Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-11-15
VERMONT.


ar. c. H." in the New England Home
stead, is responsible for the following:
Start northward some morning and in
the course of the day you will strike that
little cluster of green hills and fertile val
leys, called Vermont. As you travel on,
you will find good deal OF uphill and
some down, but never mind-life has its
ups and downs, and why shouldn't Yer
mont? Don't get discouraged one old
fellow who had travelled a good deal in
these regions said he never felt discourage
cd as long as the hills were only perpen-
dicular. Once in a while, up Jamaica way,
he found one that leaned towards him, and
then il was rather hard scratching for his
old mare. But there is some level ground.
They say there are two places in the State
where they can play croquet,-one is on
the Connecticut river, between Brattleboro
and Bellows Falls, and the other is over on
Lake Champlain some where. We'll, new
er mind the hills cattle and sheep get a
ROUND on them first rate after they get
used to it, and seem to do well. II is true,
imported cattle do sometimes turn few
summersauts trying TO feed with their
heads down hill till they get the hang of
the pasture, but then, they-the farmers up
there-have a knack Of raising "imported"
cattle, and they take naturally to the slopes.
There's one advantage in having such
farms: One can cultivate or NOV both
sides of his land-having it set up on edge
so. The farmers contend it is not nearly
so hard work to plow or NOV up there as
on more level land-don't strain the mus
cles so continuously, you know. A soldier
once went up there who had had one leg
amputated at the knee, and took a farm.
He could do more work than any two men
in town and stand up as straight as gun.
They called town meeting in that town
to see if they shouldn't oblige every man
to have one leg amputated, but it was good
sugar weather on the day of the meeting,
and the only man present was the doctor,
and he didn't think he had better decide.
They are green-the hills mean, not the
folks-to the very top-most of 'om afford
good, sweet pasturage. They never-as
they do over in New Hampshire-have to
have their sleeps noses steel-pointed to
keep them from wearing out in one season;
nor do they have to plant beans with a ri
fie, unless it's up in Stratton or Mendon or
some of those places.
As you travel through the State, two of
the most prominent features of the land
scape which you will notice will be the
wood pile and watering trough. The for
mer you will generally find about the size
Bunker Hill monument would be should
it blow down. If you peep around behind
it, you will see snug red farm house and
barn, all nice and cosy, but the wood pile
is the chief pride of the Vermonter. 1t is
50 suggestive. In every cord OF it he sees
big pitchers of cider and pecks of butter
nuts, rosycheeked apples, and possibly, if
he is young man, other roses bloom from
the sturdy beech, and something more
sparkling than cider beams from its chinks.
a halo of quiltings and pairing bees hovers
over this structure, and as he contemplates
it., he thanks God he lives where they.have
long winters.
About once in half-mile you can stop
and give yourself and your horse a cool
drink from trough hewn from huge log
and filled from spring on the mountain
side just above, or brook that dashes
down across or under the road.
This suggests another picture too, that's
the saw mill. As in Connecticut every man
goes peddling sometime in his life, so in
Vermont every one must, before he can
write himself man, learn to "tend saw-mill."
Now, down country at these institutions,
they just content themselves with taking
the logs and making them into boards,
joists, &C., and have some vulgar things
called "slabs' left, but up here they do
things more thoroughly. What won't do
for timber is cut up into lath and ribbon
boards, and in some cases they don't leave
a silver that is big enough TO make a shoe
peg or pill box. I've heard the following
story told as fact; don't ask any one to
believe it. 4 man was riding along one
day on one of these mountain roads pass
ing one of these little mills, when he heard
q crash on the hill above him. He looked
up and saw huge hemlock log come tear
ing down the declvity. 1t rolled across
the road and into the mill which was on
the lower side Of the road, and disappeared.
lie Jumped from his horse and ran down a
path which led under the MILL expecting
to see scene of destruction where the
monstrous pole had made its way through
the edifice, but before he got to the lower
side it had come through all made into
white ash rakes, nicely tied up dozen in
a bunch. A man and boy were quietly
and serenely piling up the punches, and
with the suavity and kindness so common
in these regions, kindly explained the
whole process so that he understood it per-
fectly, except the tying up; that remains a
mystery TO him yet and probably will till
his dying day.
Another feature you will not fail to no.
tice,-at every fork of the roads you will
see a little brown school-house. Some
times up Brandon way where paint is dug
out of the ground and comes cheap, they
paint them, but not as general thing.
But there's a tremendous sight of work
done in these little knowledge boxes. on
the whole, they are greater wonder than
the sawmills, and the raw material receives
greater transmutation than did the hem
lock log. Put few fur caps and frocks
and cowhide boots with some good Yer
mont meat and blood in them, and they
quietly turn out Douglasses and Foote's
and Jim Fisks and such like.
Hills Of iron, mountains of marble, ket-
ties of hot sugar, golden butter, stalwart
frames, rosy-cheeked girls that are not a.
fraid to work, strong arms and warm, true
hearts-thats Vermont.
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OTB LRGISL.lTORS.