83 



THE FARMERS' MONTHLY VISITOR. 



the parlor,>n wliicli was a large maror among otiier 

 costly decorations. The bull seeing Ins jjrecise 

 counterpart in the glass, attaclced Ira fancied an- 

 tagonist and dashed the glass in a lli> usand pieces. 

 The unlucky owner ascertaining the mischief, 

 found means to look through a window and shoot 

 the bull dead upon the spot. Carelully closing the 

 doors, he left the fallen enemy weltering in his 

 blood at the precise point where he fell, and dis- 

 covered him to the astonished owner and his fami- 

 ly when they returned in the evening from the ser- 

 vices of the sanctuary. 



Splendid View from ^Vetotlck. 



On the north side of Worcester county bordering 

 on Middlesex county on the east and the line of 

 New Hampshire on tlie north, is the town of Ash- 

 burnham. In the northeast point of this town i.? 

 the mountain Wetatick, seen far to the cast and 

 southeast in the fhape of a regular cone. The 

 line between, the State of New Hampshire and 

 Massachusetts passes over this mountain east and 

 west, the town of Neu -Ipswich, N. H. being on 

 the norllj, and Asbby, Ms. on the east. From tins 

 mountain can be descried with the naked eye, oth- 

 er mountains far to the north and northeast. The 

 beautiful twin prominences in Gofl'stown, Uucon- 

 oonucks (woman's breasts) which are seen at a 

 great distance up and down the valley of the Mer- 

 rimack, appear from the Wetatick as at your feet, 

 being at the distance of forty miles. The Jo Eng- 

 lish hill in New Boston, and the mountains in 

 Greenfield and Lyr.deborough come still nearer — 

 the mountains in Pittsfield and Nottingham appear 

 to be not far oft', and Agamenticus in Maine a little 

 to the right hand is distinct and clear to the sight. 

 Equally clear are tlie Guustock mountains on the 

 south, Red Hill on the west, the Ossipec moun- 

 tain stretching down on tlie north, and the Broek- 

 field mountain on tlie east of Lake Winnipisseogee 

 and near the line of the State of Maine. Beyond 

 is the Corway Peak near Cenwa^', at lire distance 

 of nearly one hundred and twenty miles on a di- 

 rect line. The Sandwich mountains also, and it is 

 believed Mount Washington itself one hundred and 

 fifty miles oft', may be identified from the same point. 

 The eye roves over a splendid scenery of moun- 

 tains. In the season of the rising of fog from the 

 river from the high grounds of Ashby and .Ash- 

 burnham may be distinctily discerned the belt fif the 

 Merrimack from Franklin, N. H. on the north to Ha- 

 verhill in Massachusetts on the east, enabling us to 

 loca e the several villages and posilicns all the way 

 upon the river. 



Ashbnruhani iu Mitssnchnsetts. 



The town of Asliburnhani was granted (o Thom- 

 as Tileslon and otiiers of Uorchf ster, Ms. for -'■cr- 

 vices rendered in Canada in ItibO, and was first 

 called Dorchester Canada. It was incorporated as 

 a town in 1765. It is less than a six miles stjuare 

 township, and has a population of about 2,0011, of 

 late fast increasing. Situated in a position upon 

 the summit of the mountain range, tjiore is less wa- 

 ter running into it either from the tffwns of Sew 

 Ipswich or Rindge on the north, or Xrom Westmin- 

 ster on the south, than would piss through the leg 

 of a man's boot. It lias, nevertheless, more sur- 

 face of water than any town in tiio county ofW'or- 

 ces er, and its meadows ami ponds are the sources 

 and feeders of both the Souhegan and Nashua riv- 

 ers, emptying into the iSIerrimack on tlie east, and 

 of Miller's river, an important triUutavv to the Con- 

 necticut. At tlie foot of the Wetatick from the 

 goutheaat to the northeast ore the ample ponds and 

 flowed meadows which contain water sutlicient in 

 the dryest season to furnish all the requisite power 

 for carrying many thousand spindles an.J hundreds of 

 looms in the manufacturing establishments at New 

 Ipswich, JIasoii, Wilton, Milford and Merrimack. 

 So slight would be the transition of this important 

 iTvater power, now purchased up and controlled for 

 the use of t'actories below, that it is said a day's 

 work of one man would turn the whole to the south 

 into a northerly branch of the Nashua, rurnishmo- 

 the same great water power to the town of Ashby 

 that now runs through New Ipswich. 



Scarcely half a mile west of these feeders, and 

 over a ridge that nnght be easily surmounted, is the 

 principal pond which is the source of the Nashua. 

