferior trees, to those producing excellent fruit, has also caused quite a reform in the manufacture of cider, as but a small amount of this is now made by our farmers. This change brings a greater profit to the farmer, and at less expense. An orchard of one hundred trees in a healthy state will produce, on an average, ten bushels of apples each.  If these apples were of the quality made into cider, they would, with the labor of making, yield a barrel and a quarter of cider, valued at $2 50. If the fruit is of a good market variety for winter, the yield of the same trees would be worth, at the least calculation, $8.

As food for stock, apples are of about two-thirds the value of potatoes, though some farmers regard sweet apples as of equal worth with potatoes for feeding out to swine.  They are more preferable for store hogs than for fattening ones, and to such are usually fed out uncooked.

Summer and fall varieties are raised for home markets; those for shipping are the more popular winter sorts. Among those recommended for general culture are the Baldwin, Roxbury Russet, Danvers Winter Sweet, Winthrop Greening, Rhode Island Greening, Ribstone Pippin, and Hubbardston Nonsuch. Mr. Goodale gives the following list of fruits as recommended for general cultivation in Maine:
Pears.—Doyenne d’Ete, Madaleine, Fulton, Belle Lucrative, Buffum, Flemish Beauty, McLaughlin, Vicar of Winkfield, Lawrence, Louise Bonne de Jersey.
Grapes.——Concord, Diana, Delaware, Clinton, Hartford Prolific, Rebecca.
Cherries—American Amber, Black Eagle, Elton, Late Duke, May Duke.
Plums—Imperial Gage, Lombard, Washington, McLaughlin, Greengage, Jefferson.

The small fruits are not so generally cultivated as they should be. One reason why they are neglected is, because strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and the like, grow in spontaneous abundance and in direct succession, and the farmer can have them for the picking. Currants and gooseberries are found in most gardens, and return a good profit for the labor bestowed.

The orchard products of Maine, by census of 1860, were valued at $501,767.

The maples which abound in our forests are annually made to contribute a share to the means of living, and how large a share will be seen from the fact that 306,742 pounds of maple sugar were made in 1860, no mention being given of the amount of sirup also manufactured; but inasmuch as this is the form in which the article is mainly consumed, the actual amount of sweetening manufactured will largely exceed the above estimated quantity.

The age of the trees is not material, provided they are of proper size, as it is evident that a very small tree would be more injured by the process of tapping than a larger one. Trees from ten inches to two or more feet in diameter are of the most suitable dimensions. Tapping should be done with care so as not to injure the tree, and it has been found by repeated experiments that a half-inch hole will yield as much sap as a larger one, the flow in all cases being in proportion to the depth of the hole. After the tree has done running, the hole should at once be stopped up. It has been estimated by some that each tree, taking the average together, will yield from five to six pounds of sugar during the season, and others consider two to three pounds as much as they will average. Probably the correct amount lies between these extremes. Formerly the vessels to receive the sap were troughs made of poplar or bass, and these were succeeded by sap-buckets, made somewhat in the form of pails, and unpainted. Tin vessels are light, easily kept clean, and are desirable on many accounts. They are used more extensively than heretofore. A good pan for boiling the sap is made of sheet-iron, by nailing the iron to plank, so that the iron shall form the bottom and ends and the plank the sides, the sheet-iron being secured to the plank by two rows of closely-driven nails. Eight feet long, four wide, and six inches deep, are good dimensions for this article, and if the arch or fire-place be made narrower than the pan, so it can be placed over it, it will be found a most useful arrangement for boiling the sap.  In making good sirup the sap should be reduced to about one-thirtieth of its bulk then strained through flannel, and left to cool and settle for about a day. After this, place it in the boiling pan, and add to every gallon one beaten egg and a gill of milk to clarify it, care being taken that it does not boil, till the scum has risen and been skimmed off. Then boil carefully until it will harden by placing it in cold water, when it should be poured into vessels and the cakes placed in a box to drain. To have the sugar perfectly white, lay a few thicknesses of flannel on the top of the cakes while they are draining; these absorb the coloring matter, and by having them washed daily with cold water the coloring matter will wash out.

