New-York tribune., 1900-10-14
SO-CALLED ABANDONED FARMS.
A DEFENDER OF THE NEw-ENGLAND COUNTRY
FROM THE CHARGE OF DECADENCE-

A DEFENDER OF THE W-ENGI4AND COUNTRY
FROM THE CHARGE OF DEcADENcE-
From The Country Gentleman.
Something of the character of any section Of
country may be judged or guessed by ghmpses
caught from the windows of swiftly moving
railway train. But leisuTely carriage ride af-
fOrds much better opportunities Tor ObserNa-
ton BY this experience the writer mas learned
the real conditions existing in Eastern Con
necticut, throughout localities to which railway
trains have never penetrated. Here are to be
found many of the sO-called abandoned farms,
such as furnish a theme for the mOurnful scTee1s
about the "deCadence' of New-England- II IS
true there is melancholy suggestiveness about
an ancient, untenanted farmhouse, OUT Among
the lonely hills, with no companion dwellings, IN
sight The stepping stones are mossgroWn the
thresholds decayed the doors falling from rust
ed hinges. Squirrels leap in at the broken
panes and scamper through the empty chambers
Only ghostly reVisitants now gather round the
crumbling fireplace. All this is sad, indeed, and
so il is, maybe to visit the once splendid man
sions of New-YOTI<'s BIeecker-st- now ''aban-
doned" to uses of traffic and storage.
The distinction between abandoned houses and
abandoned farms may not be noted by "A super
fetal observer. The farms are not. strictly
speaking, abandoned in one instance IN a nun
dred; many farmhOuses are. While house and
farm buildings are left uncared for. some tokens
may usually be discovered. showing that the
farm is not entirely neglected. Somebody's cows
find pasture on it. Perhaps somebody still cuts
a little hay here and there and takes il away
to his home farm. Sometimes persistent trees
! in the old orchard continue to yield and there
are always hands to gather the fruit if it is
remains, and the farm reverts to forest, some
body stands ready to CLEAN the ultimate harvest
of lumber, wood and charcoal.
1t is in sort fashion of the time TO
I regard the abandoned farmhOuseS as tokens of
/ failure and misfortune to individuals. and col
( lectiVely, of calamity TO the State The matter
I may he regarded in another light. The first
/ road builders, pathfnders. of Connecticut
had very peculiar notions. Take, in
stance thc ancient turnpike road from Hartford
TO Boston, although that not the first road
built, by any means Like others. it was laid
/ out in n straight line. up over and down the
mis- The early settlers are said to have built
on the SUBMITS of hills To be better able to note
the approach Of h0stie Indians. Their de-
sccndantS followed the custom without having
the same reason for it. Thus il happens that
very many of the oldest houses in the farming
sections OF Eastern Connecticut stand on the
/ tops of hills. These house locations were exposed
! and bleak, work on the hill farms was hard and
done at a disadvantage hut worse than aught
else was their isolation This was not so much
regarded in the olden times. But as cities grew
and villages increased in size and number the.
loneliness of these Of the way houses was
Gnphaslzed. Farmers could make a living on
/ the back hill farms. but they became ambitious
TO do more. and in order To accomplish this
/ ti'y must Sst nearer the markets Their wives
AM daughters pined for the social advantages
to be enjoyed nearer the cities and villages.
The Western emigration fever swept over
New-England and carried away many farmers
from their ancestral homes. Among the back
hill and long distance farmers of Eastern Con
( nectIcut discomfort increased. and many re-
moved 10 other farms in mere favored localities
within the State Some sold their farms some
{
Ieft them in charge of neishbcrs. In time these
neiShbors often became their owners Thus
these farms, although neglected and Gnculti-
Eatto We're never utterly abandOne1, and
. not at the present time.
These changes. brought about naturally and
rcaSOn2 bly,, offered no foundation for the charge
Of decadencc. upon which the changes are So
peTststently rung- Farm5 rs did not leave their
I farms on account of sterility They are not
/ exhausted. as has been proved by many who
nave reoccupicd them. Wealthy people who
buy them To live upon in summer do not find
them unfertile. With electric cars telephones
and other agencies of modern progress the for
mcr objection TO living upon these out of the
way farms is fast being done away with, and
in good time they will all be repeOpied