The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1903-11-19
MAD RIVER VALLEY.
Many Indisputable Signs of Prosper
ity. Land Flowing With Milk ant
Honey. Many Large New Barns
Bursting With Plenty,

beautiful valley and its productive
hillsides often remark that in no
other farming section OF the country
can be found such excellent farm
buildings; and members IF the board
of agriculture, at the recent meeting
here, spoke of such fine buildings as
an indication Of the prosperity of the
people and an increase of the produc-
tiveness Of the farms.
This is all true, and during the
present year more new buildings have
been erected and old ones remodeled,
than at any time since 1879, Begin
ming at Warren we find Mr.. Elliots
new barn, 50 feet by 400 feet. Then
we come the new steam mill near
Emery Somerville's; next, Ed. Neil's
new barn, 100 feet long and 46 feet
wide, with all modern improvements.
This fine barn was built by M. J.
Long of Waitsfeld. About one mile
farther north we find the new barn of
John l.. Baird. a fine structure, 1902
feet long by As feet wide. w. M.
Strong of Waterbury was foreman Of
construction and the barn is one of
the most convenient in the town. Just
across from Mr.. Baird's can be seen
Warren Palmer's new barn, &c feet
long by 46 feet wide: on the other
side OF the river is j. B. Thompson's
new barn, 100 feet long by 46 feet
wide, having IS feet posts above the
basement, being 40 feet high from the
ground to the ridge and having 30
windows. This fine and com modious
barn was built by William Strong of
Waterbury. All these barns are three
stories high, covered with sheathing
paper, olapboarded and painted red,
with white trimmings, and all are
equipped with gasolene engines or
horsepowers. and ensilaga cutters, as
no one in this section would think of
building new barn without a slo
Farther north there is the new
barn of NJ. S. and S. H. Strong, also
on the river road is James Erwin's. en-
larged and remodeIed, and in Waits
field village r. j Browne has added
new horse barn to his already the
best barn in the valley. Proceeding
down the riv r we find that G w.
Wallis is making extensive additions
to his splendid set of buildings, and
Fred Wilder has built an addition to
his large barn. Aside from barn
buildings we notice in Waitsfield viii
lage the new Odd Fellows hall just
completed at cost of "a, 500, the
beautiful new school house, the new
steam mill being built by @. H. Me-
huron, the new blacksmith shop just
completed by George Moore, and the
almost new house just finished by
Robert Kew. These buildings, besides
the fine buildings heretofore erect
ed add much to the attractions OF our
beautiful valley.
Now, in order to know something
of the business done by the farmers ii
is necessary to go into these barns and
see the farm stock at this season of
the year; the young cattle just come
from the back pastures, looking fat
and sleek; and the milch COWS of
different breeds, according to the
choice of the farmer, with large and
we'll set Ldders, all ready for a good
winters work; see the large kind
oxen and horses, looking so contented,
and then go into the basement and
look at the hogs, from the wee bits of
pigs mp to the large fat swine ready
Tor market; see also the hay and en-
silage, the bran and cotton seed meal
stored away for the winters use--and
one will discover that these buildings
are not for mere show but are really
manufactures in which the products
of the sol are changed into milk, but
ter, beef, pork, eggs, etc.
A short time ago one of our city
friends, who is somewhat aged, ex-
claimed, How different from what it
was when l used to farm it! Just
: look at the windows in these barns
4 w n.y. Whch was bOy We h6Nol
thought of having windows in a
barn. in fact we did not need them,
as there were plenty of cracks to let
in fresh air and light; and about
cleaning the stables, how dreaded
throwing the manure up out of the
narrow window holes, and in cold
winter weather we always had to take
an old axe to chop out the manure
Why, if farming had been as easy
then as it is now 1 never would have
left the farm -
But enough about the barns; let us
take our visitor into the houses, and,
Rip Van Wrinkle like, he will look
around for the small round milkpans
that tired the girls to wash, and the
mother to skim. Where is the churn
which was always ready on rainy day:
and which the boys hated the very
sight of? How we used to put IN hot
water to warm the cream and in few
minutes more cold water to cool it,