Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/39

MAINE 31 to five months. The northeast winds from the Atlantic in the spring and early summer, charged with cold fogs, constitute an unplea- sant feature in the climate of a portion of the state. The soil varies greatly, being sterile in the mountains and fertile in the valleys; the most productive land lies between the Kennebec and Penobscot and in the valley of the St. John. Great forests cover the central and N. portions of the state, yielding immense quantities of timber, which constitutes one of the leading sources of wealth. The most prev- alent trees are the pine, spruce, and hemlock ; maple, birch, beech, and ash are common, and I the butternut, poplar, elm, sassafras, and a variety of others are found in particular dis- tricts. Apple, pear, plum, and cherry trees thrive, but the peach has not been cultivated with success. The dense forests still afford re- treats for the moose and caribou. There are also the bear, deer, wolf, catamount, wolverene, beaver, marten, sable, weasel, raccoon, wood- chuck, squirrel, &c. Wild geese and ducks, eagles, hawks, partridges, pigeons, owls, quails, crows, and humming birds are among the most common birds. The waters off the coast abound with fish, chiefly cod, herring, menha- den, and mackerel ; and salmon, trout, pickerel, &c., are found in great abundance in the lakes and rivers. According to the census of 1870, there were 59,804 farms, containing 2,917,- 793 acres of improved land, 2,224,740 of wood- land, and 695,525 of other unimproved land. The cash value of farms was $102,961,951 ; of farming implements and machinery, $4,809,- 113; total amount of wages paid during the year, including the value of board, $2,903,- 292 ; total (estimated) value of all farm pro- ductions, including betterments and additions to stock, $33,470,044; of orchard products, $874,569 ; of produce of market gardens, $366,- 397; of forest products, $1,581,741; of home manufactures, $450,988; of animals slaughtered or sold for slaughter, $4,939,071 ; of all live stock, $23,357,129. The agricultural produc- tions were 278,793 bushels of wheat, 1,089,888 of Indian corn, 34,115 of rye, 2,351,354 of oats, 658,816 of barley, 466,635 of buckwheat, 264,- 502 of peas and beans, 7,771,363 of potatoes, 9,114 of grass and clover seed, 1,053,415 tons of hay, 5,435 Ibs. of flax, 1,774,168 of wool, 296,850 of hops, 11,636,482 of butter, 1,152,- 590 of cheese, 160,805 of maple sugar, 155,640 of honey, 5,253 of wax, 1,374,091 gallons of milk sold, 28,470 of maple molasses, and 7,047 of wine. There were on farms 71,514 horses, 336 mules and asses, 139,259 milch cows, 60,- 530 working oxen, 142,272 other cattle, 434,- 666 sheep, and 45,760 swine. The leading in- dustries are directly connected with the natu- ral yield of land and water, the most charac- teristic being the production of lumber and lime, the packing of ice, fish, and vegetables, ship building, and stone quarrying. It is esti- mated that the forests cover 10,505,711 acres, or very nearly one half the entire area of the 524 VOL. XL 3 state. This is not exceeded in any of the other great lumber-producing states except Michigan and Pennsylvania ; while the ratio of the wood- land to the entire area is greater in Maine than in any other state. The abundant water power renders the use of steam necessary in only a small number of mills. The great lumber mart is Bangor, where the amount surveyed during the season reaches about 200,000,000 ft. The most important centres of this industry are Penobscot co., where a capital of about $2,- 000,000 is employed ; Washington co., about $1,500,000; Hancock, Kennebec, and Piscata- quis cos. According to the census of 1870, the number of saw mills was 1,099, having 76 steam engines of 3,213 horse power, and 1,660 water wheels of 38,898 horse power, and em- ploying 8,506 hands. The capital invested amounted to $6,614,875; wages, $2,449,132; materials, $6,872,723; products, $11,395,747. Ship building, which declined during the civil war, has within a few years attained a pros- perity exceeding that of former times. In 1870 Maine ranked next to New York and Pennsyl- vania in the value of work completed, and next to New York in 1873. In the former year 116 establishments were reported, employing 1,810 hands, and a capital of $908,173; the value of materials used was $1,267,146, and of products, $2,365,745. During the year ending Jan. 1, 1874, there were built in the state 276 vessels of 89,817 tons, being the largest tonnage ever built in one year. Among the vessels were 10 ships of 14,594 tons, 25 barks, 12 brigs, 206 schooners, 12 sloops, and 9 steamers. The principal yards are at Passamaquoddy, Machias, Frenchman's Bay, Castine, Bangor, Belfast, Waldoborough, Wiscasset, Bath, Portland and Falmouth, and Kennebunk. According to the census of 1870, the products of the Maine fish- eries, exclusive of the whale fisheries, were exceeded only by those of Massachusetts, the value being $979,610. This included ^9,373 quintals of cod fish, 2,475 of haddock, 10,955 of hake, 2,653 barrels of herring, 31,901 of mackerel, and 75,334 of miscellaneous fish, besides 40,011 barrels of fish oil. The value of fish cured and packed was $617,878. In 1873, 861 vessels of 46,196 tons were en- gaged in the cod and mackerel fisheries. About 2,000 men are employed in this indus- try. The propagation of salmon and trout by artificial means in the interior waters is car- ried on with success under the direction of the state commissioners of fisheries. Along the coast, from Yarmouth to Cape Sable, the packing of fish, lobsters, clams, &c., is exten- sively carried on. The catching of lobsters is perhaps more extensive here than anywhere else in the country. The canning of vegetables in the interior is an important industry. The value of canned products in 1873 was $1,842,- 000; the number of cans was 735,700 dozens, embracing 475,000 dozen cans of corn, 7,500 of succotash, 231,600 of lobsters, 20,000 of salmon, and 1,600 of clams. Ice is gathered I