The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-01-14

ly reflects to the credit ofour cultivators,
for they can be produced here with al
most the same facility as elsewhere.
OUR FRUIT LANDS
| will endeavor briefly to designate. The
most valuable OF these are the islands and
hcadlands Of the lake. Much of the soil
of the large islands at the lower end oil
the lake, Isle La Motto, Grand Isle, and
North aud South Hero. Is admirably al.
apted 10 fruit trees. The soil in the ee-
waited portions oi these islands beng uu-
lcrlaid with porous, slaty or limestone
rocks is naturally well drained, and il
generally "a strong, laycy loan. The
same is true to greater or losY extent OF
the smaller islands lying near these OF
scattered up the lake in the vicinity OF
either shore aud it Is especially true Of
the headauds aud points of the lake OF
which St. Albans aud Shelhurn Points on
the east aud WilIsb rough Point and
Cumberland head on the west shores are
the most conspicuous. Besides these To-
cations there are numerous smaller points,
headlands or lake ridges along both shores
Of the lake for nearly It's whole length,
which are in no degree inferior for this
purpose. In many places in this region
the perfection Of fruit culture has already
ocen attained But the capacity Of the
lands ior fuller development Of the in
terest must long remain unexhausted.
Some three to five miles back from the
east shore of the lake, from Crown Point
to the Canada line runs much broker
hahn Of low mountains and hills,-Suak'
Mountain in Addison, Buck Mountain il
WaItham, Sugar Loaf and others in Char
otte, Cobble Hill and Snake Mountain
in Milton, aud Bellevue in St. AIbap,,
the very outposts Of the Green Mountain,
facing the line of the A 1irondacks. B.
tween this range of hills and the lake th'
land is quite level and poorly drained. 1t
averages some fifty or n hundred feet
above the lake. In some parts is II
hard, clay fat in others a dry, sandy
plain. On the whole it is not the best
fruit land, yet on many low ridges aud
swels it offers favorable sites for orchards
To the east of this range Of hills already
mentioned, and between them and tn,
outer range of the Green Mountains, runs
another belt varying in width from ten to
twenty miles. This is an unduiating pla
teau some two or three hundred feet
above the lake. but is broken everywher,
by ridges and hills. Among these hills
or on these ridges, are many sheltered
-lopes of warm rich soil, generally "a
strong, gravely or clayey loan. Thcs,
lands the farmer occupies with his corr
fields, and they are often most cxcellen'
orchard lands. Indeed it was ia such
spots that the list settlers Of our valley
planted their most exten,ivc orcha IDS
Near the mountains, from whose gorge,
issue cold winds, a care must be cxerci>
ed to plant none of the most tender vari-
cites, but where these slopes overlook III,
lake, or are contiguous to it, the Baldwin
and the b rtlett sometimes thrive better
than on the more exposed lands about
the shore.
On the western shore the Adirond lcks
in some laces come down to the water,
edge but from Port Henry to Westpori
and from Essex 20 Plattshurgh and north
ward the opportunities for fruit growing
are hardly surpassed by those ofthe vp-
nosite side.
In view of the restricted limits to
which the most remunerativo fruit cul-
ture is, in the Northern States, confined
"a narrow belt along this or that river
or beside this or that lake.-it must APP.
pear of advantage to fully occupy and
develop field which promises so good
results as does this Valley of Lake Cham.
plain