Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-05-08

MrNTo, WALSH Co., Daf.,l
Anril IIh- 1884


April 9TH, 1885.
Editor Of The PhGniD: saw in your is
sue Of March 9th an article, the tone Of
which seems to do injustice to the west.
am an eastern man, having resided 80 years
in New York. I am now located in tho val
ley Of the Red River Of the North, about l 10
miles north Of Fargo, on the west side OF the
river. do not want to say anything against
Vermont because my father and mother were
Vermonters as were my grandparents on bo h
sides.
When you compare Vermont and the great
west as crop producing regions, l think the
west has the advantage most decidedly. The
soil in the valleys Of the Mississippi, Nilsson
ri, Platt, Red River Of the North, aud almost
everywhere west OF the Missssippi-in fact,
for some considerable distance east of the
Father Of Waters"-is alluvial a deep, rich
soil from two TO FIVE feet deep, and for the
most part entirely free from stone. Millions
of acres will not average to have an ounce of
stone to the acre, and are rich in all the ele-
ments necessary TO a bounteous production Of
every kind Of grain or timber.
/ need not tell you what the soil OF Vermont
49, lOuE DhlTOuh huoH JULIET tuhu w tnt
rigid economy they have to practice to save
anything" Gas one of your best farmers said
TO me few years ago.. Mr.. Holden says in
his article, speaking of cheap lands, that
"there have been farms sold in Mortified, of
100 acres, for $1,000, with good buildings that
did not cost less than $1,000, p miles from
depot, churches, stores, high school, etc"
Such place as he describes would be worth
in this new country mot over FIVE years since
the county was organized, and no settlements
over seven or eight years old such place,
| say, would sell for at least $4,000. Good
land here, with very poor or no buildings, is
selling for 50 to $50 per acre, and cheap at
that, because the money producing power is
SO to $40 per acre, clear of cost of cultiva-
ton. l mean the entire cost, hiring all the
labor performed.
l will give you a case in point, which is only
one of many in this country. Walter Kidder,
formerly OF West Wardsboro, Vt, came here
three years ago and bought 320 acres of rich
Dakota soil for $4,000. He obtained with it
no house, nor barn, nor granary, no school
house nor church. nor other evidences of civ
ilization, such as your Vermont farms are
surrounded withholding but claim shanty
Since then he has built good house and
granary and a cheap barn. Near his build
ings is as fine a school-house as you have in
any of your country school districts away
from the villages. Mr.. Kidder, In the three
years he has been here, has harvested three
crops of wheat, from which he has realized
q net profit, over and above the cost of pro-
duction, cost of maintaining his family, taxes,
and all other expenses, of over $4,000. He
has hired all the work done except what he
was able to do himself, not having any boys
or girls to help him. Last year he had one
field Of 40 acres of Scotch-ffe wheat which
yielded 37t bushels TO the acre, machine
measure, which by weight would be about 40
bushels
think Mr.. Holden must be mistaken about
that farm he speaks of being good land Yer
mont has some good land, and it sells for
more than a dollar per acre above cost of the
buildings. have no doubt you have land in
the vicinity of Brattleboro, used for farming
purposes only, that could not be bought for
800 per acre, and which pays the interest of
over 500, clear of all expenses and taxes.
think good land almost anywhere in the state
is worth $50 per acre-.f0r tie good, but not
for those rocky hills The value of land is in
proportion to its capacity to produce an in
come. Unimproved prairie land, that you
can buy for So per acre, can be broken, and
the first crop of wheat will pay all expenses
of cultivation, pay for the land, and still leave
a good balance. The value of such land il
really much more, and the only reason it does
not sell for five times that is because the sup
ply is greater than the demand and so long
as that condition exists we will have cheap
lands, and not day longer.
Dakota and western farms have an advan-
tage over New York and the eastern states, in
having fine, mellow soil, free from stone.
man with three good horses, sulky or gang
pillow, seeders, self binding harvester, and the
i,,,n ~ ~
vate and harvest 100 acres without assistance,
thus reducing the expense of cultivation to
less than one-half the cost in the east, and,
with much larger product, the net profit ID
largely increased.
Those Vermont farmers who live in places
DIT for king, as Mr.. Holden says, are on the
farms that their fathers and grandfathers oc-
cupied before them, and are enjoying the
fruits of the labors of three generations.
When we are half as old az the eastern states
we will show you country that will glade n
the hearts of all who look upon it (; a country
that may well be called the farmers para
disc" S. S MARSH.