The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-08-23
northern 7 art OF the State.

northern art OF the State.
The rivers and brooks also are numerous
There is no lack Of water-power in any part
OF the State.
The soil OF Vermont, except in the rocky
districts, is exceedingly fertile. But they
are unusually valuable for pastures. YER
mont farmers ought to be doing we'll so
far as / can judge from their teams, equi-
pages and houses they are prosperous and
"forehanded."
The climate varies in different parts OF
the State. Vegetation is more forward in
the towns on Lake Champlain than in those
in the central portion. Snow has been
known to fall to the depth OF several inches
in October, but this is an extraordinary oc
currence. In general snow falls in De-
cember, and disappears in April.
There Is no more healthful locality than
Vermont Malaria unless imported is hard
ly known. Severe hail, wind, thunder and
lightning are not common. Copper Is found
in Orange county; marble in Essex, Grand
Isle, Lamoille, Rutland and Bennington
counties, and there are valuable mineral
springs in the State, notably those at AL.
| burgh. There is no better granite in the
world than the Vermont granite, and the
| Vermont marbles are excellent for build
| ing and sculpture.
Fifteen or twenty caves have been dis
| covered: notably those in Arlington, Bran
Clarendon, Dandy, Dorset, Duxbury, Hall
fax, Monkton, Plymouth, Salisbury, High
gate and Bristol Devils Den" cave on
Wright's mountain in Bradford is supposed
to have been formerly inhabited. The
Salisbury cave is said to have been inhabt-
ed by Indians. Stalactites abound in most
OF the caves.
"Snk holes" or natural wells" are
found on the Red and West mountains in
the town OF Arlington. Some of OF these
have been explored to depth OF from $50
to 1870 feet. The "irozen wel'' in Brandon
Ia great curiosity.
The valley of Lake Champlain was once
much lower than at present, and was COW
cred by the waters of the ocean This is
proved by the fosslized skeleton of a whale
State CapitoD, and by immense quantities
OF sea.shells, still existing in the Clay-banks
on the borders Of the lake.
Rocking-stones OF great size, so nearly
balanced that they may be moved several
inches by the strength of single man are
found at Greensboro, and in other towns.
Depressions or hollows appropriately call
ed "dry bowls" are found in Hyde Park.
Some are only few feet across, while 9th
ers are many rods wide. The bottoms of the
lands in the vicinity. They seldom contain
: any standing water. The plain in which
7 they occur was doubtless the bed of an an
Gent lake or ocean
"Pond walls" great curiosity, occur in
several places in Vermont. Some Of these
appear almost like artificial walls. Those
on the eastern side of Lake Willoughby are
five or six feet in height, and are at the
base hardly thicker than heavy stone walls
! On the shores of Franklin pond such walls
are much broader and higher. A road
' passes for some distance on one, forming Il
= natural turnpike.
q There are several falls on the Connect
cut, Black, Lamoille, White, Missisquol
| Winooski rivers, which | may describe in
! future article.
In the town of Georgia is natural stone
, bridge over brook, which is twelve o.
: fourteen feet wide, the top of which is sever
or eight feet above the surface OF the water
In Norwich are two pine trees, one eighteen
J. inches, the other two feet in diameter
=, standing about twelve feet apart, anC
. united TO each other by large limb grow
q ing from one to the other about twelve fee
q from the ground.
Near the south line at II ,rdwick, form
: erly stood two pine trees, united in differ
q ent manner They stood nearly rod apart
but inclined toward each other, and at the
1 height of fifteen or sixteen feet from the
ground, one tree grew through the trunk o
: its neighbor, and became separate again.
u In Bloomington is singular tree, one
e half OF which is maple, and the Other
white ash, each part having the leaves ant
bark of its own species.
I am indebted for much of the above ma
terial to "The Geography and History oil
Vermont" a proposed textbook for schools
by Phny H. White, member OF the Yer
mont board of education. | am not awar,
that any such book has been introduced
into the schools. Children ought to bt
taught about their own town and State first
Americans, as rule, know more abou
other countries and States than they do o
their own. We find Americans climbing
=, the Alps, and sailing up the Amazon, VIII
d have never seen the Rocky Mountains o
: the Missisquoi river Or staring with won
u derng eyes at the great pyramids, VIII
Il have never seen the Miami Mounds, or III,
s. ruins of Central America
v A STRANGER.