The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-08-19


the markets
Some of the principal villages in the County are about
one thousand feet above level, to wt Island Pond
1880 feet Lunenburgh Corners 1,144; Concord Corn
ers, 1095; Gudhall Falls 1913 mouth Of the Nuhegan
962 feet This elevation, with vast covered with
resinous woods, like pine spruce and balsam, plenty of
pure air from the mountains and water from the springs
these and many other life preserving aids make this
of the healthest spots earth Grave yards are
scarce and no asyums health resorts needed.
Game of many kinds still through the vast prime
val forest of northern Essex from the gigantic moose
the graceful deer the sturdy bear and the noxous wolf
down to the tmd rabbit the alert weaze and the curl
Gus bat The last moose killed here far as known,
und ertook race with railroad train on the Grand
Trunk at Brighton, in 1855 lie kept ahead for mile
but in turning to look his foe was struck bv the Sec
ond car and killed, throwing two from the track
Fish of the most valuable varieties. such as lunge trout
pickerel perch, etc. abundant in the lakes
ponds rivers and brooks In fact this of the fav-
orte resorts of the hunter and fisherman, whether he
seeks for pleasure profit
But the lumbenan does not always admire the sports
man. We give extract from leading lumbeman, to
show how they feel about the hunters the railroads and
small farmers reminding the reader that there are two
sides to most controversies:
Northern Essex County has very few abandoned farms
because she has few to abandon. And it would have
been just well if there had been still less To be
there is land in the valley Of the Connecticut and along
the banks of its branches that admit of cultivation But
the larger part OF the land too rocky to broken The
soil is too poor to be worth clearing 1t ought to have
been kept in the line provided by nature the growing of
timber, the cutting of which is subject that will repay
careful consideration, and ought to be matter for en-
ighened legislation If the forests of this country had
been properly handled in the last forty years, that is
only mature timber cut the small growth saved and the
fires kept out, there would have been nearly as much
timber here now as them and the land instead of being
worth from to three dollars per acre. would be worth
from ten to twenty The practice has been indiscrmi-
nate slaughter This has left the timber easy prey
To he n reotar TO Tho
forests than the The principal of fire are
first railroad trains second, settlers; third, hunt
and sportsmen, class of for whom have little
love respect The railroad fires have been most de-
strucve in this County, having burned thousands
OF acres In very few instances have the railroad
panes paid any damages. They will not pay unless
forced to do and few have the courage or means
to compel them to pay After the fire has gone the
land is likely to again and again as no care is
taken to prevent it, have in mind lot of land from
which the timber cut thirty-fve years ago The
next year fire went over it. 1t up to red cherry
and poplar is invariably the here Last year the
poplar was cut and sold for pulp making, leaving good
growth of small pines spruce, hemlock and birch show
ing what nature will do when left to herself ! call to
mind another lot of land from viii the mature timber
both hard and soft properly cut twenty-five wears
ago The fire was kept out Last year again,
and fully eight thousand feet of good spruce lumber was
cut to the In twenty five years similar crop
be cut The practice has been for umbemen to sell
lots to settlers at from two to four dollars per acre us-
ally time or for very little cash down. Then begins
the clearing The sett ers fires frequently run beyond
his lO ana OIten Duu more III value oil the umDermanS
standing timber than the lot sold for. AS a rule,
these settlers have not succeeded After three, five,
sometimes years, with small crops hard work and
poor fare they have abandoned their places to the men
holding the mortgage, which is often largely swollen by
store bills. have III point. A man bought one
hundred fifty of land within mile of the rail-
road The large spruce timber had been cut there was
left of small timber and other growth twenty to thirty
cords Of wood to the this wood was worth three
dollars per cord the railroad line This man worked
hard for ten years to cut this wood he cleared hun
dred twenty-five acres built poor buildings, and then
turned it a mortgage, owing seventeen hundred
dollars An adjoining lot OF one hundred fifty was
similarly situated The contracted the cutting
and drawing of the wool to the railroad realizing over
twelve hundred dollars from the stumpage This he did
not fool in clearing the land The settlers fire ran
over the other lot Both lots in the same pas
ture, but the lot that not cleared is the best All
good woodchOppers not good farmers, and this is one
Of the difficulties. A who do nothing else
thinks he must have farm
But to the third of fire the hunters and fisher
men. They are usually lawless careless set. have
often traces of them the mbroken forests oener
about the streams and logging camps. They set fires
and leave them without Many lumberman has
lost good set OF camps from this cause, but the loss of
the camps rhng compared to the loss by fire in the
forest. Some times they camp on the border
civilization plumber. have Il in point. once
had cosset sheep that with the COWS. She had a
very fine lamb. Early in September the lamb was miss.
ing. One day met hunter whose camp was lust out
side my border and substantially the following converse
ton ensued You have lost your lamb hear" " Yes
he to be missing We'll bear has got him l
have been up to Megantic. When | came back to nv
shanty last week found there had been bear in it,
tracked hIm out and found where he had dunged and
took a stick and paved the dung and there was