Two men will take care of and do the work necessary to be done to three or four hundred trees. The work of manufacturing sugar and sirup takes place at a season of the year when other active farm labor has not been resumed, and thus affords a good opportunity for performing one of the pleasantest and most social parts of farm work.

The fisheries of this State are among the oldest, as they have also been one of the most important interests of our citizens. No one who has sailed along our wide-spreading coast, or explored to any extent our numerous bays and creeks, but would be impressed with our unsurpassed facilities for marine fishing; and in travelling over the State the almost numberless rivers, lakes, ponds, and small streams, would also suggest the many advantageous localities for interior fisheries. These advantages were quickly discovered by the first settlers of Maine, and it is also probable that they were very strong inducements in drawing settlers to our coast and islands, notwithstanding the privations that attended the early settlements. Captain John Smith, in 1614, cruised along our coast with two vessels, returning to England in the fall of 1615, carrying thither, among other articles, 47,000 dry and cured fish, made at Monhegan Island. From this time until 1626 the Plymouth colony carried on considerable trade with the settlements at Monhegan, Saco, and Damariscore, but during this year (1626) the trading-house at the former place was broken up and the goods transferred to Governor Bradford. In 1628 Governor Bradford, in behalf of the Plymouth colony, purchased a large tract of country on both sides of the Kennebec river, the grant to which gave them control of the fisheries and trading sections thereon. As the population increased the business of fishing began to assume more system, and as it increased, step by step, and grew into a large and important trade, the maritime portions of our State also grew in population and strength correspondingly. Laws to regulate the fisheries and legislative action for their encouragement resulted not only in a great increase of the business, but also led to ship-building and a more extended commerce; it became the best practical school for seamen, who, at the breaking out of the revolution, formed the nucleus of our navy, which, though small, did effective service in our country’s cause, and in the war of 1812 constituted a formidable rival to the strongest naval power then known.

To give a list of the fishes of Maine would take up more room than the interest in the subject would warrant, and we will therefore only mention the names of some of the most valuable found in this State, which are known to spawn in fresh water. They are: brook trout, Salmo fontinalis; lake trout, Salmo confinis; lake white fish, Ceregonus albus; pickerel, Esox reticulatus; Mascalonge, Esox estor; perch, Perca flavescens; striped bass, Labrax lineatus; shad, Alosa præstabilis.

Fish Breeding.—About five years ago Upham S. Treat, esq., and son, of Eastport, obtained exclusive control of three large ponds, situated about twenty miles from Eastport. These ponds each have outlets into the St. Croix river, the largest of them being three-fourths by one-half mile. The outlet is provided with a gate, by means of which it may be opened or closed as required, thus enabling the owners to retain the fish in the ponds, or allowing them to proceed to sea. They commenced the operations of fish-breeding in the spring of 1857, at which time a number of salmon, striped bass, shad, and alewives were placed in two of the ponds, the salmon being placed in the largest pond. The shad and alewives spawned about the first of June, and in about three weeks immense numbers of their young were seen. The gate at the outlet of the pond was then closed, and the growth of the young fish watched in the pond for three months, at the end of which time a portion of them were allowed to proceed down the river to the sea. The remainder of them were kept for two months longer, when they were dismissed into salt water. In the Agricultural report of the Patent Office for 1859 is an article on fish breeding, which also gives the further details of Mr. Treat’s experiments, which we here introduce:

   "The number of young produced by this first spawning was estimated at more than five millions. They had grown, when on their way to the sea, to the length of three to five inches, The salmon spawned in November, and the eggs were hatched in the spring after.  Mr. Treat did not, however, succeed in detecting any of the young until the summer of 1859, when they were above a year old. They had then grown, he says, to the length of ten or twelve inches, and were changing from the trout-like appearance which characterizes them in their first year, and were taking on the silvery coat of the parent fish. As the lake is in some places forty feet in depth, not many of these young salmon were captured; but enough were secured to enable Mr. Treat to identify them.  The old salmon still appear to be in good condition and are frequently observed. They have been in the lake two winters and two summers. Whether they continue to breed is not, as yet, known. The young salmon were also allowed to follow their natural instincts and to proceed to the sea at the proper season. Mr. Treat confidently expects the return of his fish—such of them as survive the dangers of the seas—as soon as they become capable of reproducing their species and feel the impulse of that instinct which induces them to seek the fresh water for the purpose of depositing their spawn.”

