St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1915-05-19
Does Not Apply To Us

Does Not Apply To Us
1t is encouraging to note condition.
in Caledonia county after reading
this discouraging statement by Johr
A. Scheuerle, secretary of the Hamp
den COUNTY (Mass.) improvement
Association before the meeting of the
Greater Vermont Association at its
annual meeting in Brattleboro las
week. He said in part:
I'm Massachusetts there are 1876
towns that have decreased in popula-
tion from 1860 to 1910 with total
decrease of 1853. In 1860 there
were 2,155,512 acres of i'm
proved farm land under cul-
tivation. In 1910 there were
only 1,641,501 acres of i'm
proved farm land under cultivation.
To make the situation still worse the
land that is still under cultivation
is not producing as it used to pro-
duce. There are many counties in
which the average hay production is
from "a to l 1-3 tons per acre. 1t
ought to be over two tons per acre.
In the last % years COWS decreased
in the state of Massachusetts from
2O0,65S to 151,276. Thus the econ
omic depletion is found more serious
than that of the population.
The situation is no different in
the other New England states. For
instance, in Vermont there are $50
towns that have lost in population;
from 1860 to 1910 the total loss was
57,728. In 1860 you had 1921
acres of improved farm land under
cultivation and in 1910 you had l.,
worse it is found that the educational,
sanitary, moral, social and religious
conditions are declining more rapidly
than the population and the economic
resources of these rural districts. And
this decline has accelerated with each
succeeding decade so that it has been |
more rapid and more serious in the
decade between 1900 and 1910 than |
any previous decade. In the face
of such a serious situation it is alb /
solutely true that rural New England |
is dying faster and faster with each
succeeding decade.
We will not attempt to give the
census figures for Caledonia county
for the period that Mr.. Scheuerle has
quoted from but will state somewhat
of our personal observation during
quite extensive travelling by team
the county during the :
past few weeks. With the exception t
Of few places on the mountain road I
through Stannard and one place on {
4 most difficult back road in Shelf =
field we have not seen a vacant farm I
house in tours that have taken US S
INTO every town in the county. There :
ire around the edges of the mountain s
forests in the county several farms '
hat are not under cultivation but in i
nearly every instance there is a I
1oung and healthy growth of young T
hard and soft timber that is increas- S
ng the value of these lands faster b
han inefficient cultivation could pos
sibly do it. i
On its numerous hillsides and a
through it's many fertile valleys are b
% be found more thrifty looking =
farms and fertile fields than ever be- \
lore. The county could never show
more we'll planned and larger red h
barns than it can today. Beside :
hem stand more we'll painted houses 4
with the modern improvements of n
telephones and other ,
comforts than one could find five
years ago. A peep into the front .
part of the horse barn or a newly !,
garage will show a very :
arge number Of good serviceable au- =
and improved machinery T
or farm work can be seen in nearly .
svery field. Dotting the hillsides or :
waiting at the pasture gate are a
better looking and more valuable
lerd of dairy cows than could be
ound here in the palmy days of
agriculture and leading to all these
ZONES are the best highways that p
lave ever been constructed.
During these times of war and its !,