Smyrna times., 1883-08-08
he Smyrna Times.
New England.

hEEN T.. ". H., August lOoJ.
Mr.. EDITOR. You will see by the head |
ing of this letter that we are in Keene. We
arrived last evening at quarter before seven,
after u full days travel. No wonder We
exhibited Keen appreciation of the
bOuntiful supper that we enjoyed with Bro
Thompson and family. The Pennsylvania
Railroad Company is called the great
monopoly of the country, but in all my
travels find no other railroad company
as fully equipped for business and that
gives to the traveller any more ease Or COM
fort than she does and ifshe will only givethe
Peninsula the reduction in rates that we
think our cereal and fruit crops demand,
we will gladly accord her the Prince of
Railroad Management even if she fails to
make the curve into Smyrna. Leaving the
Grand Central Depot in New York at II
A. NJ, our route carried US through the
cities Of New Baven, Bridgeport Hartford
and Springfield. To the average reader
these are known as stirring business places
that furnish the country with many useful
machines and inventions, while Hartford
also enjoys the reputation for being the
great centre for insurance. Before reach
ing Springfield we passed through II sec
tiOn of country that for agricultural pur-
poses was as valuless as the great American
Desert. Two Delaware blackbirds to the
acre would have IL precariOus living unless
they lived upon the sandwiches there.
From Springfield our route lay along the
Connecticut river; here we found better
farms (than we saw in our former trip,
which was along the Merrimack riVer). In
this Connecticut Valley, much tobacco is
raised and corn is more Of a crop. The
farmers are now harvesting their oats and
haying but l have not seen hay field that
will yield one ton to the acre. Potato
vines are now in bloom and the promise is
for a good yield. The apple crop is light
and the crop of maple sugar this Spring
was not an average one owing to the cold,
late Spring. Were il not for the dairy
business In this hill country many of the
best farms would not support an average
size family; the waste on many of our large
Delaware farms would give some of these
New England farmers better support
than they now get from their lands-exclu-
sive of their dairies. 1t is called IL land of
brains and ideas, and how well they use
these it is hardly necessary for me to tell
everybody seems we'll and happy and
thrift is apparent to only casual observer.
! The whole secret of this state of affairs Is
that they are educated, and that everybody
has some legitimate employment, only, the
worker here is somebody. L have already
beco ne acquainted with persons here who
! live Mt and own their own homes land these
homes will compare favOrably with the
| best homes in Smyrna) who take in wash
| ing IN order tnat IhGy may raise money 10
prosecute their studies in music. If n
young lady here wants new silk dress,
and her father has not tha money to spare,
although in good circumstances. she will
go out to service for few weeks in some
body's kitchen and thereby she becomes a
producer, for the silk dress is soon earned
and it gives great pleasure in wearing a
dress obtained in such way. Many of the
farmers wives and daughters make gloves
for the glove factories in tho ialge cities
and thus thay SCI clothing and other essen
tiaIs. lfthe same amount of energy and
push was put into our Delaware farming,
(that is absolutely necessary here even to
produce so littlel | believe in ten years the
products of Delaware lands would be fully
doubled. And why should not this ha the
case? we have to-day only \ population OF
one huff that We cain support. The man
to-day who Is doing much for Delaware is
the honest real estate broker. for in selling
the surplus lands to those who come to live
on them and remain, he is developing n
better type of farmers out Of those who
hqYe been shiftlpas Nnd careless
The Lagislatqre fishing party of New
Hampshire has at last after so much nib.
bling caught Pike and | hope they will
never regret the OfFshel CHOICE they have
made. In my next letter ! will inform
you Of the soenery and enterprise of keene
and its surroundings
A. p, GEIFFITH