JfarmcrS JlWtlrlg tesit^r. 



COiNDUCTKU BV ISAAC HILL. 



" Those wrio labor jn the earth ahe the chosen i-eofl-e of Gnu, whosk niiEAaTa he hah made his pecu 



LIAB DEPoaiTE FOR SUBSTANTIAL A«D OSWUINE V IRTU E."— ./fjfcr/fO?!. 



VOLUME VII. 



CONCORD, N. H., OCTOBER 31, 184o. 



NUMBER 10. 



THK PARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR, 



rUHMSlU.U BY 



ISAAC HILL, & SONS, 



ISSt'ED Orf THE LAST DAY OF EVERY MOM'H, 



At Atheuiaii Building. 



{jUiy^liE^tEnAL AnE'<:T3. — n. Cook, Kecnc, N 11. ; '1'momas 

 R. Hampton, Wasliingtcn City, D. C- ; John Marsh, VViisli- 

 ingtoii St. Bostiiii, iMas^'i Charles Warren, Briuley Row, 

 Wurft'dter, Musjj. 



TERMS,— To single subscribcr.-i, Fifty Cents. Ten per 

 ^ceni. win be allowed to the person who shnll send more than 

 one subscriber. Twelve copies will be sent for the advance 

 payment of Ficr Dollars ; twenty-five copies for Ten Dollars; 

 sixty copies for Twenty Dollars. The paymenl in every case to 

 be made in advance. 



^Ci^^ioncy and subscTtptions^ by a rcrridation of the Post Master 

 Qtuuralyinuy in alleascs be rcmtttid by the Post Jilastcr, free oj 

 posta<rc. 



J^-'AII gentlemen who have heretofore acted as Afjents are 

 requested to continue their ARenty. Old subscribers who 

 come under the new lernts, will please notify us of the names 

 already on our books. 





For the Farmer's Montlily Visitor. 

 Sketch of the Town of Sutton, N. H. 



Sutton is a large towiisliip situated on tlie 

 lieiglit of land between the JVleri'iiiiack and Con- 

 necticut rivers*, near the north-western extremity 

 of Merrimacli county, in latitude 43'= 19 ni., is 

 boundeil north by iVew London, west by Newbu- 

 ry, south by Bradford and Warner, and east by 

 VVilinot ami Warner. It is twenty-seven miles 

 from Concord, sixty-five from Portsmouth, and 

 eighty frojn Boston, and contains about twenty- 

 five thousand aci-es. 



To the traveller passing throirgh this town 

 from north to south, over any of the great tlio- 

 rouglifares, it presents a cold and extremely 

 rough and tnountaiuons appearance. Nothing 

 but a succession of rocky pastures, tangled wood- 

 lands and gloomy vallies, present a scene of pe- 

 culiar desolation totlie eye of the tourist, render- 

 ed doubly uninteresting by the almost entire ab- 

 sence of cultivated fields and rural h.-ibitalions. 

 But here he beholds what may be termed the 

 wildest and pooiest portion of tlie town. Pass- 

 ing back from tlic road a few miles, by winding 

 about among the hills or crossing the numerous 

 highlands, the pi'ospect is com|)letely changed — 

 when the beholder will meet with pleasant vil- 

 lages, rich and cultivated fields, and a Ijiisy and 

 thriving population. In fiict, a continual series 

 of sharp conical hills, high mountains and deep 

 shadowy vallies comprise the whole area of the 

 town. There are but few plains of any extent, 

 while the undaunted hand of man has conrpiered 

 the rude obstacles of naiuie, levelled the forests, 

 imil peopled these wild and rugged liills, with a 

 bold and hardy race. 



With these brief general remarks, a short but 

 imperfect sketch is given of the most prominent 

 features of the town — its lakes and streams — dif- 

 ferent kinds of Ibrest growth — its mountains, 

 roads and settlements, political and religious af- 

 fairs, minerals and longevity, and variety of soil 

 and production. 



Streams and Lakes. — Situated on the height of 

 land between the Merrimack and Connecticut 

 rivers, consequently there are no large streams 

 or rivers in Sutton. A small brook comes down 

 from the western side of Kearsarge inonnlain, 

 which, passing through several meadows at the 

 base of the mountain, pursues a turbulent course 

 in a rough wilderness in a southern direction and 

 enters Warner river near the south line of the 

 town. This stieam, called Stevens' Biook, is 

 well stocked with trout. Tlic principal stream 



or brook, which flows nearly seven niiles through 

 the entire length of the town, rises from two 

 small ponds on the height of land in New London. 

