River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-09-24
Vermont Letter.
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EDITOR JoURNAL-This quiet hamlet is
not 50 far from River Falls that "A detail
ed description of everything is sure to in
forest every one, though many things are
so different that the salient points of di-
vergence from western places are very
striking.
In tile April number Of the Outing
magazine published in Boston, was an
illustrated article upon the scenery and
industries of this place and vicinity emit
tied The Charcoal Burners of the Green
Mountains. The writer had Just discov-
cred that he need not 60 to Switzerland
and the Rhine to find scenery worthy Of
his brush and pencil. The southern
boundary of the town crosses Dorset
mountain, about four thousand feet high.
covered at the summit with dwarf ever
greens although upon the sides are found
good hardwood, spruce and hemlock trees
for lumber. The great variety Of trees
give the autumnal frosts a chance to
make a grand display Of colors, and few
sights are more beautiful than the noun
tains with the green Of the spruce inter
spersed sparingly with the red and yell
low Of deciduOus trees at the summit, and
the base is mostly the latter with few
evergreens. Probably fifty species is too
low an estimate Of the number found IN
any forest Upon the top Of Mt Tabor,
east Of this village, we visited the farm Of
5. l.. Griffith containing about six hun
dred acres. 1t Is SO elevated that the
summer is shortened at each end by cold
weather at least a week or ten days as
compared with the Otter Creek Valley at
the foot of the mountain. Corn, Of
course is not a sure crop. And yet, he
has q herd of more than sixty cows, con-
ssting largely Of Ilolsteins and Jerseys,
pure or crossed. The cross makes 2 mod
el cow The pasturagc, made by clear
ing off the trees for lumber and charcoal,
is excellent, but as it hardly pays to fit
land for the moving machine when five
or six large stones, weighing from i've
hundred to five times that number OF
pounds, are ilnbedded in every square
rod of ground, some hay is bought. But
In this somewhat retired and rugged spot
about four Or five miles by road from the
valley, dairying is done upon the most ap-
proved plan, and the butter of the herd
so largely Jerseys, sells for about twice as
much as the common article. 1t is made
by the creamery process, but 1t is lmpor-
tant to note that the cream, after 1t IL re-
moved IS allowed TO sand until ii sours
before ii is churEed. This is vital, for it
gives it 4 better grain. and it will keep
without deterioration foi a long time as
result. The grain is not destroyed by the
churn with the dash. OF the crank, but
the cream is churned in vibrating churn,
the motion being no more violent than is
made By gently shaking pail Of cream
in tbs hands from side 70 side The
milk Is then, with the buttermilk, made
into cheese He has a sil0 IN successful
operation and prizes it.
The people 10 not make money so east
Nv nor spend ii SO freely as in the West
Money is plenty for loaning purposes at a
very low rale, tLrca or four per cent.
oftimes, and rarely six can be obtained,
There is less visiting among relatives and
neighb0rs for some reason. though family
affection seeIss even stronger than III 9TH
ST. sections There is less of buying and
selling. VIC visited one family about to
celebrate their golden wedding who had,
since their marriage, always lived upon
the same farm. Another family lived up
On the farm an ancestor settled about
1870 OF 1880 and it had passed in a direct
line TO the present residents. Each one
had been born, married and bad died up
on the homestead. The villages, or rath=
ell hamlets, are usually four miles apart,
instead of nine or ten, as the average
often is in Wisconsin. There is more re-
serve of manner, and people from the
West strike them as great takers, for
they are better o0nyersers and do not
weigh their words So long. If the resi-
dent of prairie wishes To see what
mountain scenery is, without a trip to
some far away place, let him 90 to Troy,
n Y, and then take the Rutland and
Bennington, Il. Il. 10 Rutland, Vermont.
He viii be edited. OF course the faTm-
ing is mostly done on foot ia such ioaals-
ties