Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-09-01
A HALIFAX DEER PARK.
1000 Acres for Deer, Sheep and
Trout.

The Enterprise which l.. G. HOughton,
Halifax BOY, Is Establishing att his
Old Home.
An enterprise is now being established
in our neighboring town of Halifax, the
development of which will be watched
with interest, both on account of its nov
city, and because 1t is an attempt in a new
direction to solve the abandoned farms
problem. l.. c. Houghton, a young man
who was born and raised in Halifax, one of
the sons of the late Rufus Houghton, and
who went only few years ago to be asso-
ciated with his uncle in business in Shelf
field, ILL.,, has bought four deserted farms
near his old Halifax home, comprising
about 1000 acres, which he will enclose
with a high and strong wire fence and con-
vert into a deer park. The land lies about
two miles north of Halifax Centre, in or
near the vicinity known as Reed Hollow,
and south of the Green river. For a mile
IL adjoins the old home farm, which is oc-
cupied by Windall Houghton, another son
of Rufus Houghton.
l.. c. Houghton has been carefully
studying the problems which such an en-
terprise involves, and last week he paid a
visit TO Austin Corbin's great preserve of
q, 900 acres near Claremont, n. H., which
he enclosed several years ago, and stocked
with deer, elk, moose, caribou, wild hogs
from Germany, and a bunch of 3S Ameri-
can buffalo. Mr.. Corbin's animals are all
doing well and making a good increase.
They care for themselves and thrive the
year round. The keeper of the preserve
told Mr.. Houghton that one of the plans
in view, after the preserve was thoroughly
stocked, was to sell shooting privileges to
men who can afford to pay a round price
for them-so much for one buck deer, so
much for a caribou, and so on.
While Mr.. Houghton expects to derive
much pleasure from seeing his preserve de-
velop, he will establish it with business in
view in the end. New York market men
say that the high class trade of that city
alone would take all the venison now pro-
duced in this country, and pay good prices
| for it. When his park has become fully
stocked, few years hence, it is probable
that Mr.. Honghton may try sending veni-
son to market, beginning, of course, with
the surplus bucks. The rate of increase
of the deer is quite rapid, each doe usually
raising two fawns every season. In con-
nection with the deer a large flock of sheep
will be put in the preserve, the deer and
the sheep not interfering with each other
| III any way. Inc uetT Will get ROOu Nv
| ing the year round without care, and the
deeper the snow in winter the better they
are said to thrive. The grass land will
supply abundant winter feed for the sheep.
Fish breeding will be combined with the
raising of deer and sheep. There are
good streams flowing through the tract, and
trout ponds will be made. About one
half of the land is wooded. There are two
fairly good sets of buildings on the pre-
serve.
The preserve will be fenced with wire.
Work on il has begun this week, and it
will be pushed to completion before win
ter. The fence win be seven feet high,
containing is strands Of wire, alternately
barbed and plain. The total weight OF
the wire will be II tons. About half the
way the wire can be put on trees. The
rest of the way ten-foOt posts will be set
three feet in the ground.
This enterprise win keep money in Yer
mont, and bring it here; it is a legitimate
way of using the vacant lands in the hill
towns, and there is every reason TO wish
the venture abundant success.