The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1916-05-11
sPRINGTIMK IN VERMONT

As Seen by '~fh. Nomad" Of tn.
Bo~ion Transcript in Recent Quest
for Spring.
Weary Of waiting for the spring II
this latitude. the Nomad went north
for in the midst Of last Fridays snow
storm, and found il in full measure
In radiant warmth and life II WAS
not the first time that he has seen the
weather warm up as he went north
ward The American climate has its
little tricks Of that sort Montreal
and Ottawa have had "A better spring
this year than Boston: in fact, II their
spring had been at all different from
ours, i, must have been better Las;
Friday noon, when Nomad embarked
on train on the Southern Division"
$50 called because il runs TO the north }
Boston was under a deep and dismal
pail of snow Winchester, Whining
ton, Billerica, Lowell--they were all
snow-enwrapped--fields, lawns, pas
lures, all wintry white, trees burden
ened with snow The Nomad began to
think that the magic of Spring 10 the
northward" did not work. Nashua !;
there was a stop there; the train NOV
ed on out OF the station; you looked
out of the car window-and not a
flake Of snow anywhere in sight; fields
quite green, and a slow rain making
them greenor every minute; north
ward, northward, and spring coming
at last.
All the way up the Merrimac the
greenness seemed TO increase, and
even in the long climb over the hills
from the Merrimac 10 the Connecticut,
green things cleaned along the track,
and there was no snow except in spots
on the high hills. OF Kearsage, proud
in his new assurance of undisputed
possession of his ancient name, oneI
had but a peep, for the rain was still
falling, and the clouds wrapped the
mountains summit, but we saw broad
stretches of snow on his upper reach
es, and the same as to Carrigan.
But Vermont on Saturday and Sun
day There was spring indeed, and
such a sweep and fill of it as one had
seen nothing of in Massachusetts. For
that matter, in Vermont there is al
ways more Of spring TO the acre, more
of spring to the minute, than any
where else in the world, because the
fat soil makes the blossoms bigger
than elsewhere, and the hills and
lodges provide sheltered thermal belts
where the warmth and the flowers
come on in splendor even when snow
hanks are close by, and the rich vari-
cty Of timker affords the proper condi-
t;ons for every lovely thing that
grows
In Vermont, yesterday and Satur- [
day, the children were bringing in
handfuls Of trailing arbutus, some OF
the sprays Of which were as pink as q
roses, with masses of waxy leaves; n
bloodroot, whose white flowers were I
Of size which would be incredible in I
our leaner meadows; hepaticas white, S
pink and blue; and clusters of cerulean o
from the pastures. What 0
sheets and sheets of bloodroots along il
he bank even by the roadside And
hese Vermont hepaticas are unrlvall- t
ID even in New England. Imagine a d
lower which on the same bank, in the o
ame cluster, is alternately pure white, Ii
deep, heavenly blue, and pink ("
which started out, perhaps, to be h
,lue, but changed its mind half way !"
md achieved a wonderful rosy tint n
which retains just romantic memory r,
IN exquisite dream, of the blue which 6
| started out to be The graduations
4 color in these Vermont hepaticas I,
oined with their size, make them such s.
decoration Of the spring up there as d.
re cannot hope for in our more bar ..
en- Massachusetts soil. Ii
In Vermont. too. the life OF the n,
eople suggested spring a great deal al
lore than ours ever can. The spring 1.
-ork ON the farms is in full tide. The ii
zen ploughing on the meadows are nile
heir shirtsleevcs. The upturned h,
arth makes a spring smell. So do the n,
rush and chips burning up around the O
ouse. The children are bareheaded, or
ghtly dressed, free, and their faces Ia
-e sweaty with their joyous play 81
Here is pasture where the cows co
-e turned out. and they arc eating the
rshly sprouting young grass as II
we're strawberries and cream at GO
rty cents a plate IN the thickets ye
ong the brook the catkins are biz III
N fat or the natiyc willows, and
q white Willows arc az least as green
,hcy are G0wn-cauntry, ] heir
ossofns make the elms az great mass