 This pond of some three hundred acres, and one 

 of smaller dimensions at the foot of Little Weta- 

 tick above it, are the head and source of Nashua, 

 which furnishes water power for many laro-e cotton 

 and woollen factories, as well as for many smaller 

 establishments. These last ponds are nearly upon 

 a level and almost in contact with a larger pond of 

 about six hundred acres, near the centre of the 

 town, which is the source and feeder of Miller's 

 river. The waters of the great pond at no very 

 distant day evidently united witli the Nashua stream 



and cr.nlributrd much to increase its volume. In 

 two places it IS thiiuglit the water eomniunicates 

 either way by an underground passage. The val- 

 ley and channel througU the rocks over which the 

 water passed is there, as plain as the channel of 

 some recent stream which had subsided from the 

 drought of summer merely. The water is clogged 

 in this course only by the intervention of sand 

 which had ftlled up the water course, being blown 

 in by the northwest wind,wliich strikes with force 

 on this side of tlie little lake. This head water too 

 might be changed with very little labor, and would 

 make a loss of many thousand dollars on the one 

 hand, as it would of gain on the other, in such an 

 event. The volume of water passing out of this 

 town to the west, is probably greater tlian 

 that of both the streams at the east: between the 

 centre pond and tlie first pond west at the distance 

 of less than a mile is a fall of sixty feet. In this 

 distance three or more mills for pail and chair fac- 

 tories, saw and grist mills, arc alrciidy erected. 



Thirty years ago the stream fed by the ponds at 

 the head cf the Nashua river v."as thought to be 

 too inconsiderable for mills, especially near the 

 head. It has since been found to furnish the very 

 best and most convenient water power in the world 

 for the purposes to which it has been applied. — 

 Near that stream has grown up as a consequence of 

 this apparently small w"ater power, a village which 

 is the third in population and bu3iiie.^s in that im- 

 portant county, and the second (Fitchburg) in the 

 same countv, enly si.x miles below, on the same 

 stieam. The value of this water p -wer near the 

 summit level, results from its steadiness and uni- 

 formity. The severest, long continued rains do not 

 so raise the streams as to endanger the dams 

 and ether works from inundation — the severest 

 drought, remarkable as it may seem, exhausts not 

 the constant supply of water, as it dees in the 

 country below. In the distance of one mile and a 

 half, as the stream passes towards and through the 

 village, the water has a gradual fall of more than a 

 hundred feet. The hill conies down on either side 

 30 that dams commanding a head and I'all of some 

 ten or tv,-elve feci are easily erected. These dams 

 are placed at tlie distance of twenty, Ihivty and for- 

 1 tv rods t'rom each other, creating successive ponds 

 or reservoirs. Standing at a point a little elevated, 

 we could cast our eye at the same moment on nve 

 of these ponds, the one elevated above the other, 

 and each furnishing the power for some manu- 

 facture. Tiie iiivenlions of the last few years, bv 

 the aid of this little stream, furnish ihc means for 

 v.'ork heretofore done by hand, which would be in- 

 credible to those who had not witnessed it. From 

 green sapling pines, in the course of a few iiours, 

 arc manufactured these improved and beautil'ul 

 tubs and pails whicli are Ibund at many of tile 

 country stores. The process is sim]ile and rapid : 

 The circular saw at first takes the green log, cuts 

 it in twain and in length, shaping each stave so as 

 to match the staves composing the vessel. By a 

 similar process the bottom of the vessel is shaped 

 and prepared. Both are taken to a dry house where 

 in the course of a few hours the timber is amply 

 seasoned. The staves are halved or grooved, so 

 that the edge cf one can be inserted into the other, 

 b\' a process as rapid as they can be handled. Set 

 together, they are fastened liy the lower iron hoop, 

 and placed upon a lathe, where the}* are in a mo- 

 ment made smooth as with a plane upon the out- 

 side : a similar process on another lathe shaping 

 the iii'.iide completes that part. The process of pre- 

 jiaring, adapting and fastening the bottom is the 

 work of a moment. The completion of iron hoop- 

 ing and earing follov.'s to finish the work as far as it 

 is done iiere. Tiirec young men, wilii the aid of the 

 water power saving labor, arc able to complete, 

 with the exception ofbailing and painting, seventy- 

 five to a hundred twelve quart ]iails in a day. The 

 process of chair making is equally ra])id. A green 

 maple, or beech, or basswood log is in a few mo- 

 ments disposed of and made into chair rounds or 

 chair backs. Immense piled loads of the manu- 

 factured articles, used in all parts frf the United 

 States, are sent weekly to Boston, Providence and 

 other markets. The painting and completion of 

 the manufacture is usually omitted until the article 

 arrives at the place from whence it is to be vended. 



From a condensed account by the Massachusetts 

 Secretary of State of the manufactures of that State 

 in the year 1^37, we obtain tiie amount of man- 

 ufactures in Asliburnhani in that year. They were 

 of cotton manufactures ^1.5,(j00; boots and shoes 

 3,06.5 ; leather tanned and curried .f 23, .509 ; hats 

 manufactured by one person ^337 5t) j chairs and 

 cabinet ware $37,3110 12; jialni leaf hats manufac- 

 turcfi exclusively by women and children to the 

 value of $19,944. The palm leaf hats have greatly 

 fallen off from the failure of a market; but other 



important manufactures have been added. The 

 ciiue seating of chairs now furnishes new employ- 

 ment for many hands i — improved scyihe snaths 

 are made with great success ; and the pails and 

 tubs are an important addition. Activity and in- 

 dustry are evinced in all these manufactures. So 

 busily of a wei'k day are all hands, male and fe- 

 male, engaged, that the streets are still aiH desert- 

 ed, e.vcept some neighboring I'armer comes into the 

 village, or travellers pass on the principal roads. 

