The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1878-07-24
SUMMIT PoTNT, West Va, !
July Sth, 1873. {


July Sth, 1873.
Mr.. EDITOR:
Dear Sir:-Inasmuch as the ques-
ton of bread seems, in this material
istic age, to occupy the attention of
men very largely, perhaps few facts
relative to the physical condition and
the crop prospects of this part of the
sold Dominion" may not be uninter-
esting to your readers.
1t is the universal opinion Of farm
ers that the wheat crop the present
season, has not been surpassed in
quality or quantity within the memory
Of the present generation. II has al
ready been harvested and many are
now busy threshing. The spring was
very similar to that in Vermont, rath-
er cold and backward, preceded by a
winter unusually mild hence the corn
crop, though promising well at present,
is not SO forward as it generally is at
this point of the season.
In antc-bellum times very little at
tention was paid to dairying beyond
what was required to supply home.ne-
cessities, but farmers have since dis
covered that this branch of industry
can be carried on to good advantage.
Cheese factories are now found in
communities where once such an insti-
tuition had hardly been heard Of. Hence
the hay crop assumes new Importance
here, and this crop like the wheat crop
is quite good. In fact you can see in
every mans cOuntgndnce evidences of
that cheerful and contented state of
mind which the certainty Of q rich re-
ward for ones labornever fails to beget.
New wheat brings only so cts. which
seems to confirm the report Of excel
lent crops in other states.
The changes, which l perceive have
taken place during an absenie VI thif-
teen years, are highly interesting.
Then the disastrous effects of war were
visible on every hand. Industry was
paralyzed, civil government suspend
cd and anarchy reigned. All the
farms along the railroads and the lead
ing highways were devoid Of fences,
cut up into innumerabIe roads and
stripped of nearly all their timber.
There are many acres now under cult
walton which were covered with woods
before the war but were cleared by
Uncle Sans boys.
But the busy hand Of industry has
eaaced nearly all Of wars footprints.
Its benifcent results are seen in every
direction and it is safe to say that
there is more land under cultivation
to-day with larger proportionate
yield per acre, than at any previous
period in history Of this part Of the
state; and it may be legitimately ask
ed, why is this? Simply because the
system Of slave laborhas beensupplant-
ed by a system of free labor because
the colored man has ceased to be a
mere machine and has become free
man, conscious Of all the attributes
and responsibilities Of a man, actuated
by the principles, motives, and aspira-
tions of man in full possession OF
the rights, immunities and privileges
of citizen with due sense of the
solemn obligations which these impose.
No intelligent, discerning white man
here, however strong his sympathy
with the system Of things oyerthown
by the late war may be, would have
the hardihood to affirm that the ma
terial progress Of this region has not
been more rapid for the last ten years
and does not promise to be still more
so in the future than at any previous
period.
There are people in your state Mr.
Editor who desire information respect
ing the price of land in Ills rneliicy7
From such information as l have beer
able to gather in a short time ! fine
prices range from twenty to fifty dol
lars per acre. l think very good lane
can be had for thirty dollars.
One Of the peculiarities Of the ole
order of things and an obstacle to the
new is large farms, farms ranging
from 200 to 700 acres. A man witt
large number Of slaves needed {
large territory to give them employ
ment, but a man who is master of ne
one but himself and of limited means
can do better as a rule with one hun
bred acres than four hundred. Ye
whoever buys less than full farms il
obliged to erect a complete set Of new
buildings, q serious expense in any
place but especially here where timbe
is scarce in consequence OF the rava
ges Of the war. Notwithstanding thi
fact, the present is good time to bu,
land, for it is lower than at any tim
since the war. A great many estate
which were wrecked by the rebellion
are in court now and the land belong
f ing thereto is awaiting sale at almos
any price.
| The cruel social ostraeism which ha
Isl MANY 0P tho Southern States rCu