Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1910-04-01
POOR VERMONT

he statement published in this pa
per last autumn, in r. the acre of pota-
toes harvested by Mr.. Hazen Blodgett,
has raised the ire of former resident
of Island Pond, and he has rushed into
print in the Western Empire published
at Los Angeles, Cal. PIE. Ii. (Perley
f. Herrin) gives history of the Steele
farm, but, as this goes further back than
the birth of the Essex County Herald,
we cannot confirm or contradict his
statement in regard to the years this
farm has been under cultivation, but we
have consulted resident farmers aud are
told that this is but good average
farm. We have no doubt that under
the able management of Selectman
Blodgett it will be demonstrated that
even greater things can be done with
this property. We can only account for
the unkind remarks of F. +. H. about
Island Pond "fast going to pieces" and
his thankfulness, "that he left that des-
olate town, from the fact that he is
not native of this section of the
country or he would not be so disloyal.
There is vulgar saying in regard to
dirty bird, etc. that it would be well for
p. f. II. to mediate upon. p. f. II,
also quotes w. S. (WilIard Smith,) a
New Hampshire man, who successfully
farmed i'll this section, and whose farm
has changed hands, since his departure,
at an enhanced price. By the way, the
present occupant of the w. S. farm will
get about $500 this spring for his
maple sugar product, from his snow
covered "wild" land. We have a great
admiration for the great state of Cali
tornia but we look to better authority,
In regard to her resources, than p. +. II.
In publishing our statement, in re the
yield of potatoes, we said nothing of the
many industries of the Green Noun
tain State. We might have mentioned
this section as the home of the Morgan
horse, branch of agriculture that pos
sibly P. E. II. knows more alb nut than
raising potatoes.
We fear that we have lost p. f. II.
forever as he says, che would not come
back to Island Pond to live if he was
rendered deed of the whole state"
Now it does not seem at all probable
that he will ever have rendered him
deed of her marble and granite quarries,
her thousands of acres of timber lands,
her sugar orchards and natural irrigated
lands, her beautiful farms with an mex
haustibIe spring of pure water, gushing
from the mountain side. (this latter
would be of untold wealth in some parts
of the stale of California;. And then,
we have quite bit of wealth in our
cities and in our factories and we fear
that the owners might hesitate before
they gave these for the great privilege
of having P. +. H. come back to us
again.
The article referred to is as follows:
Farming in Vermont.
Editor Western Empire, Pasadena,
On November % Mrs. fl. called at
your office and showed you the enclosed
clipping from my home VerT ont paper
Your lady clerk said you would try and
have reply in the next issue of the
paper, as none appeared | thought few
more points might help you. | quote
you the clipping as follows
"Hazen Blodgett, on the Steele farm
so called, from measured acre of land
raised 800 bushels of potatoes, which
he has sold for $l55. His seed, fertiliz-
er, labor, in fact everything charged to
cost of production cost him less than
$50. Who would want to 60 West and
raise wheat at 81 per bushel, where the
average yield is only fourteen bushels
per acre, or go to California and raise
beans, the gross income from which is
$42 per acre? Mr.. Blodgett evidently
knows how to farm, and if he can make
a clean profit of over 800 from an