The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-09-12

or very young at home. The land In these
cases only half titled, the fences broken
down, the buildings dilapdated and the
stock neglected. II it happens to be the
winter season, he will often come upon
some startled woman trying to chop a little
green firewood, which her husband has
drawn home prior to leaving with his team
for the shanty. The wind whistles and
the snow twirls around her, for ignorant
vandalism has not left tree for shade or
shelter. Bad grows to worse under the
changeless law that degeneration can only
accomplish degeneration.
Now, though the average farming
value of the land in the Province of
Quebec is hardly up to that of Yer
mont, yet, owing to its great extent,
Quebec actually contains more really
good land than Vermont. The shores of
the st. Lawrence, and a great part of
the province lying south OF that river,
embrace great quantity of agricultural
and pastoral soil, very closely resem-
bling the good farming land on the Yer
mont side of the line. 1t is more level
the nearer the great river is approached;
and the whole of this section of the
province may be classed as fully up to
the average of the continent. On the
northern side of the st. Lawrence there
is also much fine farming and grazing
land, and there is nothing in the con-
stitution of its soil to prevent Quebec
from attaining and holding a high
degree of agricultural development
Why, then, is such a pitiful sketch of
the situation in that province possible?
Mr.. Fust is often eloquent on the pos
sibilities of Canadian agriculture, and
he would justly resent any attempt
made, on this side of the boundary, to
undervalue the agricultural resources
of eastern Canada.
The truth of the matter is, that un-
developed America offers such un-
bounded opportunities to its own peo-
pie, as well as to those of Europe, that
feeling of unrest, very unfavorable to
improved agriculture, prevails. The
great amount of free land acts in the
same direction, and farmers in the East,
when they meet with "bad luck" or
are otherwise dissatisfied, are easily
persuaded to emigrate. What they go
from is often as good, or better, than
what they 60 to; but still they are ready
to risk it, and the result is continual
pressure to sell, which, especially since
the attractions of Florida, Dakota and
the Pacific Coast have been so extern.
sively advertised and boomed," has
brought things to such pass in Yer
mont that it is possible for nervously
discontinued men to express them
selves as did our Lamoille County
friend, whom Mr.. Jenner Fust has
quoted.
Bad as this state of things is, that of
Quebec seems still worse; and indeed
about all the growth of New England
in population during the past thirty
years has come to us from Ireland and
the Canadian provinces. While not
desiring to undervalue adopted citizens
of these races, we have a natural pref
erence for recruits from the old stock,
which gave to New England her name.
That we should desire, therefore, to
extend wide and hearty invitation to
all unfortunate English farmers to in
vestigate the advantages which Yer
mont can offer them, is nothing strange.
They would not only find here kin
dred race, with English institutions,
developed on the popular side, but an
old settled country, with schools and
churches well established, where good
grass and grain farms, not greatly dis
similar to those of the Old Home, can
now be bought at almost panic prices,
owing to peculiar combination of con-
ditions not likely long to exist, but very
uncomfortable while it lasts. Mr.. Fust
is we'll aware that those British farmers
who, in past decades, have focked into
and built up the noble province of On
tario, do not consider themselves as
deceived. Now Vermont can offer
them a better chance than Ontario
could offer them at that time. Quebec
offers them no better, in the quality of
land, while there are disadvantages
there, in the mixture of races and re-
ligions, which seem to present an abso-
lutte barrier to success.
1t certainly will be no hurt to Quebec
to fill up the surplus farms of New Eng
land with a British immigration from
the farming class. We want them.
They will go somewhere, either to
Australia, New Zealand or our and
Canada's great West. We honestly be-
lieve that for many of them Vermont
offers better and less violent change
than any Of these-a real boon to many,
If they could only know it as it is. But
we must confess that we have grave
doubts whether our people have the
pluck and energy to do what their own
| ;ntarast in tho matter would saa,o IN