Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1919-04-23

70 1910 than the state as q whole.
During this period the state gained
1850 while the county gained
1882. The strictly agricultural
counties of the Connecticut valley
have declined in population from
22,1S9 N 1850 TO 112,731 In 1910, or
more than Sc, but Orleans has Civ
En- an increase for the same 60 years
Of 1850.
The accompanying table shows the
years at which the towns of the
county attained their maximum pop
/ ulation.O Only four, the manufacturing
/ towns already mentioned, reported
their maximum Ito date) IN 1910,
none in 1900, 2 in 1890, 1 in 1880, 2
/ II 1870, ) in 1860 and l was at its
maximum in both 1860 and 1870.
/ These figures show that all the towns
/ IN the county that depend upon ag-
riculture alone have been decreasing
since 1890 and that the majority of
them felt this tendency before 1870,
/ ! tendency which began TO be serious
/ n the state as early as 1880, and
/ first appeared IN the census figures
/ Of the county in 1850.
| If the four manufacturing towns
are excluded from the figures for
both 1880 and 1910, though they were
/ strictly agricultural at the earlier
date. we find that the remaining Il
/ increased only 1859 during the
period, while the four that have felt
/ the modern commercial stimulus IN
creased 249.4cc or nearly two and
One-haf their population when they
were dependent on the product Of
the soil for their wealth This in
crease in the population Of the four
manufacturing towns has resulted N
the substantial increase Of 14-STc
that the county has enjoyed since
1850.
During the period Of 1900 70 1880
Orleans county was just opened TO
settlement and in the following three
decades II grew more rapidly than
the remainder of the state and
moreover, it attained this greater in
crease at the expense of the earlier
settled portions OF the state From
1860 at the coming OF the railroad
the county began to feel the new ir-
fuences that reached theeir effect in
the economIc revolution of New En-
gIar1 agriculture about the years
1S70-S0. At that time the strictly
rural towns Of the county attained
their maximum population and began
10 decline, while the four manufac-
turing towns OF the county ike the
other urban towns Of the state be
gan the rapid population increase
that has characterized the growth OF
New England during the last fifty
years.
We cannot say that this popuIa
ton decline Of the rural towns Is u
be depIored, for the Introduction Of
machinery and the change in agrIcul
tural methods Of the past half cen
fury have Iessened the number o
those who live directly upon the land
But there IS an evil tendency in thI
decline OF the rural districts that
best brought out by Table Is, show
ing the close relationships betwee
population change, tax increase, an
the distance Of the community fror
the railroad
= At the rate of decrease shown D
the towns there Is no such danger Q
ultimate abandonment Of the tow
as Rossiter somewhat pessimisticall
pictures IN discussing certain town
Of N state that have continually DE-
creased for years. But for all praG
\ teal purposes, however, from n
, economic standpoint, Z town become
4 almost Z blank when. having ono
been Of some consequence, It Is r
duced 10 3 condition IN which IN
community can barely sustain itse
and hence can contribute no strengt
TO the state either IN numbers, mel
, tai power or wealth" While thes
J. and still more gloomy pictures thz
: Rossiter paints may be true and
) be feared, Orleans county Is not {
4 present IN any serious danger fro
n Population Decline z