The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-07-20
An Estimate Of Vermont.

| mont census hgureS that ought not TO
80 uncorrected. These figures recent
ly made public. have been misunder-
stood and misconstrued. They show
among other things that the urban
population increased 1873 per cent.
in the last decade while the rural
population decreased 4.2 per cent.
They also show that the rate of in.
crease for the whole country during
the last decade was almost six times
that OF Vermont, and that at every
census taken since 1910 the rate of
| growth for the Green Mountain State
has been much less than for the coun
try as a whole. The net increase in
| population between 1900 and 1910
was about $1,000 or 80 per cent.
There was decrease of 395. or ~
per cent, in the number of farms. and
OF nearly $1,000 acres. or 1.3 per cent
IN the area of farm land There was
falling off in the amount of corn
and other cereal products and about
the only increase in the output of
farms was of hay and forage. These
are the sins of omission charged
against the State.
Several writer's have drawn most
disheartening conclusions from these
government figures, and one of them
does not hesitate to say that they
offer perhaps the gloomiest statistical
picture to be found at the present
time in the United States" Writers
who have taken this view of the
meaning of the census statistics have
made superficial generalization
with little knowledge of conditions as
they exist.
As matter of fact, and contrary
to general belief, Vermont is not an
agricultural State. II was, TO be sure.
in its early history. for the very
good reason that when New England
comprised about all there was of the
United States, any land was good
enough to till. In those early DAYS
the pioneers literally bullyragged the
rocky and forestcovered hillsides in
to producing corn. wheat. rye and
hay. They had to get FODDER and pro.
visions somewhere. and they convert
ed forest soil to tillable purposes so
far as they could. But with the
opening up OF all the great fertile
valleys and plains of the West where
agriculture is pleasant as we'll as
profitable, these Vermont farms"
were bound TO revert. But for the ex.
ceptional conditions they never
would have been cleared for tillage
purposes. They are forest soil and
should revert to the forest. That is
what they are being left to do now,
and that largely is the reason they
are being abandoned. Probably that
reason is more dominant than the
drift to the cities, which also plays a
part in the problem The timber cut
from these farms" when a second
growth has been established. will
bring in more OF an income to the
owners than the land possibly could
under tillage When these little un.
derstood conditions are comprehend
ed. IL can be easily understood why a
farm sells for the value of the
standing timber and also why the
timber growth is better than savings
bank interest
We have said that Vermont is not
an agricultural State. The ce..sus of
1900 showed the annual gross value
OF farm products in the State 10 be
S33,5lO,S92 while the gross value of
manufactured products was S57623.-
Sl5. Five years later the value of
manufactured products had increased
TO S63,OS3,6ll
For years the White Mountains
have been exploited as the great
show place OF New England The
high peaks OF this group certainly
provide fine mountain scenery. but
the Green Mountains are coming into
their own. While not so imposing
they tempt the climber and explorer
and summer visitor far more than
their sisters, they provide never
ending series OF views that delight
the eye, and with their innumerable
tints Of green, their splashing brooks
and flowers. fruits and vines. make a
wholly adorable environment for
summer living. Already steps have
been taken to blaze a trail across the
ranges, which will prove a great in.
centive TO summer visiting. and the
many favorable locations for eXten.
sive views have been taken advan.
tage OF by people from widely scat.
tered parts of the country. who are
making the foot hills OF the Green
Mountains their summer hons
So much for the aesthetic side
There Is also a very practical side
Although there are fewer farms than
formerly those that are cultivated
arc kept in better cultivation. The
value OF farm property I'm the State
during the decade increased nearly
SSL0o0.o0O or 941 per cent Put con
cre,Cly. The average value Of a Yer
mont farm including equipment has
crown IN the last decade from a lii
tie less than $4,000 to $4,000. There
was also a considerable increase In
the number Of farms operated By
owners and managers and large
decrease In the number operated by
tenants The equity In the average
mortgaged farm also rose from l.40O
to over $4,000. or nearly "a per cent
Nearly nine.tenths of Vermont farm
ers are native Yankees, and only one
tenth foreign born whites That show.
pretty cOncusiyely that the natv,
stock is still very much on the job.
There are few things In the soclo
political side that ought TO be men
toned to Vermonts credit In ter
years Vermont has seen the practca
reconstruction OF It's educational sys
TEN. II has developed a public senti
mani fhnt frnnafprutad lie OLD tim.