St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-09-26
Gbe CALIFORNIAN.
OUR UNOCCUPIED LANDS.
Commissioner Valentine Tells Where III,
Has Found Them


The following letter has been issued
BY Col A. B. Valentine of Benning-
ton, state commissioner of agrIcul-
tural and manufacturing interests,
as explanatory to his previous letter
to town listers concerning the unoc-
cupied lands in the state and his pro-
posal to sell the same, if any existed,
to Swedes who might be induced to
immigrate into Vermont.
1t IS deemed best to issue from this
office this statement, in answer to
the many letters of inquiry relative
to the unoccupied lands in Vermont.
The letter to the town listers, I'M
der date of Aug. 18th, relating to
this subject, seems to excite much in
terest through this and neighboring
states. and the commissioner sees no
better way to answer the numerous
inquiries for information, than to
quote some of the communications
received from town listers, and other
prominent men who have made the
subject study, and whose opinions
ought to have much weight.
a letter from the town of Reading.
Windsor county, says: Il can safely
say that four thousand acres can be
purchased in this town alone, adj
joining, and of this amount about
one-half are in farms of from seventy
to two hundred acres, and several
with buildings, many of them occu
pied, which could be bought for from
RI he
one-half are lands which formerly
comprised good farms, but with
buildings now gone, and fast grow
ing up to timber. Some of this land
is used for pasturage and on other
portions the fences are not kept up,
leaving old cellar holes and miles of
stone walls to testify to former civil
ization. Such lands can be purchased
from one dollar to two dollars per
acre" For further information
write to E w Goddard, lister, South
Reading
From Chelsea the county-seat of
Orange county, a gentleman writes:
Il know of some farms that can be
bought at from 50 to So per acre,
and rumor tells me of one farm
of 200 acres which can be bought
for 500, with fair buildings
and good soil'-'grass lodged l,
as administrator, have just sold one
farm of 80 acres, good land and
passable buildings, for $3.50; another
farm of 300 acres-good soil and
good buildings-for $11OO, because
there were no buyers to pay more"
Other information will be given tho
doubt by addressing E. n. Bacon,
Chelsea.
From Vershire, III the same county,
comes the following information: Il
will say that in the south part of our
town. and in the towns of Strafford
and Chelsea, there are from 80 to 40
farms contiguous or nearly so, aban-
dOned and unOccupied. Many ofthese
farms have q fair set of buildings on
them, and others could be made com
Portable with a small outlay. AS to
the price of these lands or farms, |
think, without doubt, they could be
bought of the different owners for a
sum not to exceed So five dOllars)
per acre in any case, and at consider
ably less than most of the land. We
have many other abandoned farms,
good buildings on them, that could
be bought for So or less per acre.
All of this land was once occupied by
thrifty and prosperous farmers. The
cause of this state of things is simply
this: OF the people who once occlI-
pied these farms some have died,
others have gone west and to the
cities, and none came to fill their
places" The reader is referred to E.
B. Fuller, town clerk, Vershire, for
further particulars.
gentleman in Jamaica, Windham
county, has compiled list and de-
scription of farms in that town, from
which is taken the following exam
pies: "A farm of 200 acres, fair
buildings, good sugar orchard, plen
tv of wood and timber, has been one
of the best in town, listed at $50.
A farm of 1875 acres, good buildings,
sugar orchard, fruit orchards, in a
good state Of cultivation, listed at
$500 Another of 90 acres with
good buildings, vacant only one year.
Timber enough on this farm to pay
for it Another of % acres listed at
$225, with good buildings, vacant
one wear \ farm of 81 acres, good
buildings, sugar and fruit orchards,
listed at $7OO-a good farm. a farm
of 90 acres listed at $765. This is a
good farm in a high state of cultiva-
tion-must be sold. \ farm of 1875
acres-the finest location in town
has got to be sold" For further
particulars write to F. l.. Sprague,
Jamaica.
\ gentleman in Essex county writes:
I'm the town of Norton are 10000
acres of good farming land, and once
standing on considerable portion
was spruce and hard wood timber,
now taken off. This land is selling
for So per acre. The soil is blue clay
not sandy-sOme parts are stony,
but the stones are small and easily
removed. have heard different men
say that there is no better land for
farming i'll the state" Magnus E
Nelson of Norton Mills, will give fur
Their information
The Essex County Herald of Island
Pond, SAYS: There are in this coun-
tv three unorganized townships and
three large cores of land, in which
there are probably all told, not more
than fifteen or twenty families. They
are: Averill. containing 22,716
acres; Ferdinand, 27,254; Lewis,
81, 200; Avery's Gore, 1O.625; War
ner's Gore. 1896; Warmers Grant,
1000.
We feel safe in making the asser-
ton that there are in Essex county
more than 125, 900 acres of unoccu-
pied, contiguous lands, which are or
soon will be, open for settlement.
Good lands; lands that will make
good, productive farms; we'll water