The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-12-05
VERMONT FARMERS AND FARMING.


Recently we copied a short item from
the Poultney Journal, written by F. w.
Moseley of Iowa formerly Of Poultney,)
taking Gov. Hoard of Wisconsin, to do
for his perversion of the facts in relation |
TO Vermont and her cheap lands. In the
Journal of late date, we find the fol-
lowing, over the signature of "B. F,
which certainly stands for our old friend
the Hon. Barnes Frisbie, and as s"ch
his comments are worth repeating,-l
ED
In your last issue you published
from our old friend and
townsman, F. w. Moseley Esq. Mr..
Moseley writes that "the efforts of Com
missioner Valentine have resulted in
giving false impressions regarding Yer
mont farming through western boom
err" articles. But we are of opinion that
the commissioner is not at fault in his
efforts A great majority of the peo-
pie in Vermont are OF the opinion OF Mr..
Moseley. But let us look at the matter
candidly. We have not the commits
sioner's papers before us but from recol-
lection he stated as his estimate that
there were 200, 900 acres in Vermont,
once under cultivation, now grown up
to brush and weeds, and useless so far
as production is concerned. We have
been over Vermont, and sufficiently oo-
served the lands of the state to express
our belief that Commissioner Valentines
estimate is not far out of the way. This
"false impression" comes from the fact
that the people don't seem to know that
for forty years these deserted lands
have been increasing. This is matter
they have not taken note of; it has been
a matter of ind e france to them, viii o
at the same time they entered enthusi
astically into the enterprises of the time
as thew passed along, They have gone
West. under the mistaken idea that they
must in order to make money, or, to the
cities and large villages. A marvellous
advance has there been in our country,
and Vermont has advanced with IT,
Those deserted lands when taken alone
does not look like it, but the other New
England states will chow the same thing,
the same advance and the same deserted
lands except Connecticut and Massachu-
sets, as the extensive manufacturing ID
these states has prevented less lands
gong to waste. Nor has this been con-
fined to New England. Northern New
York, over a territory nearly or quite as
large as Vermont, will show more lands
gone to decay, and now unused for pur
poses of cultivation and production than
Vermont.
Our townsman, Horace Derby only a
few DAYS since returned from trip TO
Iowa. He reports the leading crops In
that state as corn and oats, and the
amount raised is immense; the corn
sells for eighteen cents bushel and oats
at twelve or thirteen cents, Cattle are
raised there and dairyiDg is one of the
leading industries. Beef is much lower
than at the east. They haye abandoned
the raising of wheat in Iowa, They ge
their bread farther west, where we get
ours, We once got our wheat flour from
the state of New York then from Ohio
and Michigan, then from Indiana, Him
OILS, Iowa and Wisconsin, and now from
Dakota, Minnesota and the northwest
Lands as we say will wear out east OF
west, unless kept up by fertilization.
A word about the western emigration.
We saw an item few days since in the
Burlington Clipper that hits the nail on
the head,
Gan exchange says: Western towns
are built up by immigration, mot as
many by immigration as by magma
tion."
Most of the we.tern lands are fine and
easily worked, but the rank and file oil
the eastern people imagine what is i'm
possible to realize in going west. MOI
long ago we had 6n Interview with a
Vermonter who run farm in the south
ern part of Dakota for twenty years OF
more, and who is quite familiar with
northwestern farming operations, who
said, 81 have made some money In the
west, but have made it on the raise OF
lands, and now if desire to make money
simply by farming, should go back to
Vermont. | can raise here a hundred
bushels Of corn or hundred head OF
cattle with less expense than l could in
Vermont, but can hardly give away
here what raise; all farm productions
are very low here.
Mr.. Derby informed us that in Iowa
farms were mortgaged to great extent
and mortgaged largely to eastern CAPT
talists; in fact the times are harder with
the western farmers than with the east
ern farmers.
Commissioner Valentine, in his "et.
forts" did not say much of the good
things of Vermont in her history. II
did not seem necessary for him to do so
probably in the business with which he
was charged by the Legislature; 1t was
enough for him in his mission to snow
that the lands of Vermont in their pro-
duction were on the decline and that the
amount of lands in the state were 2OO,
900 acres from which there was little OF
no production.
Vermont has a record second to nc
state in the union. Its first settlers were
bold, hardy race and gifted in intel
lect. They won in the contest with the
Yorkres and took Ticonderoga which
seems fabulous, and would be so regard
ed if the facts had not been established
and come down to us as historic truth
The forests were cleared up, and farm
ing began on as good basis as any
where in the union. From time to time
improvements have been made in live
stock and farm utensils. Vermont has
been the nursery of blooded sheep. The
first Merino sheep that came to this coun'
try came to Vermont, were imported by
Consul Jarvis Vermonter. Great i'm
provement has been made on the Mer'
mos, in the weight of fleece since the
importation; nearly trebled in weight,
and Vermont led the country in this en-
terprise' and as above said, has been the
nursery, and Is to- day of the blooded
sheep. OF excellent horses, Vermont il
ahead. The Black Hawk and Morgan
originated in Vermont and the Handle.
tunian, if they did not originate in Yer.
mont were perfected here.
81, knA 70 m
Vermont; we have them here to- day
The sons of Vermont farmers are hold
ingprominent positions in all or nearly all
of the northern states and some OF the
southern. Last though not least. Yer
mont is the pioneer in an attempt to re-
yive the dropping interest ofagriculture.
This move will bring out information as
important for New Hampshire and
Maine, yes, for Dakota and Montana as
for Vermont,'o wit: that lands will wear
out unless fertilzed. If the people of
the northwest expect to bread the peo-
of the United States in the future, they
better keep up their lands in condition
to grow wheat, unless they do, as all ex-
perience has shown, they will in few
years be in the condition that Iowa and
all states east to the Atlantic-will not
be able to grow their own.
1t seems to us that our young men in
Vermont. in the light of reason and com
mon sense might as well stay in Yer
mont that they will gain nothing by
going west. Corn is now selling in Yer.
mont for about sixty cents bushel and
oats for forty or forty-five cents, and
every production of the farm for twice
or thrice what it is west. The climate
of Vermont is healthy and there is nc
better soil for farming purposes in the