Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1919-03-19

Passumpsic Rivers railroad in 1860
was the signal for a great change.
The next three decades saw all the
towns away from the railroads attain
their maximum population and begin
to decline, while the railroad towns
continued 10 grow at an ever quick
ening rate. The need for the old
household industries having passed
forever the rural towns were slow
in adapting their resources 70 their
new opportunities. The type Of ag-
riculture, as we shall see in the next
chapter. changed in response 10 the
fierce competition with the new land
in the West, but the small villages
with their small water powers failed
20 devote their energies 10 the build
ing Of new and permanent Industries.
As theory that has been suggested
TO account for this failure. Rossiter
may be quoted again: ''The
drain of strong and resourceful citi-
zens 70 other states near and far left
large numbers OF Vermont communi-
ties Ill equipped 70 venture into man
ufacturing enterprises; since these TO
succeed. require exactly the qualities
which emigration had begun TO with
draw long before manufacturing be-
came of much consequence anywhere
in New England"
OF the eighteen towns in the county
only four have manufacturing plants
Of anv size: Barton, Derby. Newport,
and Troy. and practically all the
large industries OF the county are
woodworking. The distribution OF
the large mills. and also the 40 local
or custom Sawmills. IS shown in Map
s. The WIDESPREAD distribution OF
these little mills shows the great i'm
rortance OF the forests 70 these
small communities. Approximately
900 nan are employed IN the wood
--0-lSirg mills Al NeUror-. 500 at o.
cans where the Chandler Co make
-eariv al the piano Sounding boards
TSed IN -niS cCurt--. 125 q North
-r0- and 80 81 Barton. Since these
fgrrss -ere secured the Vermont
Outer Tub Co.'S factory a. Barton
'-o= Burned ard viii rot he rebuilt
3--z7c % the lack o. available tim Gar-
Superficial indications point 70 the
distressing fact that within 2 very
few years there will not be any tim
Der areas OF importance in the cOun-
u. The large mills OF Orleans and
Newport through their portable mills
the local mills, and the annual drives
in the Black river, have thoroughly
deforested the large areas OF noun
tain land and are using an increas-
ing amount of Canadian lumber.
These deforested lands are good for
little except timber growth, and are
now hardly. worth their taxes. There
have been serious forest fires around
Jay peak, upon the Lowell mountains
and those in Westmore.
There are yet small plots of good
timber on many farms, though the
Il 1r--ar-l -ho- both
these and many OF the best sugar or
chards are passing under the axe.
The 1910 census returns show the ag-
gregate Of farm woodlands TO be
twice as great as the area of forest
land not in farms, the exact figures
being 124 .931 and 63,011 acres. In
Industrial Vermont" the statement
Is made repeatedly that there is ar
opportunity for woodworking indus
tries TO locate II these smaller towns
In the face OF the lessenlng timber
supply. industries OF this kind can eZ-
ist in the future only through 4
countrywide appreciation and prac-
tee OF forestry principles. As early
as 1902 an agent OF the bureau OF
forestry reported upOu the exhaustion
OF the Vermont forests, naming West
field. Troy and Lowell from Orleans
county and Sheffield. Wheelock and
Stannard IN Caledonia. towns which
supply the mills OF Glover and
Greensboro Bend, as being badly de-
forested.
With the great dependence OF the
prevailing industries upon the forest
that we find here, with the rapid de-
forestation already serious enough TO
affect the flow OF streams that should
be a source OF wealth through their
abundant power, and with the igno-
rance of actual conditions that
prompts the persons making the re-
turns in u Of the Is towns TO declare
there is an opportunity for wood
working industries IN their towns, the
need for modern forestry practices is
Il 0-c1 c-71---- TGC--- ~l--r11 -
made at once TO arouse the people 10
the need OF practical forest conser-
walton and the economic evils result
ing from the wholesale cutting OF
farm woodIots and the stripping OF
the mountain sides by the axe and
fire. To this end the state should
Immediately begin the creation of a
state forest upon some of these large
wooded areas, preferably around
Lake Willoughby, thus preserving
both forests and scenery
Among other industries of the
county are stone-cutting, which en-
ploys q few men at Barton, Derby.
Beebe Plain, North Derby, Greens
boro Bend and Newport: granite
quarrying at Derby and Barton; a
milestone plant at Evansville; manu-
facturies Of underwear at Barton en-
ploying 200 girls. OF overalls, coats
and other apparel al Derby employ
ing 800. and a similar plant at New
port Barton and West Derby have
machine shops and foundries, while
Butterfield & Co. at Derby Line is do
ing q thriving wartime business
manufacturing taps. dies and screw
plates. The Monarch Evaporation Co.
does q large business ar Newport
producing the Monarch line OF maple