Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-12-10


method obviously presents two ad'
vantages. 1t furnishes level footing
for the trees. and. not less important,
it prevents the down rush OF waters
which so often destroys all vegetation
on the mountain side and accom-
plishes so much else in the way OF
harm. The appearance OF these ter
races as one looks at them from be-
meath the trees is singular indeed.
They seem to be a huge step-ladder
for the use of some gigantic monster
in walking over the tops OF the
mountains.
Picturesque lrregularity.
The olive trees are planted not in
rows, but with all the picturesque IT.
regularity of trees in a forest. 1t
may almost be said that no shrub or
plant of any kind is permitted to
fitch away an atom of the strength OIL
the soil. The pruning knife has so
faithfully done it's duty that in the
course of whole days ride you will
not see a fallen twig or wlthered
branch. The tree is gnarled beyond de-
scription. Evidently many OF them
are several hundred years old. We
saw one the diameter of which APP
peared to be six or seven feet, but 1t
was so split and divided that we could
see through it in two or three direc-
tons. Many of the older limbs. some
of them perhaps foot in diameter,
had been cut away; all feeble ones
had been removed, and nothing OF the
top remained excepting those portions
which preserved all the vigor OF
youth. In the end the trunk and even
the roots will be burnt in hotel CRATES
as sacrifice to the comfort of Ameri-
cans whose blood has been thinned
or dried by the fierce and superfluOus
fires Of their houses at home. Even
as I write I am burning roots which,
sawed and polished, might well pass
in America as menentos of the Mount
of Olives.
Wonderful Roads.
I spoke of the roads by which these
trees are all made delightfully."- acces-
sible. 1t is hard to see how anything
could exceed the skill with which
these magnificent thoroughfares have
been laid out and constructed. No
grade sleeper than ten per cent. is
tolerated, and so perfectly have they
been made and finished that victoria
with a single horse easily takes four
persons to the top of the steepest as
cent. The way passes along the side
r4 Oh
when you make a sudden turn and
find yourself still gently going upward
in a line almost parallel with the one
from which you have just turned. This
process is repeated till, after perhaps
eight or ten very nearly parallel as
cents, you find yourself at the top.
This macadamiZed thorOughfare has
passed within a hundred yards of
every tree on the mountain side. and
has given you views of mountain and
valley and villa of almost indis-
cribable beauty.
Besides these roads, constructed as
perfectly as any street in Madison,
for the benefit of the rural population,
there is another kind that is equally
worthy of notice. Up the valleys
which everywhere cash the mountains
great mecadamized thoroughfares as
cend one side and. bowling around the
head of the ravine, come down on the
other. In some cases the road is
greatly prolonged by the zigzaging up
on the right of the valley and then by
swinging around at the end coming
down on the left in a similar fashion.
The whole of the way is dotted here
and there with Italian villas more or
less deliberately constructed and sur
rounded 1t is easy to conceive what
a variety of charming drives thus pre-
sents itself to the guest of this won
derful coast. The secret of it all is
that the Italian, with rare artistic
taste, has been here at work for more
than thousand years, and he has
wrought with the apparent expecta-
ton that his work would be appreciat-
ed and admired for more than a
thousand years to come. &C. K. A.