Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1915-06-11
LANDS OF COL. JOSEPH BATTELL.


A Press Bulletin issued by the Vermont
Forestry Department
It's seldom that the will of a Vermont
man has had so 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 a
school boy collects postage stamps, and
like some stamps collected only from
sentiment, many of these tracts have
become very valuable owing to the
growing scarcity of timber. These
large holdings have now been divided
through gift and bequest among Mid
dlebury College, the State of Vermont,
and the United States Government.
Some three or four years ago Col.
Battell gave to the State tract com
prsing about 1,200 acres on Camel's
Hump, including the summit which has
an elevation of over 1900 feet The
western slope of this mountain, con-
tanned in the gift, is covered with
splendid spruce timber. and its preserv-
alton by the State will assure the con-
tinuance of the mountain as point of
interest Even now the camp kept at
the top by the Came's Hump Club of
Waterbury, is annually visited by fully
1000 people. The eastern slope of the
mountain, situated mostly in the town
of DuXbury, was badly burned over in
1903, shortly after numbering. 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 encourag-
ing that the work has been con-
tinued this year, and 90, 900 Norway
spruce have been planted on this area
during the past few weeks. A crew of
twenty-five men We're camped about
half way up the mountain in tents fur
nished by the State militia. These to-
gether with the trees had to be taken
up by OK teams, as the wood roads are
too rough for horses. During the sum-
mer man will be kept on the noun
tain looking out for fires, improving
the trail etc
That the lands left to Middlebury
College are also to be conserved is vel
shown by the beginnings already made
by the executors Of the estate, President
John NJ. Thomas ard Mr.. Thomas f.
Bovce In large holding Of 20,0O(
acres there are naturally many smal
openings unfit for agriculture. With
the advice Of the State Forestry de
partment the executors have adopted
/ the policy Of reforesting such areas anC
have just completed the planting Of
$4,000 trees, both pine aed spruce
raised under the direction Of Prof
Lambert of Mddlebury College Plan-
are also under way for the better pro
lection of the mountain lands from fire
by the construction of telephone line;
and the employment of patromen in co
operation with the State Forester.
The lands left by Col Battell to the
United States Government include
Lincoln Mountain, or Ellen Mountain
as he preferred to call it, This is one
of the finest mountains Of the State anC
one which deserves more visits than il
receives The State Forestry Depart
ment vii. shortly make an examination
of these lands at the request Of the
United States Forest Service A
report will be made to the Coy
eminent as to the exact loca-
ton Of the lands, the character 4 OF
the timber upon them, their ac-
feasibility by roads, etc. Upor
this report the Government vii
probably base its policy Of manage
/ Opnt