Wishing to obtain from the Messrs. Treat some additional facts in regard to their success in breeding migratory fish, we addressed a note of inquiry to them, and were favored with the following reply:

   “DEAR SIR: As to how far we have succeeded in breeding and raising migratory fish, we beg to reply that we have had good success in raising the alewife by planting the old in new homes, in waters hitherto unknown to these kinds of fish. We planted the old in two small lakes or ponds, the stream from each emptying into the St. Croix river, about two miles apart, and had the same good success on both streams. We learned that it required four years for the young to mature and return to breed in the waters in which they were bred, and that the young do not return to the waters until they mature, but remain in salt water, It requires eighteen days for the ova. to hatch, and as soon as out of the egg they swim near the shore in shallow water. Their natural habits are to stop in fresh water about sixty days. At that time they attain to about three inches in length, and make their way to salt water. The instinct of these fishes is very remarkable. They know their homes, and will not mix with neighboring streams only two miles apart, although the fish are of the same species and their habits are the same.  We have no doubt but that the waters could be made as productive as the land by planting migratory fish. Our experiments on other kinds of fish are not yet matured."

Abijah Crosby, esq., of Benton, has been engaged during the past three or four years in stocking some of the ponds in Somerset and Kennebec counties with migratory fish, and with the most gratifying prospects of success.

It is but a few years ago, comparatively, that fresh water fish in abundance were caught in our tributary rivers; now the fish seem to have deserted these ponds and rivers altogether. The immediate causes of this are the building of dams across tributary streams, by means of which the fish are prevented from ascending to their proper spawning places; the pollution of waters by the erection of mills and factories, (by the saw-dust, and the refuse of chemical ingredients used in the different process of manufacturing,) and the disturbance of the waters of larger rivers by steamboats. In some instances the legislature has caused an erection of fish-ways in dams for the passage of migratory fish.

Our sea-coast furnishes an important source of fertilization. Seaweed is used in large quantities by coast farmers, and with most satisfactory results.  It is usually carted in the winter months and piled in yards and sheds, and mixed with other manures. It rapidly decomposes, and in drying largely diminishes in bulk. It is used as a top dressing to grass lands with undoubted efficacy, acting in part as a mulch; it is also used as a compost. While seaweed is used with such good results near the coast, it has also been proved beneficial on lands twenty miles in the interior. It would not be impossible to suppose that seaweed, dried and pressed into bales, may hereafter become not only a reliable means of manuring land in the interior of the State; but an item of no small importance in a business point of view. On the flats adjoining some of our bays and creeks a deposit known as muscle-bed is found in large quantities, which proves a highly valuable and durable fertilizer on clayey loams near the sea-coast. It is much too heavy for profitable transportation far into the interior. In some instances the deposits of this material cannot be reached by teams in summer because of the softness of the mud, and it is the practice of farmers to haul it in winter, when the ice is firm enough to bear up teams. At low tide holes are cut in the ice, and the muscle-bed is easily placed upon the sleds.

Something is done in the business of manufacturing guano from fish and fish offal. Mr. Fowler, of Lubec, formerly manufactured a small amount each year, by drying the fish after they are pressed, and grinding them, afterwards mixing gypsum with it. Mr. C. G. Allen, of Camden, is also engaged in its manufacture. The article which he puts up is prepared from ““pogy chum” by simply drying it in the sun, adding, when packed in barrels, one peck of gypsum per barrel of 150 pounds. It sells for about $1 50 or $2 per barrel.  At Eastport Messrs. Treat & Son are largely engaged in the manufacture of fish guano. They have found it more profitable to press the fish, chiefly herring, for their oil than to smoke or salt them for the market. The remains of the fish, after extracting the oil, are prepared for guano by drying and grinding. It is manufactured under a patent held or claimed by the Quinnipiac Company, of Connecticut, which patent consists simply of “drying by solar heat upon an elevated platform;” and the principal amount manufactured is shipped to that State, where it has given the best satisfaction as a fertilizer.  During the past season about three hundred tons of this fish guano have been manufactured by the Messrs, Treat, the price being $20 per ton, exclusive of bags, shipping, &c. These trials have demonstrated the fact that a portable, inoffensive, and efficient manure can be manufactured from fish and fish offal with no great outlay for expensive machinery, and at a price amply remunerative to manufacturer and purchaser. This will hercafter become a larger business than it is at present.

