serious consequence for Kinkora. In 1953 the Kinkora cheese factory changed its production from cheese to but- ter; but the decline in its milk suppliers continued, and the competition from the newly formed dairy company in Sum— merside (formed from the amalgamation of six small dairies in Prince County)11 left Kinkora’s factory economically crippled; it struggled to survive by selling other farm goods such as wire, twine and nails to its patrons, but continued to lose money, and in 1971 finally ceased operations, seventy years after it was formed]2 The decline in the number of horses happened as a result of

Herb and Agnes MuIIIgan. Herb was a cheesemaker at Kinkora for

many years. (Courtesy of Mrs. Elsie McCarviIIe)

116

farmers replacing them with trucks, tractors, automobiles and other expensive farm machinery; many farmers incur- red huge debts from such purchases. Moreover, the expenses of mechanized farming soon restricted who could afford to become farmers.

At the same time governments, federal and provincial, were pursing plans to further industrialize farming in P.E.I. Multinational companies were invited to establish food- processing plants in P.E.I. In 1961 Seaman Brothers Inc. of New York built a large factory near Kensington, P.E.I. to process frozen vegetables]3 Farmers in the surrounding areas, including Kinkora, Middleton and Newton con— tracted with the Island subsidiary company (Seabrook Farms) to grow vegetables for the plant. With the advice of outside planners, the P.E.I. government in 1969 an— nounced plans to further reduce the 6357 farms in RBI. to 2500; and established a Land Development Corporation to buy or lease farms from Islanders, and incorporate these into larger farming units]4 So by the end of the 1960s not only had farming in P.E.I. become more mechanized and specialized, small farmers were strongly encouraged to leave farming, and those without financial support were discouraged from considering having a traditional family farm. If these conditions were not sufficient to reduce the number of farmers in P.E.I. then the economic returns from farming were. After a relatively prosperous decade in the 19505, farm income declined. Average net farm income in P.E.I. are shown for three decades:

1940s. - $8,336,700.

19505 — $12,193,600.

19605 - $9,725 ,60035 The economic reasons for the dramatic decline in the number of farms in RBI. and townships 26 and 27, as shown in Table 11:2, are quite evident. The situation is neatly summarized in the experience of a young former Kinkoran