The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-09-23
Repopulating Vermont Farms.
bennington Banner.)


On recent visit to scenes of their
childhood in Townshend a party OF
former residents found eleven desert
ed homes in two school districts that
once comprised a thriving farming
section. What s the answer? - Brat
.tleboro RefOrmer.
The answer is not difficult. Scat
tered all through the United States
there are thousands upon thousands of
men and women who are land hungry
and home hunters, farmers or DESTROYS
OF becoming farmers. They do not
know that back in the rural towns of
Vermont comfortable homes can be
bought at from $500 up. They do not
know that farms with fairly decent
buildings can be bought at from $500
to $4,000. Land in the West selling
at from $50 to $500 per acre is not
one particle more productive than land
in New England that can be bought
/ at from So TO $50 per acre. The west
ern and southern land in the market is
largely without buildings and far from
markets, schools, churches and libra
ries.
| Our low priced New England farms
are mostly provided with buildings and
are near markets, schools and other ad.
juncts of civilization. The great rush OF
emigration from our eastern rural
towns during the generation followinz
the civil war swept the people from
thousands of farms just as good anG
often better than those they found
elsewhere. Since then generation ha.
grown up that does not even know OF
the opportunity offered by the low
priced farms and homes of New Eng
land.
If Vermont wishes to re-people he
rural towns she must do two things
First she must make known that there
exists this marvel of low-priced rea
estate. Second, she must help ffnanc,
the new settlers who come. The frs
IS comparatively easy and the secon,
is not hard if the people of Vernon
would get after the Job. \ man o
woman can 60 West or South and bu,
land through an association or compan,
or similar organization, paying for /
on the installment plan and occupyin
1t as soon as able. \ prospective puf
chaser of land in Vermont usually fall
into the hands of a slick real cstat
agent of one of the larger cities an
gets skinned of what ready money h
has and finds himself in possession O
out ready money to start work, Will
out. credit and among strangers. II
5 cannot prosper and does not and hi
= failure discourages others. There
, reason to believe that Vermont peopl
, rave some three hundred to fou
hundred million dollars invested GU
side the state. For 80 years Vernon
$ laws have been encouraging the inves
+ ment of Vermont money away frol
Vermont. Much of this investment
lin mortgages on land far infcrit
to Vermont farms.
II The experience of the West and Sout
G shows that these neglected farms ,
Windham and other countries can be T
sold to active farmers if the busine
is fairly and honestly done on a has
n absolutely safe and yielding an intere
5 return of four to six per cent. Alor
> this line is the great opportunity
the growth and prosperity of Vernon
II in the future. 1t doesn't get Il
n, thought and attention it deserves.
st The finest opening in the state
,s make a start is in the towns of Il
West river valley in Windham count
Is We should like to sec the men
a. Windham county arise to their oppc
S. tunitY.