Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1917-02-02
DEPoPULATED FARMS.



The Bennington Banner approves Of
Christmas tree cutting if the job is
thoroughly done, arguing that the en-
croachment of the trees destroys what
was formerly valuable pasture land.
In some eases which have come under
our observation the trees have been
chopped down regardless of the future
conditions and the land left covered
with haggled stumps of various
heights, with the ground strewn with
| limbs which became fire menace
when dried. When it comes to the
problem Of restoring former pastures
and faimlands, The Phoenix wishes to
record it's opinion that thousands of
acres never fitted by nature for farms
were cleared CT forests years ago. These
| lands ought to have remained forest
lands, as they are suitable for grow
| ing timber and nothing else. Vermont
! today needs intensive and scientific cul-
| ture of lands suitable for cultivation
more than it needs destruction of for
ests to add to our tillablc acreage
BIattlcboro Phoenix.
1t is undoubtedly true that in the
carly days of Vermont some land was
cleared that might better have been
left in forest, but it is also true tina:
during the pasr forty years thousands
Of acres of tillable land in Vermont
has been allowed to go back to forest.
The reason was that because of the
heavy emigration to the west from the
rural towns there were not enough
people left to till the farms. The
town of Guilford, which borders Brat
tleboro on the south. had in 1891,
when the FIST census of Vermont was
pi~..aa ,l.,N. -
people and was the most populouS
town i'll the state. In 1910 when the
latest census was taken the popula-
ton of Guilford was 769, a decrease
of more than two-thirds in 100 years.
1t is fact that Guiford was over
populated in 1890 for an agricultural
town, but it is also a fact that the
town is underpopulated today and The
Banner believes that it could point out
to The Phoenix fifty good farms in the
town of Guiford that are not occupied
today and not a few that have grown
up again to forest. Even the thriving
and growing manufacturing town of
| BIattleboro has within its borders sew
eral one-time farms which supported
happy families where now it would
take a person familiar with the locali-
ty to guide the visitor through the
woods or brush to the old celar-holc
over which was once home. And OF
these farms a large proportion were
deserted because of lack of cultivatorS
of the soil and not because the land
was too poor or too rough to till. Ali
through the towns of Windham county
similar condition prevails. Within
walking distance of the little village Of
West Waldsboro there are fully a hun
drcd farms either wholly deserted or
practically uncultivated. In the bcauti-
full valley known by the unlovely name
of "Podunk' there is a whole group
OF good farms, some of them with farm
buildings still standing. all apparently
doomed to soon return to their pristine
wilderness. Only few months ago we
noticed in The Phoenix itself a state
ment that in one school district in
Townshend there were forty dormant
farms The Banner docsn't feel very
badly about this condition. 1t considers
these dormant farms splendid assets OF
the state of Vermont which our sue
cessors will find as valuable as money
in the bank. On the whole we are in
clined to think that virgin farm land
will prove of even greater benefit to
the future prosperity of Vermont than
bank deposits, for the land cannot be
carried outside the state, but we can
not cnthusc much over reforestatiDn
and "saving the young spruces" as do
some of our friends. We fear there is
danger of too much reforestation in
Vermont. Our ancestors had to clear
the land and dig out the stumps to
make n start. A tenth part of the
effort thew put forth would clear most
/ of our hill fields of rocks and make
! splendid farms of land which some
mistaken enthusiasts want set out to
forest trees. The editor of The Phoenix
is familiar with the way DR.. Homer
. c. Brigham made a good farm of n
rockY pasture in the town of Stowe.
| 1t required few sticks of dynamite,
a team of horses and some DAYS of hard
work. but it was worth the effort
! Windham county aud also several othcr
counties in the state of Vermont need
a few DR., Brighams in every town.