The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-01-27
LACK OF SNOW
Means Much to Lumbermen, Merchants
and Farmers cpresses Business.

Means Much to Lumbermen, Merchants
and Farmers-Depresses Business.
The average citizen who has to buy
fuel has been congratulating himself
that thus far this season he is ahead
of the coal man. While this is prob
ably true, the coal man can doubtless
smile at the fuel burner about the last
of March when the frost gets out OF
the ground. The frugal citizen who
has been sitting his ashes twice ana
congratulating himself how good the
weather man has been to him will won
der next spring why he didn I think to
apply a good heavy coat OF mulch TO
his lawn last fall He didn Z do It,, OF
course, because he expected that the
lawn would be blanketed with snow
Next spring the owner Of big lawn
will wish that the weather man had
been less considerable. The chances OF
grass winter killing this year are bet.
ter than they have been at any. time
during the last 10 years. With the
frost down to depth OF three feet
and n half the middle OF January ana
practically no snow il looks as though
not only the lawn of the city man put
the moving field of the farmer IS hkely
TO suffer before the sun OF spring can
put life into the grass roots.
Though considerable rain fell Few
weeks back it did but little good, com
paratiyely. Some of il got into tine
sprinps and reservoirs, but the most OF
ii ran away in the shape of SURFACE
water because the ground was frozen
too deep to allow il to percolate. Then
came n sudden freeze, and since that
time the temperature has been below
freezing practically all OF the time
This means that grass land has been
frozen to greater depth than occurs
once in dozen years. The area OF
hare ground in this section of Vermont
Is nrobably greater than il has been
the last of January in any year for sew
eral decades. Not only may grass De
expected to winter kill but the chances
for heavy run of maple sap are not
as good as though the orchards had
been covered two or three feet deep
with snow since the first of December.
The village man finds locOmOtion about
town much easier because of the ab-
sence of snow, but he may find that
what he has gained in this respect has
been offset by the havoc frost has done
to his strawberry or asparagus ped;
The damage that the frost VIII DO 10
grass land and garden spots Is by no
means the only loss that lack OF snow
entails. There are hundreds Of thou
sands of feet of lumber in the woods
waiting transportation to mills or ran.
roads. and unless snow comes soon IL
must be moved upon wheels, making
the cost practically double. Holden
& Martin. who generally have their
wards in this village practically
filled by the end of January, have
received no lumber whatever from out
side towns. Though there is snow IN
the woods in some of the towns IN the
county there is not enough in the lum-
bering sections to move the winter .i
emf of lumber, and lumbermen, with
horses "eating their heads of, as
the saving goes, are becoming fearful
that thew must wait until the mud OF
| the spring has passed and then resort TO
wheels. 1t is not unlikely that the
price of stove wood may move up
point next spring, as practically no
wood has been drawn into Brattleboro
thus far this winter. If 1t has to come
in ON wheels it will add to the cost TO
| the consumer. A..
Persons buying bulk rather. than
pressed hay find it almost Impossible 70
secure supply sufficient for thelr AM,
mails. as farmers will not attempt 70
draw it on wheels over such ley roads
as are to be found leading from Brat
tleboro to nearby towns. The volume
of business done by local merchants
since the holidays Is materially affected
by the lack Of snow. Farmers ana
farmers families will not come TO
town over bare ground except when
they are obliged to do so In the winter
time. and the absence of customers
from the surrounding towns is feit by
local merchants. The sale OF rubber
goods, heavy footwear for men and fur
coats has been practically at stand
still thus far this winter in this section.
a merchant In an adjoining town who
took an inventory last week states
that he has stock of rubber goods on
L -, laaf fUn aaaaQnH.