Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1881-12-13
For tho Oxford Democrat.
NOTES BY THE WAY.

growth, and very marked increase OF
prosperity. yet nowhere is It more sppar-
ent than at Canton. This is of course due
In great part to the fact that 1t Is at pres
ent the terminus of the Rumford Falls
Railroad, which, under Its able and efficient
management, Is doing much In the way OF
Of causing business enterprises to start up
all along the line; yet, thus far, Canton
takes the lead. Three years ogo there was
sunken railroad bed overgrown with
bushes and weeds, rotten and falling
bridges, dilspidsted and tumbling build
ings, and very little or no rolling stock.
Now, a good road bed, good bridges, good
buildings and well equipped road doing q
good business, with IN able board Of d.
rectors and obliging and gentlemanly off,
Gals, instead Of that poor affair, Is giving
new life TO the whole OF eastern oxford.
Two years ago the thirteenth OF last
June, the Messrs. Gilbert started their
steam saw mill. 1t was not then complet-
ed, and was standing solitary and alone
near the Androscoggin river, about one
and one-half miles north from Canton vii
lage. Now, instead of its being alone,
there Is quite q village, with its new school
house, its store, its dwelling houses. its
boarding houses, Zone OF the boarding
houses near completion being q very fine
one with mansard roof and last, but by
no means least, the immense pulp factory,
whose product Is seven tons OF the finest
pulp per day, and employing one hundred
and twenty men. The Railroad Company
have built their road TO these mills, and
are soon TO build depot. Here also Is
where the bridge across the Androscog-
gin is being built, to be completed by the
first Of February. North from here on the
other side OF the river, another new steam
mill for saving oak has just started with
a good outlook for business, there being n
large amount OF oak In the near vicinity.
The new bridge will be OF great advantage
TO this mill.
Nor are these mills and this new village
all, by any means Canton has its corn
factory, its foundry, its saw mills, grist
mills and various village industries; while
its neat aud tidy yards and we'll KEEP, dwell
liugs, with the many new ones springing
up here aud there, NOTABLY among them
the new school house, speak OF material
and substantial prosperity. The many line
farms, good farm houses and noble barns
tell the same story.
II was great thing for Canton when
the Messrs. Gilbert came here TO build
their mill. They are young men OF tho
roughgoing business qualities; gentlemen
with broad ideas, and they mean business.
Their past seasons operations amount to
many millions, all planed, fitted and COM
pleted, and much of II shipped direct to
Scotland. Their contracts the present
winter count up towards twenty millions
OF feet In the log. II will be seen they
give employment TO many men. They also
own the store at the mill village, and are
trading to the amount OF fifty thousand
dollars year, not including the supplies
they furnish their men.
The pulp factory, under the management
Of Capt. Dyre, (to whom we are under
great obligations for his courtesy Is a
vast structure. costing one hundred thou
sand dollars, with its great watts and tanks,
its complicated machinery, and It's enor-
nous furnace, Is well worth visit TO Can.
ton TO see.
will not In this article attempt de-
scrip,ion, for II is already getting too long,
yet any visit 10 Canton or any description
OF il would be entirely incomplete without
notice OF Herdsdale Farm, with its broad
fields, its cnvlroning woods. It's sheltering
mountains, its noble homestead, and its
almost acres OF barns, finished, painted
and furnished with every convenience for
the comfort and the care OF animals. In
those barns are thirty-three cows giving
milk, mostly pure blood Jerseys; few are
grade Jerseys, and three are Ayrshires.
There are also twelve or fifteen pure blood
Jersey yearling heifers, rery fRe ones, with
calf; also q lot OF this year calves, full
blood Jerseys. There is in the barn with
out doubt the best Jersey bull in Maine, If
not in New England. There are also tho
roughbred brood mares aud colts, and 9
flock Of nearly one hundred full blood Ne
rino sheep, from the best focks Of Yer
mont. OF swine, there is large number
OF pure bred Yorkshires and some Berk-
shires. Ofpoultry, the list is also nearly
full. comprising pure breeds: Plymouth
Rocks, Toulouse geese, Rouin ducks, a
breed Of pure snow-white turkeys from
Holland, Guinea fowls and an endless num-
Der OF doves. In farm implements are all
the modern improvements, and include
threshing machine, and mill for grinding
grain worked by two horses, which will
grind bushel OF corn in four minutes.
The dairy room and dairy apparatus Is in
itself a study as we'll as perfect model OF
neatness. Its products find ready mar.
ket in New York at fsncy price. On the
farm are Sc veral dwelling houses, one i'm
mense barn and several others that can
with propriety be called large, black
smith shop, where in dull weather some
OF the men do much Of the repairing OF
tools, etc, and many sheds and out-build-
ings. Next season there Is In contemPla-
ton q large silo, with building over II
one hundred and flfty feet long by my feet