 The order is reversed of stillness on the Sabbath ; 

 for the two meeting houses are filled morning and 

 evening by the well dressed males and beautiful 

 females whose delight it has been to furnish the 

 fashionable garments which adorn them, from the 

 avails of their cv.'n industry. We would not be 

 surprised if the manufactures of this little town 

 shall be increased so that they will yield nearer 

 1^210,000 than 300,000 dollars, in the year 1639. 



The town of Ashburuhrni, the plane of our child- 

 hood from ten tj fourteen years of age, thirty-seven 

 years ago, was the I ist place from which v/e expec- 

 ted the improvements we have noticed. Bj' nature 

 and by appearance it was lei2 inviting, except in a 

 liappv and contented and intelligent, though poo" 

 population, than ulmo.-t an_v other town ot the in- 

 terior : It v.-as cousinored as decidedly the poorest 

 town of Worcester county. The soil v.-as looked 

 upon as poor, as much of it was then and some of 

 it continues now to be clothed with rocks, both gi- 

 gantic and little, as with u gariueui. It was hard 

 and difficult of pen>'triitioii with the plough, the 

 hoe, or the spade. To break up a t'lcld, the stout 

 iron bar must come iu aid of the plough. The al- 

 most sole advantage of the early cle-aring was that 

 the pasturage was excellent on many of the hills ; 

 and where the edge of the scythe could lie kcj't 

 from the rocks, hay v.ai abundant. Good crops of 

 rye were obiained from the burnt ground : the su- 

 gar maple furnished abundance of sweetening lo 

 such as %vcre industrious to tap the trees and gath- 

 er and boil doivii the juice iu the early spring. In 

 their season there v.-as abundance of strawberries 

 in the cleared grounds; and huge bl.ackberry and 

 raspberry vines usurped a better g-rowth where the 

 farmers had been unable to procure honey-suckle, 

 clover or otiier grass seeds for their newly cleared 

 grounds. .Mount Hunger and Wetatick furnished 

 whortleberries unci blueberries in superabundance 

 Such a matter as niciiey, at that time, if it did not 

 fall by the death or gilt of some relative in the low- 

 er towns, was sehlcm n.el with in Ashburnham. 

 That was not the agi' of paper money : htllc hard 

 money was requiud or expected in the ordmarj- 

 business. Tile articles from the store W"ere princi- 

 pally purchased with the butter which the milch 

 cows generously yielded. In the summer, the 

 lambs of thi> flock, always excellent upon the iiill 

 pastures, were sold in Mtchange for family ncccs- 

 sar.es; in the fall and'vinter, a sparp^at yoke of 

 oxen, cow or hog;, or jierhaps flocks of fiit o-eese, 

 turkeys, ducks or chickens, were killed, dressed and 

 sentto market and returned to the fiiniily what was 

 more welcome than money. The taxes oi' the 

 town — and the minister was supported by a general 

 town tax — were paid, not in money, but in written 

 orders of the selectmen which passed iu the town 

 in place of money. 



A great grandfather on the maternal side, Thoim- 

 .^s AoA.xs, whose son JoH.v Ad.u;.^ yet survives 

 him at the age of iiinety-feur yeais, purchased 

 what was called the Cambridge farm, m Ashbum- 

 ham — a thousand acres in one bod\-.— [.rior to the 

 revolutionary war. He settled on lliat land about 

 the year 1775, and there died in the year 16b2, at 

 the age of ninety-two years. A lot tor a farm was 

 given to each of his children, whose descendants 

 "to the third and fourth generation'' still own and 

 occupy a portion of the same land That thousand 

 acres is nearly every fool capable of cultivation, 

 and is now lotted out into ten to fifteen farms, to 

 own either ofwlnch, free from debt, would make a 

 man independent. The average value ol that thou- 

 sand acres, situated on the eastern ccnftnes of the 

 town, is now, at least ibrty dollars the acre : a sin- 

 gle acre of pasture ground sold but a fewdavs 

 since for cultivation atone luindred and twenty-five 

 dollars. 



One mile and a half from the village is a lot of 

 land owned in Cuucord, Ms. by a family of that 

 name which has been called the Clark pasture for 

 manyye.-rs, used solely without cultivation as a 

 summer pasture for fatting cattle. Year after year 

 has this ground been pastured without any applica- 

 tion of tilliige or manure ; and it is now as it was 

 forty years ago so productive that grass may annu- 

 ally be mown on ground where the cattle daily 

 feed. The owner of this pasture will sell it for not 

 less than fifty dollars the acre. 



The tilled fields, mowing jfrounds and pastures 



