Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-06-10
bATTELL LANDS
RE-F0RESTEO WITH
STATE ASSISTANCE

Mddlebury, June cit is seldom
that the will of Vermont man
has had as far reaching an influence
as that of the late Col Joseph Battell Of
Middlebury. For many years he had been
collecting wild lands, much as Il school
boy collects postage stamps, and like
some stamps collected only from senti-
ment. many of these tracts have become
very valuable owing to the growing scar
city of timber. These large holdings have
now been divided through gift and be-
quest among Middlebury College. the
State of Vermont, and the United States
government
Some three or four years ago Col Bat
tell gave to the state a tract compris-
ing about 1900 acres on Cancels Hump,
including the summit which has an ele-
walton of over 4,0oO feet The western
slope of this mountain. contained in the
gift. is covered by splendid spruce tim
Der, and its preservation by the State will
assure the continuance of the mountain
as a point of interest. Even now the
camp, kept at the top by the Camel's
Hump club of Waterbury. is annually
visited by fully 1850 persons. The
eastern slope of the mountain,
situated mostly in the town Of DuXbury,
was badly burned over in 1903 shortly
after lumbering There is here one of
the largest tracts of waste land in the
State Two years ago the State forestry
department planted few acres of this
brush land with spruce and pine. The
success of the experiment has been so
encouraging that the work has been con-
tinuod this year. and 5000 Norway
spruce have been planted on this area
during the past few weeks. crew of
twenty-five men was camped about
half way up the mountain in tents fur
nished by the Vermont National Guard.
These, together with the trees, had to
be taken up by OK teams as the wood
roads are too rough for horses. During
the summer a man will be kept on the
mountain looking out for fires. improving
the trail. etc.
That the lands left to Middlohury College
are also to be conserved is we'll shown
by the beginnings already made by the
executors of the estate, President John
NJ. Thomas and Mr.. Boyce. In large
holding of 20,000 acres there are natural
ly many small openings unfit for agri-
culture. With the advice of the State
forestry department the executors have
adopted the policy of rcforcstlng such
areas and have just completed the plant
ing of about 5000 trees, both pine and
spruce, raised under the direction of Pro
fessor Lambert Of Middlebury College
Plans are also under way for the better
protection of the mountain lands from
fire by the construction OF telephone lines
and the employment of patrolmen in CO.
operation with the State forester.
The lands left by Colonel Battel to the
United States government include Lincor
Mountain or Ellen Mountain, as he called
It because of his admiration for Ellen's
Isle in Scotland. This is one of the fin
est mountains of the State and one which
well deserves more visits than it re-
ceives. The State forestry department
will shortly make an examination of thes,
lands at the request of the United states
forest service. a report will be made t.
the government as to the exact ocator
of the lands, the character of the timber
upon them, their accessibility by roads
etc Upon this report the government
will probably base its policy Of manage.
ment.