The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-02-07
VERMONT APPRECIATED
Article in Outlook Describes Beauties
of Mountain Lands

or Its department editors, is great
compliment to Vermont. and shows
how the state is appreciated by peo-
pie who really take time to see it and
learn the real facts regarding its soil
climate and great natural advantage
as a desirable place in which to live
and make money farming, gardening,
or fruit growing.
From his boyhood days the spec
tator had been encouraged to believe
that Vermont was good state to
emigrate from. He was always
hearing OF Vermonters who had
taken Horace Greeley's advice at an
early stage in their career and as
nobody eve heard much about those
who remained behind, the inference
was plain that the more progressive
element in the states population
saw ways of lettering its condition
by deserving the ancestral acres for
some more favored portion of the
earth's surface. Moreoye, it is
only a few years since Vermont
figured conspicuously in the news
paper stories OF abandoned farms
waiting TO be reclaimed by the worn
out city toiler. Those tales led many
man to indulge blood visions
of landed independence although
they suggested anything but an
optimistic picture OF the Green
Mountain states farming posi-
billties. So it was with no very
mate 'ial assets that the spectator
some time ago set forth to explore a
few square miles to the east and
north OF Mount Mansfield in enc OF
The norihern-central counties Of the
state.
Now the Spectator had never been
taught to associate mountainous areas
With profitable tillage. laundering cp-
erations are common enough on the
mountain slopes Of our South and
West, but as to farming well, the
Weste n farmer still firmly believes
that every corn-fcd down East has
TO be planted with shot-guns. He
isn't worried by the rivalry OF a state
as full of mountains as little Yer
mont. AS matter Of fact, the Spec
tator was informed that in the 80
year period IS70-l909 Vermont led
all the states Of The Union in the
number OF bushels Of corn produced
pc acre, and the astonishing thing
about it was that Il very large proper
ton of the acreage in corn was. and
Is, in mountain farms II seemed 10
tho Spectator sometimes that the far
Their he went up the slopes, the more
fertile was the soil. Drouth is the
ever-present enemy OF the farme but
if moistuse could be assured the
Green mountains would be New Eng
lands garden. The Spectator san
many a well-cultivated acre in the up
lands where the corn stood eight feet
high in August. Needless to say
these farms are not abandoned" yet.
but they can be purchased for less
than cne-fourth the p ice Of ordinary
farm lands in the Middle West
Fruit trees do well on the mountain
side. toe. and az an elevation OF
l,200 fec an apple orchard is pTac
tically immune from the late spring
lrcsts that destroy the budding rgit
in tho valleys
1t had been 4 long time since The
Spectator had covered his % miles
IN days tramp over county roads.
but the mountain al and scenery re-
ncwed his youth and quickened his
zest as 4 pedestrian Not since the
bicycle era oi the nlneties, when the
Spectator, along with thousands OF
other ambitious peddlers. had tried
20 dc" the Eastern states awhecl
had his legs been pat TO 40 severe q
test; but the coed nights rest that
followed each 25-mile day more than
made up for the aches OF travel.
Net all the G-een mountain reads are
infested with motor cars tihe specta-
tors natural enemies for he time be
ingl. and highways so bad that they
had ceased to tempt the auto.driyes
were hailed with JOY. for many OF
them led to scenic delights OF which
the automobiles. confined to the turn
pike, could know nothing. on these
byways it is not unusual to have
deer cross your path (as the Specta-
tor can testify). with occasionally
fox.
This part OF Nermont--in fact. the
whole state--is n natural dairy coun-
try. and from these mountain slopes
and valleys may some day ccmc
large contribution to The milk supply
Of Boston and New York. although a.
yet the herds are small and the daily
shipments OF milk on the railway
average not more than three car
loads. The silo IS much In evidence,
and almost every large farm has its
field OF Hunga ian millet.
The people one meets en- the high
ways are almost without exception
native-born The men
digging sewer trenches in the viii
lagos all speak with tho Yankee &C
cent and exercise the sovereign
Americans rights to talk politics
ard crack jokes while at work. Ex-
cepung a few French-Canadians.