The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-09-25
BENNINGTO n COUNTY
VERMONT IMPROVEMENT
ASSOCIATION NEWS
A Live Organization.


sociation of East Arlington last week.
This organization is composed en-
tirely of women. They have done some
very fine work for their village and
are making plans for strenuous eff
forts by way of village improvement.
They have plans for identifying the
| banks of the stream that flows
| through the village as well as the
roadsides and homes. They are TAX
/ ing hold of roads and sidewalks, they
discuss town officials and what they
, expect these to do. An Association
of this nature can do much by way
of getting after the proper officials
and creating public sentiment so that
these officials will feel justified in do
! ing certain work by way of cleaning
up and improving conditions. Indeed
these associations can make it I'M
comfortable for those officials who
are inclined to shirk their work
| The Improvement association can
| do quite as much by stirring up the
selectmen. the board of health, the
road commissioner, and other officers
and get them to cooperate with their
plans as they can by raising funds in
a voluntary way for improvements of
all kinds and getting people aroused
to improve their private premises.
The East Arlington Association on
their own initiative, have made ar
rangements for course of enter
tainments and are heartily in accord
with the proposed lyceum for the
| County, they also appointed a dele
! gate, Mrs. Ralph Nichols, to meet
with other similarly appointed dele
gates from other associations, TO
form a permanent monthly confer
ence
Another indication of the energetic
spirit of this association is that sew
enty per cent of those who We're at
the meeting paid their dollar and be-
came members of the Bennington
County Vermont Improvement Associ
alton. This is the largest per cent
of any gathering that has thus far
joined the County Association.
Roads
1t has remained for Edward Hayes,
/ Road Commissioners for Sandgate, to
| smash all drag records for New Eng
| land. Mr.. Hayes has dragged six
miles at a cost of $l.25 or about Il
| cents per mile. Some road COM
missioners thought there was some
mistake when H. ~ Moore of Rupert
dragged his roads for 80 cents mile
, in May. % cents in June and 25 cents
during July and August Mr.. Hayes
declares the split log drag will do
more than four horses on road ma
chine if used at the proper time and
ne uses or has used both. Mr.. Hayes
has his eye on the Wilbur watch.
A big move was made in Arlington
when the Selectmen decided TO make
the road from West Arlington TO the
Sandgate line a selected road and
thus secure the State aid on its
maintenance.
]. II. McCushee. contractor, is at
work on Harwood Hill, Bennington,
Agriculture.
The following extracts from a let
ter from c T. Brettell. Superinten-
dent OF the Fillmore Farms, owned
by James c. Colgate. a director OF
the Remington County Vermont I'm
provement Association. will be OF in
ierest TO all. This is a response TO
request from Mr. Scheuerle. the
Secretary of the Association, for the
data given.
We hope to publish from time to
time things that are being done in
Bennington County along agriculaur-
al lines. Mr.. Brettell says In part
1--WE think the sheep raising is as
profitable a department as we nave
on the farms. for one reason they re-
quire so little labor and attention.
We have the one breed that we
handle-the Horned Dorset. and we
consider them as profitable sheep
as any one can have. For any one
lust starting in the sheep business,
we could gladly recommend this
breed as being the best. as their crop
of lambs the first year will more than
pay for the flock.
We do not wish to impress upon
our readers, there is no skill or labor
required in this department, as
there are times when both skill and
labor are required to quite an extent
and the more attention and better
care that is given the sheep at breed
ing and lambing time, the better re
suits VIII De ODtalneu.
We have one OF the largest and
best fiocks in America. and would be
glad to have any one call and see
them, and get our prices and any in
formation along the line of sheep
raising would be gladly given.
The following from Geo. Frencns
article in the book entitled New
England" published by the Boston
Chamber of Commerce can be APP
piled almost in touch to Bennington
County.
when livestock authorities of the
West and abroad visit New England
they are astonished to see so few
sheep. The question is again and
again asked. Where are your
Sheep" The sheep industry has
greatly declined in the East for
years. and now not one sheep is
found in New England where former
liz there were a dozen. That this is
not due TO unproitableness is shown
by the remarkable success of those
who stick to the industry. Condi-
tons could not be more ideal for
successful sheep husbandry than in
New England. with the exception OF
possible loss through damage by dogs.
But dog damage does not In the least
deter those who have really made up
their minds to raise sheep. and In re
cent years there has been legislative
action in the different New England
states looking to a better protection
Of fiocks New England hill pastures
provided with abundance OF water