Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1867-05-24
Letter from Maine.

w eioNCt II VIC i1o1 ~ u"J =, %
the Northern part of Vermont New
Hampshire and a portion of Maine,
some observations occur to me that Il
will jot down for your paper. And
since the first remark after the saluta-
ton, is usually about the weather, 1
can only repeat the every where spok-
en- sentiment ::--.sA cofd wet day sir =
Ga very backward spring. This is
emphatically descriptive of the sea-
son from Lake Champlain to the
Penobscot river, as I have seen it,
and. doubtless over much larger ter
ritory. In the vicinity of Lake Cham
plain the advance of vegetation is
nearly ten days earlier than in La
noble, Orleans and Essex counties in
Vermont, Northern New Hampshire,
and central Maine. Even on the
coast of Maine in the same latitude as
Burlington, vegetation is as backward
at the present writing, May 17th, as
it was at Burlington on the It'll. The
fields and pastures just beginning to
look green; currant leaves about as
large as your thumb nail, and apple
tree buds just bursting-the form of
the leaf not yet open; cattle not yet
out in pasture, unless want of hay has
compelled them to seek a meager fare
rather than starve. Hay is every
where scarce, but the hardest stories
of its scarcity and high prices were
told me in the Western part of Orleans
county. 1t was told me that many
cows had been lost for want of food.
Whereat | recalled the fact, that in
the last fifteen years, every now and
then a season occurs when hay brings
higher price in Orleans county than
in any other place | know of. Why
is this? Orleans county has a fine
soil, and much excellent land, easily
worked and productive. No one who
sees it can deny that. 1t has no easy
access to market for so gross and
bulky commodity as hay. and be-
lieve little has been carried away
to deplete its soil. From the vicini-
ty OF Lake Champlain, and from the
coast counties of Maine much hav is
exported, yet in neither does hay
bear so high prices as in Orleans
county. L suspect the hop poles tell
the reason. The hop culture is des-
strnctive to the soil in larger degree
than any other common among u.s.
The little hop yard draws to itself the
manure OF the farm, the labor of the
men. and the interest of the owners.
so that all other interests are largely
neglected. The other acres run down.
the stock is not improved. the best
varieties of seed are not sought. as
they would be if the hop yard did not
take the chief care and labor of the
farmer.
The railroad facilities are doing
much for Orleans county. With her
valuable stone quarries vet to be de-
yeloped, her large amount of ancient
forests for lumber, her excellent wa
ter power for mills, her scenery un-
rivaled in attractions for the summer
tourist, and especially her excellent
soil capable of much higher produc-
ton than it is brought to yet Orleans
can be made, must be made, one of
the most populous and wealthy coun-
ties Of Vermont. Barton or Newport
need only religious and educational
privileges of high order, and some
thoroughly enforced police regula-
tons, to make them as desirable
places of residence as can be found in
New England. Their natural advan.
tages must certainly aid their con-
slant and permanent growth. Wheth-
er new city is to spring up on the
boundary, will depend much on whetb-
er the people of Derby Line and Rock
Island seize the first opportunity to
open the easiest possible facility of
communlcatlon-say good horse rail-
road between their villages and the
railroad station. By the way, it is to
be hoped that no slang word will be
allowed to give name to the new
station on the boundary. As native
OF Orleans county, and always proud
OF my birth place | felt my cheeks
burn with shame the other dav, as it
was told me that low vulgar word
was beginning to be used, and was
quite likely to be adopted. If a name
is needed | should like to suggest one
that is both euphonious and historic
enough to lend interest to it. | have
hao 1t from some of the old citizens
OF Derby, years ago, that when the
town was III process of its first sur
vey' the company of surveyors were
dependent on food brought 70 them
from below-Newbury | think-on
the backs ofmen. The leader of this
party of carriers was named Barlow
AT one time the surveying party had
got entirely out of supplies, and had
begun to suffer greatly from hunger.