The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-06-06
RECRUITING VERMONT FROM ENG
LAND.

The article which appeared in these
columns last February, in reference t.
the desirability of encouraging the i'm
migration of English and Scotch far
mers into this state, was in great parl
reproduced in the issue Of the Norfolk
England NerS of April 9th. The copy
of this paper from which the extracts
were made was sent to the editor of tht
Netrs by Canadian gentleman connec
ted with the offices of the Canadian Paci
fic railway in Montreal. and the letter
as follows, was printed in the same con-
nection. The writer says:
"Dr. Hoskins is thoroughly practical
man. Twenty years ago, when ne start
ed his little farm in Vermont, the Yer
monter's on account of the long winter
and billy nature of the country. were oil
opinion that no really good apples could
be grown there. The doctor took upon
himself the work of experiment, with
view of OF obtaining varieties that would
stand the climate and yet bear good use
full fruit. He was much in correspond
ence with the department of agriculture
at Washington (Which, understand, es
teens his opinion highly, and in con.
Junction Will d MI,OlDu VI AOoOh'oLOiu
one of our greatest Canadian app!e-grow
ers, and fruit specialist, introduced
some Russian varieties of apples which
stand the climate well and produce very
fine fruit. A more lovely sight of its
kind than that presented by DIR. Hos
kins' orchard last September, when
was down, l think | never beheld.
need hardly say that DR.. Hoskins, in
the matter of the introduction of hardy
and good apple trees, has been greau
benefactor to his adopted state-Ver-
mont. A few weeks ago the Montreal
Horticultural Society held meeting in
Montreal, at which DR., Hoskns was
present and gave two or three addresses
on different subjects connected with
apple culture. While ia town he stayed
with us and then saw the papers mer.
toned in his article, copies of which
now and then receive from my Norfolk
friends. You will notice. from the lat
ter portion of the article, that he thinks
some of your hard-up Norfolk farmers
would do well to try Vermont. / agree
with him; or, if they do not like the
United States, then Ontario and Quebec
have plenty of room for them. 1t is
curious fact that just now very great
emigration of the farming community
is going on from Ontario and Quebec to
points in Manitoba and the Northwest,
Some three years ago this company com
menced running excursion trains at very
cheap rates twenty-five dollars fol-
1000 miles) from Ontario and farming
districts, that farmers might prosper in
the Northwest. They have been doing
so, and the result is that many OF them
decide to go West. Several hundreds
leave Ontario and Quebec every week
now, with their families, chattels, ETC.,
to commence life on the prairies. They
are, of course, much better adopted for
that than the English farmers, and it
seems to me that the best thing English
farmers can do is to come to Ontario
and Quebec and take their places. They
would find houses, barns, cleared land
ilIzation more 10 their tastes"
We reproduce all this here not for the
mplimentary notice of ourselt which
it contains, but to show the good feeling
entertained upon the subject Of the pro-
posed efforts to obtain so desirable a
class Of settlers in our state. As, since
our article referred to above appeared,
Governor Dillingham; has filled the new
office OF commissioner of immigration,
we sincerely trust that the new
official will exert himself to
make the advantages Of Vermont, from
the excellence and cheapness OF her
farm lands and her close proximity to
the best markets of the Atlantic sea-
board known through the press OF Great
Britain, We are not aware how much
of fund is at the disposal Of the com
missioner, or what measures he proposes
to take to effect the ends in view in his
appointment. But we certainly think
that, taking lesson from the Western
States, IN filling Eastern papers with &C.
counts of their agricultural advantages,
he would do well to avail himself large
~ of the British press by liberal adver.
Using, and such reading matter as the
editors Of the papers advertised in are
willing to admit. The advantages Of
Vermont as a settled forming state, with
established institutions, over the untam-
ed West, ought, il honestly ,Intelligently
and vigorously set forth. to attract many
British farmers who are not prosperIng
in that overpopulated island, to share
them with us, and add greatly to our
rural population. As dairy State es-
pecially, Vermont is admitted to stand
at the head in America. Now let us
make the facts known. - Wdtchnldn.