Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1870-07-15
Farming in Franklin County.


weeks since, for brief trip through some
parts of this county, with my own team.
The journey has now been mostly per-
formed, and | give your readers some of
the results of my observations.
have visited but few towns, and these
only in part
On the west the county is bordered by
tie Lake, and consequently has the lev
ell or undulating surface belonging to the
lake towns Of Addison and Chittenden
counties.
The eastern towns are more broken
and billy, lying nearer the sloping spurs
of the Green Mountains, and therefore
better watered by mountain streams and
perennial springs.
The northern towns partake of both
characteristics, and across the Canadian
border, i'll the direction of Montreal, the
country is almost an unbroken level as
far as the eye can reach.
The soil is good and usually stony, es-
peciallY on the uplands, while that near
the lake has some clay in it, and there
fore quite free from these farmers pests,
The bottom lands of the Missisquoi riv
er are as rich and valuable as any in the
State.
The stock is mostly cows, though I
find some attention is being given to the
raising of valuable horses.
Small diaries average about 10 cows
each, ordinary ones number % or 80,
larger ones 40 to so, few have as many
as 70 cows, and there are some diaries of
100 cows each. More than half of
the milk in the county is made into
cheese, much of atthe factories, though
the largest diaries usually make their
own cheese.
Much butter is also made as the ship
ment from St. Adams is now nearly 5000
tubs per week, and there are other sta
tions in the county whence large quanti-
ties are sent to market
Factory made cheese sells on an aver
age for cents more per pound than that
of domestic manufacture.
1t is needless for me to add that this
county rules the butter market of New
England.
The care of these larger diaries, and
they require laborious incessant care
is great, especially for these farmers
wives and daughters. But, true to the
genuine yankee spirit they accept the
toll for its reward.
Dairying is profitable. dined day
or two since with farmer who has IA
acres Of land, ON which he keeps 20cows
pair Of horses, and some other stock.
From his milk he makes butter the entire
season. The sales from his farm during
| the year 1869 amounted to the snug little
sum of thirteen hundred dollars!
A few months since he refused eleUen
ItOUouItt uOttufS IuE MS ldTm anu SUCK.
and declined selling when another thous.
and was offered. 1t is better farm than
the average, but farms of 200 or 225
acres with full complement of COWS
cost here from twelve to fifteen thousand
dollars. And what seems more remark.
able to stranger is, that young men
with only few hundred or couple o.
thousand dollars, will buy one of these
farms, mourning heavy debt, and pay
for it in few years.
The above mentioned farmer told me
of one Of his neighbors with only 16
COWS, who was making 100 pounds of
butter per week, and the drouth has been
very severe here. Last week his butter
sold for % cents per pound.
1t Is not strange that the farmers here
as general rule are wealthy, and Their
wealth is in their lands and focks and
herds, but very little, outside of St. AL
bans Is invested in railroad and bank
stocks. They cannot therefore be plum
dered by dishonest directors or cashiers
But enough for this time, from a
FARMERS Boy.