Dr. Benjamin Vaughan, LL.D.; and his brother, Charles Vaughan, of Hallowell, Kennebec county, were the first gentlemen to act in the work of agricultural improvement in this State, and their labors in this direction gave an impulse to others, and the interest awakened by their efforts have continued until the present day.

In 1787 some farmers residing on the Kennebec river organized themselves together, under the name of the "Kennebec Agricultural Society,” the objects of which were mutual improvement in agriculture, and mutual aid by the importation of stock, implements, trees, seeds, books, &c.  "The leading and animating spirits in this movement were the Messrs. Vaughan,” In 1791-92 an importation of cattle, tools, trees, seeds, &c., was made by the Messrs, Vaughan, it being their first importation. During the year 1807 the “Kennebec Agricultural Society” was incorporated by the legislature of Massachusetts; and though it held no “cattle shows” or exhibitions for some time, it had frequent meetings for the reading of papers contributed by its members, and for discussion and consultation. The “Agricultural Repository,” issued under direction of the old Massachusetts society, contains many articles and papers of great value from this society, which show the ability and industry of its members. The contributions of Dr. Benjamin Vaughan bear marks of deep study and originality. In 1818, by the earnest efforts of the Messrs. Vaughan, Messrs. Wood, of Winthrop, and other friends of agriculture, the “Maine Agricultural Society” was incorporated. This society received no aid from the State, and its only funds were from the entry fees of members. In 1820 it had accumulated a sufficient amount to warrant an exhibition and the paying of premiums, and a show was held at Hallowell. In 1821 another exhibition was held in the same place, but for want of funds and the means of transportation only a small section of the State was represented in exhibition, and the action of the society was discontinued, and county shows created in its stead by the members. In 1818 some of the farmers of Winthrop; headed by the Messrs. Wood, formed the "Winthrop Agricultural Society,” which soon became a very useful and active association, spread into the towns, held annual shows, &c. It continued in force until about 1831-'32, when it merged into a county society, and then petitioned the legislature for a charter and funds.  Through the labors of Major Elijah Wood, though not without much opposition and modifications of plans, a “law relating to agricultural societies” was formed and passed in 1832. This law gave from the State treasury a sum of money annually to each society, as large as the society would raise from subscription or otherwise, the fourth section of the act reading as follows:

   "Every society availing itself of the benefit of this chapter shall, at their discretion, annually and publicly, offer premiums for introducing or improving any breed of useful cattle or animals, or any tools or implements of husbandry or manufacture; introducing, raising, or preserving any valuable trees, shrubs, or plants, or in any way encouraging or advancing any of the branches or departments of agriculture, horticulture, or manufactures. And ne such society, by their by-laws, shall confine such premiums to their own members, but shall bestow them on any person residing within the limits of such society who shall produce the best specimens.”

During the session of the legislature which passed this law three societies besides the Kennebec were incorporated.

In the fall of 1832 it was thought expedient to have an organ by which the farmers of Maine could advocate their interest, and through which they could communicate with each other. In 1833 Dr. E. Holmes, of Winthrop, commenced the “Kennebec Farmer,” the title of which was soon changed to the “Maine Farmer,” which it now retains. Dr. Holmes has continued the senior editor of this paper for over thirty years.

There ate now, besides the State society, twenty-five county societies in flourishing condition.

