The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-04-08
AroostoOk.


The following paragraph, which appeared in the
Dispatch short time ago, has walked up the
county Of Aroostook, In the State Of Maine:
The Maine Legi lsture purposes giving 80 acres
ofiani TO every srttlefwho will select and occupy
fArm on shs stats lands in Aroostook county'.-
GzetoysoeF
Aud q hard bargain at that. The Aroostook
lends are buried In snow and lee for more than
third Of the year, AMI the soil is 30 sterile as to
render it unft for agricultural purposes. The
timber that originally made the domain somewhat
valuable has eeen cut down, and the soil now Of
tcrs no induoement to settlers. growth OF
spruce pine scarcely sufficient for firewood, and
tew potstoss, are the productions Of the ARGOS.
hook country -Rschm0nd Lfspdtch.
The above has brought down upon unlucky
bead journal called the "Aroostook Pioneer :,
which devotes more than half column to the win.
d,ca,ion of "Aroostook." We freely confess that
We know little personally of "Aroostook," and
derived most of our information from a gentleman
who has visited that part of the country and who
thinks We did "Areostook' great deal too much
credit 10 our account OF II. lie says that tho eli.
N tie In that region 10 insupportable that the
are logs often freeze In the back of the fire place
Al to the magnificent forest" which our friend
Of the Pioneer describes with such enthusiasm,
thare IL not tree in IL which can be used 10 con-
structing vessel. 'Aroostook' wants to know
how the people live II our account Of II be
rect. They live by selling ice, the only product
Of their region, to the South for wheat &C., and
by the potatoes, which are very good if they can
raise enough Of them.
The "Pioneer' wants to know what the 'spruce
pine 10. Well, that 10 the same thing which, We
learn, you call In Aroostook, the tamsrcci, which,
being like Aroosteok, and hdtmetcc, another Aroos
touk name for spruce) a barbarous and heathen-
i,h piec. ofjargon, utterly incomprehensible out.
side Of Aroostook, We spoke In the English Ian
gu4ge. We learn that Aroostook made in a
measure classic by Gen Scott's visit, when he
went there 10 settle the Maine difficulties. On |
that occasion, the Aroostook militia carried ban
uer bearing their national emblem, rooster, in |
the act of flying of with the British lion, and |
Growing most Justify. Our Aroostook friend |
draws 6ne picture Of q sleigh ride though, aud |
the sweet, rosy checked girls, with bosoms purer
shsn the snow fakes and tongues more musical
than the bells. Well, the women, Heaven bless
them, are everywhere good and lovely, though we
confess that the Aroostook women deserve espe.
ciai credit, Tor preserving their good looks and
temper In such an abominable country
Now, unfor supately for our Aroostuok friend,
IN the very next column to that ia which he In.
sists that Aroostook Is such heaven of place,
q perfect Arctic Eden, with pine apples aud ba-
nsuss growing from the ends Of the icicIes, and
Oranges and grapes fourishing all over its cebergs
there Ia 40 account Of debate In the Maine Senate,
In which several Senators took occasion to make
attacks on Aroostook and the men Of Aroostook,"
and ono Of them, Mr.. Jones. ''said he had heard |
that the people Of Aroostook were so fearful Of do
Ing anything upon the roads Of that region, that |
II tree happened to be blown across the road, it
would not be cut out by the Inhabitants until they
-lsa
turned for Its removal" 1t 10 true the Aroostook
editor indignantly repsls this accusation" but IL
shows that Aroostook has a bad name at home. |
However, We confess that it Is better to do as
Maine does. give away worthless land In Aroostook
which 1t does own than sell for two and half cents
Per acre, land which she does not own, as Is the |
pustom Of Old Virginia.