Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-08-29
~ VER MONT.
Gao7os. W., August 25th 1867

the same as il was quarter OF . century
ago. and vet the close observer notices un>
traces Of approaching senility.
Il reached its primo as an agricultural dis
sric. many years ago, and is unquestionab'y
becoming less productive and more emacia-
Ted every year. The great majority of the
farming breadth is upland broken, rough,
naturally ungcnerous and intractable. The
rich valley farms are rare exceptions and
highly priced. These uplands are only kept
productive even N . msagre degree by con-
slant maj e uvering and ssrring,and despite
Of the unremitting toll thereon bestowed 10y
the hopeful farmers, thousands and thous>
ands of acres are annually being turned in>
TO pasture land, and thousands OF these pas
tured acres-too poor to be Of value for
grazing, are passing back again to thelf nor
NAL forest condition from which they were
very improperly wrested a hundred years
ago. 10 another century, Nature, outraged
nj beng deprived of what was so justly her
own. Will assert her authority and re closhe
many OF these upland wastes with forest
,rees So may il be-the growing timber I
will present more pleas lng aspect, and the |
tillers of the soil will find honest lobor more |
amply requited in the valley of the Missis-
sipp Some will stay oehind and continue
the struggle, and ii is well enough that they
should, but even these will find some radical
change in the method Of conducting their
farms absolutely necessary to their exists
encc. 1t may not look we'll in me while
here partak,ng of the hospitalties of the old
~ tat 10 IN gnpak ttnc deroU
atively of her physical condition, but %: the
truth be spoken-Nernon. as an agricu!tn>
raj State 10 a certain failure. l have been
riding recently through several towns that
we're formerly accounted as among the good
agricultural districts. saw nothing of that
general thrift that ever pervades prosper
Gus locality. Those cid brown, wood col>
ored houses and barns that have been stand
ing for half century seem to have outlived
their usefulness. Their saddle-backed
roof>trees and moss rotted shinglcs, crum>
bed chimneys and rickety yard fences may
NJ have their romance to 81 csc who remem.
ber them as part of their early home, but
| take away that romance, aud these crazy,
moss covered, rotten posted board fences
that 60 pulling and hauling about worms
out fields, these tumble down stone walls
and old scraggy, half dead orchards speak
| Of desolation rather than comfort nay they
! toll of sons and daughters reared and in the
same chapter of their going away to seek
fortune in more genial lands. There are
| vet numerous we'll cultivated farms and
| much noble thrift ncsting among these green
hills, but each succeeding census tells more
| plainly than words of the decadence of the
state.
The grain crops are about an average this
year should think-psrhaps lite over
and yet they arc nothing to the demand -
The grass crop is very good indeed in the
low lands, and better than usual on the up
land farms, and it Is to grass alone that the
State will eventually run. Raising stock
will be the principal business and in this
way large tracts will fall into single hands
many . farm will return to pssturage-ex-
ceptng its profitable hay fields, and thus
these lands vail be placed to their proper
account. These old hills that have been
plowed and hoed, reaped aud moved for
the past seventy five or a hundred years
look sick and exhausted. The soil that once
clothed their sides has been moved down by
the plow furrow, by the hoe and the har>
row year after year until that which was
formerly al the top is now nearly down to
the very bottom. No wonder they look
emaciated and homesick-look as though
| they longed to move west and vecuperate
their lost fortunes out Of her rich aluvlal
soil.
After all this We are told that land is on
the rise here. So it is, but no, generally
Good farms near towns and villages arc al
ways ln good demand, and ne9er more 30
l ha, L..
stantly improving in value because OF its
decrease. Here, in this town from which |
write. the only substsniial enterprise is la
the lumber line. New mills are constantly
beir added, and vast quantities OF spruce
nad hem lock lumber is exported to supply
the demand This must be thrifty branch
OF business so long as the timber tracts last
nno the man who has good irill and con,
venicnt five hundred acre tract of timber
may account himself among the most for
tunate.
The farmers are selling the wool very re
luetantiy this season at about 10 cents pei
pound. Even at that p,ice wool ra,sing is
said to be profitable, yet i. is such a lei
down from war prices that it is very IN.
comfortable. Butter ,also-one OF the leading
products, Wi. be unu.usly low this fall
hut owing 20 the fine crop OF hay cattle mus,
needs be high. All these things operate
favorably upon the Western market.
Politically | safely say that Vermont is
republican, and that the fall election viii
result in the election of the republican nom
inees. The Democracy are Just about as
numerous and plucky as ever They hsve
been annually thrashed out for the pas,
thirty years or more-don't pretend to
know how II feels TO gain victory, and yel
they stick aud hang With o most vigorous
tenacty-hopefnl yet-not no much tha,
their eyes may ever rest upon the promised
land but that their children may eventual I,
enter in and cnjoy and courageously con
time the good fight. A noble man indeed
iss 'rue~hearied, life long Vermont Demo,
erat u costs nothing to be on the winning
sde. ltreqai'es neither pluck nor energy
TO bc on that side and hurrAh for victory
but it does require. both and large stock
cf moral courage beside to constantly With
stand the bufIettings Of defeat and still
stand firm year after y ear, firm a. The rock.
oi their nrtive hills, and still vote % did tn.
old democratic fathers of the earlier and
more politically prosperous days Of the
Union.
i. Would you like to see Groton? It's ,
rather pleasant little village up in caledon,s
county, ten miles back from the Connscticu,
river. 1t is located between two vast ssnc
hills, aDd Is before intimated, its com,nercs
, depends almost entirely upon the lumber
business. There is thriving tannery, ant
fine flour mill 10 being put in shape 70,
doing something more than the old sris
grinding Some people here believe ther,
,sa huge swindle somewhere in flour
) When they see wheat quoted at $l.5O il
. Davenport. and -four selling here st SIG POI
barrel. they can't cipher the thing out /,
their perfect satisfaction so Z mill Is bein,
put in here for grinding western wheat int.
( flour.
{ Here, also. We find the usual shops. her,
are provided the necessaries Of life in thu
way Of boots, shoes and tobacco. One stor,
there is, but most Of the trading 10 don,
elsewhere should Judge, for i, is the mos
desolste looking concern ever knew b,
, that name.
| went up BY the old school house yes
terday. You have oil heard about those dc
lishsfully coy, snug and interesting New
England school houses, in shady hooks b,
/ the brook side-white- green biinds-neal
! picket fence enclosing delightful play.
. / Upnnn6a - W.. L.