Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-05-15
Notes from New England.
BRISTOL, N. H., MAY 10, 1874

BRISTOL, N. H., May 10, 1874.
EDITOR BULLET1N:-This, too, is
a manufacturing village of some
two thousand inhabitants, though it
does not, like brother Lilies native
town make shoe-pegs. Flowing
through a gulch, between lofty hills,
is the outlet Of Newfound Lake,
which varies but little in size
throughout the year, and is about
as large as the ''Wapsie" at its best
stage. There are on this stream
thirteen dams in distance of one
mile, and at every one the little NV
er is grinding out wealth for the
people Of Bristol. There are saw
mills and single mills and clap
board mills more than 1 haye time
to count. There is one tannery,
two grist mills that are only support
ed by grinding western corn and
wheat, for a half bushel of native
wheat would be fair average grist,
and as the miller gets only two
quarts per bushel for grinding, his
cake would be- rather lean if the
great West did not as usual come to
his relief, and furnish wheat to feed
his hungry mlll-stones.
Here are two carriage factories,
three paper mills, one WOODEN facto
ry, four glove factories, where
gloves are made of deer, sheep, calf
and dog skins, for the Iowa farmers
to wear to meeting, and one bed
stead factory that turns out two hun
dred bedsteads per day, besides nu-
merous smaller enterprises like p!a-
ming mills, machine shops, carpen.
tiers, blacksmiths, etc.
AS farming State New Hamp-
shire is tirst-class failure, though
it is too small for a very big fail
ure. 1t is my native State, and no
doubt l am partial to it, but in most
parts Of the State the hills are very
high and steep, and, between the
lodges and boulders, there is very
little arabic land left. Many farms
that have been cultivated for forty
years, have not one continuous acre
Of land that can be plowed, but the
corn and oats are planted in patch
es OF a quarter of an acre here and
third Of an acre on the other side
Of the ledge, and on a side hill so
steep that if a man should happen
to fall he would inevitably roll to
the foot of the hill. The plows
used in this reg on are all side-hill
plows which 60 back and forth on
the lower side ct a, field, being half
the time right Landed and half the
time left handle |, and turning all
the burrows down the hill. When
l was little boy l thought that
process would some day get the
hills worked down into the valleys,
so that We should have comparative
ly level land, but that theory is now
in disgrace, for 1 confess that on re-
turning to these hills after twenty
years absence, l am discouraged to
find them poorer, balder, rocker,
and higher than when I left them.
However, one counter fact must
be mentioned. The farmers here
are free from the annoyance and
perplexity of pillow that will not
scour. The pebbles and grit IN
these side hills are sufficient for
anything. They would scour pillow
made Of hemlock lumber. The
plows used here are rough cast iron.
As the hill-sides get old they
must be MANFRED, and then comes
the tug Of war. The farmer can't
get up there with his. cart, and is
Obliged to carry his manure ND in q
basket, and then sit on it to keep it
from going back down to the barn.
lyard. And they are growing tired