Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1910-10-28
MAKES GENEROUS OFFER.
Joseph 7stelI is.Resdyyto Give
10000 Acres OF Land to Middle
hurry CnllAnA.

SoitGEGs
1t has been stated by some news
papers by error that Former Governor
J. w. Stewart had offered 10000 acres
of land to Middlebury College to be used
for the purposes of school of forestry
The offer was made by Joseph Battell
of Middlebury, the Representative from
his town this year and the largest indiv
idual land owner in the State.
Mr.. Battell owns 80, 600 acres of land,
most of it acquired because he loves the
land and trees. His will provides that
most of it shall be given for public pur-
poses but he is trying to dispose of some
of it while he is alive in the way he
desires, that he may see and enjoy the
use that is made of it.
His offer to Middlebury College is of
10, 600 acres in Hancock, Goshen and
Ripton. This is wild uncultivated land,
some of it bearing valuable timber,
spruce and hardwood. His purpose is
that half this tract, through highways
run, shall be set aside for a park, and
that the remainder be utilized for the
benefit of school of forestry at Mid
dlebury College. Mr.. Battell has a
great admiration for that institution
and the work it is doing and for what
Mr.. Thomas, its president has accomp-
lished or is trying to accomplish. He
stands ready to give 10000 acres to the
college if good and proper use can be
made of it.
| Yale College, says Mr.. Battell, went
to Pennsylvania to buy a forest tract,
and Yale in recent years has been much
interested in forestry problems. Har-
ward bought some land in Maine. This
was the nearest land they could get.
The land he proposes to give Middlebury
College lies within two hours drive and
ought to enable that institution to es-
tabIsh a school of forestry that will be
extremely valuable.
He has already given to the public q
large tract for a park and has offered
the United States government tract
on Lincoln mountain in Warren, 4,00(
feet above sea, worth 500, 900, if the
government will spend as much improv'
ing it. This offer was favorably con
sidered by Clifford Pinchot, the govern
ment forester, but with his removal the
negotiations fell through for a time.
The government has acquired severa
reservations in the west which have
been converted into public parks, anc
others are to be acquired. When it
was proposed to secure government
reserve in New Hampshire it would
have been necessary to purchase the
land from the owners and the scheme
failed.
Mr.. Battell believes New England
which shares but little, and Vermont
especially, which shares hardly at all
in the money expended by the govern
ment for public improvements should
have a government reservation, so he
offers this splendid tract of land, at
taching to the gift no conditions except
that the government shall expend Sl0O,
900 on the property when acquired.
He has also offered to give 200 acres
more to the Morgan stock farm at Wey'
bridge, owned by the government fol
the construction of an arboretum that
shall be planted with all the trees anc
shrubs indigenous to New England, anc
will increase the amount of land if the
government desires to extend its plant
ing to the growth of New York anC
Quebec. He stills owns about 1,20C
acres of land about the government
farm at Weybridge.
Mr.. Battell also owns the top o,
Cancels Hump and before this session
of the Legislature is ended will prob
ably propose to give 500 acres of liant
some of it cover ed with valuable spruce
timber, if the State will accept it as ;
park and will build two roads to tn
summit. Montpelier Journal, Oct. 81