Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-02-14

Samuel, xviii V. \ London wig-maker
once qad sign upon which was painted Alb
salon suspended from the branches of the
oak by the hair. and underneath the follow
ing couplet
IF Absalon hadn't worn his own hair,
He'd ne'er been found a hanging there.
From the Vermont Farmer.
The Fruit Interests of the Champlaln Valley.
By &. q. PrmgIe, Esq. Of Charlotte, Sc
refary effhr ChGnpiam Ialisy HorficHifu-
raj Noady.
THE ORCHARDS OF SnELBURN POINT.
\ range of irregular hills with broad un
dulating slopes, branching from the shore
range near the southern boundary of the
town and putting out into the lake for two
or three miles forms Shelburn Point, IA
nous for its fruit orchards, The highest Of
these hills are some two hundred feet above
the lake. and are covered with woods of
beech and maple. Toward the end Of the
Point the elevation become much less, and
the width Of the Point. which at its begin
ming i more than a mile. here narrows 10
about one-fourth that distance. From the
head of the Point. Sheburn Bay flows south
ward some miles and it, average width i
about one mile. These elevated lands Of the
western part of Shelburn possess the highest
value for all agricultural purposes. nder-
laid for the most part with slate rock, which
in some places shows on the surface, they
are often from this cause well drained natu-
rally. and by reason Of the decomposition of
the slate their complete exhaustion is hardly
possible They may be described a. strong,
slaty and clayey loans The generous re
turns they have made 10 their pOssessors.
ever since the settlement of the country, i
seen in the substantial and well appointed
tarn-steadings and stylish mansions, which
spread out over the hill-tops OF adorn the
slopes of this part Of the town. The pros
perlty Of their owners j. displayed IN we'll
kept fields, substantial fences and grayelled
roadways. in their free use of drain-tile,
and in all their ability TO keep pace with
the Improvements Of modern agriculture.
Every one has heard OF the fruit of Shell
burn Point for in this culture its farmers
have taken the lead, and now hold the pre-
eminence over all our valley. And the
adaptation Of the location to this enter
prise Is hardly 10 be surpassed anywhere in
this region. Added 10 the superior charac-
ter Of the soil, it, peninsular situation, its
elevation above low. frosty lands. and the
protection against strong winds, afforded by
it, wooded hIll-tOps, the circumstance that II
lies in the lee of the broadest part of the
lake completes combination of advantages
not to be found elsewhere IN any great ex-
tent. - it happens that the teudereSt va
rietics of apples and pears thrive equally as
well A. the more hardy sorts 50 the Bald
win, which i certain to fail aitera few years
in most other locations in this vicinity, l.
pronounced perfectly hardy, ana 50 a vari-
ETY. of the peach is As hardy as the plum and
scarcely ever fails TO yield full crop.
The passenger over the Rutland and Bur-
lington K. R.. looking westward from the
station at Shelburn over a mile of level
meadow. Will noticea large orchard covering
a slope. which inclines gently toward the
east The place is now occupied by B. f.
Van Nliet. Esq, but the older portion ofthe
orchard was planted by Lyman Hall, ESD,
to whom belongs the credit ofiirst giving an
impetus to extensive orchard planting in
this town. In 1919. | think. Mr. Hall set
six hundred apple trees, mostly BaldwinS
and Greenings. though MS list included
large number of sorts. Mr.. Van Nliet has
added more recent paintings, till his number
of trees Is about 1900. Adjoining Mr.. Van
Nliet's orchard on the west. and occupying
the summit Of the hill and its western slope,
are the orchards of Lee Tracey, Esd Mr.
Tracey commenced with 400 trees in 1919,
and has since increased his number of trees,
apples and pears, to about 1900. His sales
in 1871 amounted to about 80 200. This
was mainly the product of his orchard of
400 trees first planted as his later plant
ings have hardly come into bearing.
Across the highway 10 the south from
Mr.. Van Nliet's place i that of +. ). Row
ley, Esq. Here are planted go trees. The
Of no
nished by 100 trees planted in ISIS. was
$500.
y. r. Miller, Esq, has some 7OO trees
planted. 400 of these in bearing in 1871,
Welded Sl30O VIM McNiel has about
400 trees of which 100 were set in 1874.
II. F. llurlburt has 500. Robert j. White,
500 Rufus Rogers, 400. Geo. Saxton'S
estate. 500. From one and three-fOurths
acres in Greenings, planted with extra pre-
paration some sixteen years ago. l. A Col
lamer realized in lS6S 5000. He has lately
set 200 more trees. 81 trees, belonging to
L. 5. White, yielded, the seventh year from
setting, 100 barrels, and in 1869 they pro-
duced 200 bblS., worth from 50 To 50 per
barrel.
have mentioned only the largest or
chards of Shelburn Point, and my figures
are not as precise as | wish they might be,
to which this interest has already attained
there, and of the profits which may be real
lied from fruit growing, when engaged in
under favorable conditions, and when con-
Quoted with thor0ughneSs and enterprise |
have confined myself to the orchards of the
Poin t, though there are many other large
orchards in other parts of the town, which
give promise of most excellent results.
rp,-rr gt-r -r-pr az rrfr ,er .N-re
which, with the peninsula of Alburgh, form
the county of Grand Isle, noted though they
are in the markets of Burlington. Platts-
burgh, and Montreal for their fine fruit, is
vet in its infancy. Good orchards are fire.
quent upon all the islands ; but their extent
is, as vet. quite limited. This is due in some
measure to the insulated situation of the is
landers, and to their want of the best facili-
ties of communication with the mainland
and the larger markets. Yet the transit BY
water to Montreal and Quebec is easy and
direct; and should the time ever come when
our fruit will be shipped direct to Europe
by way of the st. Lawrence, as might un-
doubtedly be done TO great advantage, fruit
growing on these islands will receive such
an impulse as will cause the advantages here
presented to be more fully improved. The
soil of the islands, to which | have already
alluded as well adapted to fruit trees, Is
much like that of Shelburn Point indeed,
they may be called continuation of the
same slate ridge, or shale hills, extending
northward through the lake in irregular
undulations, generally less prominent than
in the Point, but sometimes rising, even
here, to hight of one or two hundred feet
above the water. Although the soil is most
iy slaty or clayey loan, it is diversified by
small tracts of every character. A few
small swamps and wet swales occur in the
hollows between the swells but it is esti-
mated that three-fourths of the area of these
islands offers excellent sites for orchards
Lying near the north end of the valley they
are more exposed to the cold winds from the
northwest, than are the fruit lands south of
Burlington and, though surrounded by
water, the channels of the lake are here
rather narrow, and the depth of water is
much less than in the 90 broad lake" oppo-
site that place, so as to freeze over quite
early in winter still the number OF, varie-
ties of apples and pears which here prove
practically hardy is sufficiently large
THE FRUIT GROUNDS OF BENJ. MAcoxnER,
GRAND ISLE,
deserves extended notice. Whether | visit
my friend in autumn, when his trees are
bending under loads Of the choicest fruits,
when the green and gold and crimson of his