The legislature of 1852 established a board of agriculture; but the original bill, in the course of its passage through this honorable body, was so altered and amended as to be of no particular benefit. Although it gave the board authority for assembling each year, it furnished no compensation for the labor of its members, and was therefore of no working force. It was the form without the substance. The board held annual sessions until 1855, when the deficiencies of the law under which it was established had become fully apparent, and the members were most zealous in having them remedied. By their exertions a law incorporating and endowing the State Agricultural Society was passed, with an executive committee to transact its business, which committee were to have the powers and duties proper to a board of agriculture, and at the same time more fully prescribe the duties and powers of the local agricultural societies. In 1857 a law amendatory to an act establishing the board was passed by the legislature. By this law each agricultural and horticultural society was entitled to elect one member to represent them in the board, their term to continue for three years. This is the act now in force, with the exception that each county only is entitled to a delegate, and where there is more than one society in a county the societies must meet in caucus to choose each delegate.

In 1836 a resolve passed the legislature authorizing a geological survey of the State, and Dr. Charles T. Jackson, of Boston, was engaged as chief geologist and director of the survey. The labors of this gentleman and his assistants were continued until 1838, when the usual annual appropriation bill failed to pass, and it was suspended. This was owing to the heavy expenses and liabilities incurred by the State in a local matter, in addition to the general pecuniary pressure felt by the State as well as her citizens. In 1855 an appropriation was made for “the continuation of the geological and agricultural survey of the State;” but the requirements of the act, if carried out, would involve an expense greater than the sum appropriated, and of course all action in the matter was deferred.

The legislature, at the session in 1861, passed resolves authorizing a “scientific survey of the State.” The organized corps of the survey consisted of Dr. Ezekiel Holmes, naturalist and chief of survey, and Prof. Charles H. Hitchcock, geologist, with an able staff of assistants in the different departments. This survey has been in operation two years; and were it not for the unhappy condition of our country, the good which it has accomplished and opportunities for manufactures and industrial pursuits which it has pointed out would at once be taken advantage of by our citizens. The return of more favored times will give an opportunity for developing them.

Besides the legislation above mentioned, there have been at different times special enactments granting bounties to encourage the growth of various products, wheat, corn, &c. Production was doubtless largely affected by these bounties, but the increase was found temporary and evanescent.  The policy was always deemed somewhat questionable.³

I cannot close without referring more particularly to the labors of the Secretary of the Board of Agriculture, and the good which has followed therefrom.

Previous to the reorganization of the board in 1856, the annual publications of the State relating to agriculture were occupied with reprints of the doings of the county societies; were often little else than a record of premiums given, and contained nothing of general or special interest, and but a limited demand was found for them. But during the past six years the demand for the Secretary’s report has been constantly increasing, while the several editions have also been largely increased in numbers. This demand testifies to the appreciation in which they are held in our own State. Abroad they have been sought for from every quarter, largely quoted from, and pronounced "models of excellence in the department they represent.”

The labors of the secretary during the year 1861 were directed to the investigation of resources in the matter of marine manures, and specially the manufacture of “fish guano,” which will, sooner or later, result in the establishment of a new branch of industry, and the saving of an untold wealth of fertilization to the whole State. His labors during the present year have been in connexion with dairying, of which we have already spoken.

1.  The renowned Trustee, who performed the unparalled feat of trotting twenty miles in 59 minutes 35½ seconds, was out of a mare—Fanny Pullen—that was raised in Maine. In 1849 Mac, a horse raised in Maine, won several matches against some of the most celebrated animals on the course. The dam of Mac was probably a descendant of Messenger, and his sire a Morgan, which has generally proved to be a most excellent cross. In 1851 Tacony, another Maine horse, beat War Eagle twice, though he was quite young, and in 1852 he won twelve times.
2.  For many of the facts embraced in this part of my article I am largely indebted to the forthcoming report of Dr. E. Holmes, naturalist to the scientific survey of the State, whose report for 1862, on the "Ichthyology of Maine,” forms a most valuable addition to popular knowledge, and gives, also, a complete view of the elementary principles of the science.
3.  Agriculture of Maine, 1856, p. 21.