Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-12-17
woodman, spare that Tree.

CAsTLEToN, Vt, Nov 80, 1850.
Editor If tie Phgnir- Dcdr Sir II wish
to make few suggestions to my friends liv-
ing in the valley of the West river, Vermont,
and that it may be earlier read and more
widely circulated l wish space in your paper
for insertion.
l wish to express my pleasure that the
narrow gauge railroad is fixed fact" in
the valley of West river; but l wish to eau
ton the people in that valley that they shall
take especial care that they do not allow their
valuable timber to be stripped from their
lands in headlong haste and carried into
Massachusetts, to be wrought, 1t is always
with great pleasure that l behold the valley
of West river, (n which passed the most of
my school boy days from any direction but it
seems to me the grandest and most beau
tiful as l view it from time to time on the
mountain top between Weston and Mount
Holly, where l can behold "Glebe Mountain"
on the east of the upper valley, "Stratton
Mountain on the south, Green Mountain"
on the west and Ball Mountain down be-
side West river to the southeast with part
of New Hampshire further beyond and on
these occasions what has been SO we'll writ
ten of the valley of the Arve in Haute-Sa-
vote in the Alps so Chamoun, vale of
ChRmouni, sweet vale :" comes fresh to my
mind with the additional and pleasant rehec-
ton that the valley of the West river is as
much grander and more pleasant than the
valley of the Arye as it is larger and more
productive. The splendid scenery further
down, in Townshend and to the Connecticut,
is beautiful beyond description. In years
past / have felt very sad that Dummerston,
Newfane, Townshend, Jamaica and other
towns in this valley have been running
down" in population and in business, and
now have high hopes" that the new railroad
will check emigration from, and invite new
settlers into this pleasant valley but have
of late had some mlsgivings in their behalf
by discovering that Massachusetts, people in
tend to buy up all the valuable timber in this
valley and carry it to that state, and make
West river valley wood lot and lumber
lot" for Massachusetts and that individuals
and companies are secretly at work in pur-
chasing all such real estate for this purpose.
This being accomplished the railroad had
better never been built All history demon
strates that no country will or can prosper
which is rough newer of wood, or is laid
under contribution for timber and buildings
by denuding the land of trees for some other
people or state, whether it be in Lebanon,
| Vermont or elsewhere.
Men of West river valley, you are Repub-
licans and believe the doctrine of "home pro
lection" Let all your timber be worked up
in the valley of West river Let it not be
said in a few years, If the timber was only
standing on this land it would be worth ten
times the amount it was sold for" My
prayer for the trees is, "WoOdman spare that
tree" Please spare the trees, and grow 9TH
err trees, that in coming years the beautiful
valley shall be the home of large and enter
prsing people, that every inhabtant may
have Il. pleasant home which shall not be
despoiled by the wood butchers called
"lumbermen," who as a profession are a
curse to any country. Hoping my requests
and suggestions will be needed,
l am most respectfully NJ H. c.