 Passing ihioijgh several meadows at the base of 

 King's Hill in the north-western part of Sutton it 

 enters Kezar's pond, a pretty sheet of water of 

 several miles in circumference, on the eastern 

 shore of which is located the North Village. — 

 From the pond it pmsues a circuitous comse 

 nearly three miles through a woody plain, when 

 it tumbles in a wild and foaming cascade, fur- 

 nishing several valuable mill sites, at what is 

 now called the Mill Village, near the centre of the 

 mwn, whence it pursues a rugged course till it 

 joins Warner river on the line between the two 

 towns. Several small streams flow into Lake 

 Sunapee, from the eastern side of King's Hill. 



Ponds. — There are fom- ponds in Sutton, viz: 

 Kezar's pond, najiied from one of the early set- 

 tlers who located upon its shores, situated in the 

 north part of the town ; Gile's pond ; Russell's 

 poiid and Long pond, near the northerly line of 

 Bradford. These ponds are well stored with 

 fish of various kinds. During the winter months 

 abundance of perch and pickerel are caught 

 through holes cut in ice by people from the 

 neighboring towns. On the west shore of Ke- 

 zar's pond, near the base of a rocky eminence, 

 many Indian relics have been found ; such as ar- 

 rows, totriahawks, gouges, mortars, &c., near the 

 vicinity of an ancient Indian burial-ground. 



The Hills and Mountains of Sutton attract con- 

 siderable attention. Perhaps no town in the vi- 

 cinity can boast a more beautiful and greater va- 

 riety. The south peak of Kearsarge lies jiartly 

 in this town, and partly in Warner and Salisbury; 

 the more northern and highest peak lying whol- 

 ly in VVilmot. From the top of this mountain, 

 which rises from its firm and everlasting base, 

 more than 3,000 feet above the level of the 

 ocean, is presented one of the most sublime and 

 pictmesque landscape views in New England. 

 From the White Mountains and the far-off high 

 lands of Coos on the north, to the Blue hills of 

 Massachusetts on the south— from the dim out- 

 line of the Atlantic on the east, to the Green 

 Mountains of Vermont on the west, a vast and 

 beautiful succession of hills, mountains, lakes, 

 streams, woodlands and villages, comprising the 

 principal towns of New Hampshire, lay spread 

 out before the astonished eye of the beholder, as 

 iipon a broad and variegated map. King's Hill 

 lies ill the north-eastern part of the town, near 

 the line of Newbury. This hill rises to within 

 a lew feet as high as the .southern peak of Kear- 

 sarge, presenting (rom its sutmnit a wild and 

 bcantiftil prospect. In a serene atmosphere the 

 White hills, the Franconia mountains, Moosehil- 

 lock, in Benton, Cardigan, in Orange, with an 

 innumerable group of lesser hills, are distinctly 

 seen to the north-west. On the west the woody 

 sides of the majestic Sunapee mountain between 

 Newbury and Goshen looms up to view iiimie- 

 diately before you — while at its base and striking 

 away a dozen miles to the north, the broad bos- 

 om of Sunapee lake, dotted with nmnerous 

 islands, capes and promontories, glitters in the 

 sunlight like a sea of molten silver. Still farth- 

 er on, old Ascutney lifts its summit to the clouds 

 from the banks of the Connecticut — beyond 

 which, in the blue distance the Green Mountains 

 of Vermont bound the area of vision. To the 

 south and east the eye lakes in the grand Mon- 

 adiiock in Jaffrey, the twin eminences of Goffs- 

 town, the Unconoonucks — Keaisarge, Rugged 

 Mountain, and the many eminences of Strafford 

 and Belknap counties. On the very summit of 

 this hill is an immense granite boulder, which 

 may be regarded a curiosity : weighing nearly 

 one hundred tons, so exactly poised upon an- 

 other rock as to be visibly moved by the hand or 

 even by a high wind. Upon this hill is found 



Stale. The soil is a dec|i strong brown lonmi 

 resting on a clay std)soil, and when brought un- 

 der cidtivalion, capal>le of producing the most 

 abundant crops of wheat, corn, oats, grass and 

 such other vegetable productions, nalinal to the 

 New England hills. Valuable ami extensive 

 beds of rich blue clay are also found here, 

 which, when manufactured into biick, afford a 

 gooil profit to the farmer. On this hill are im- 

 mense ledges of the best granite, lying in beds 

 of different strata, or in huge boulders. Blocks 

 of any width or thickness wished for, are easily 

 split out, while the quarry appears to be inex- 

 haustible. In the vicinity is a remarkable pile of 

 rocks, thrown together in wild confusion, exhib- 

 iting to the eye the appearance of some sudden 

 convulsion ol' nature. What formerly seemed to 

 be an immense ledge, is so completely rent in 

 |)ieces, that fragments of the different strata re- 

 main piled upon each other, in such irregular 

 order as to form several caves or natural 

 "ovens" of great curiosity. 



There are many other hills of consiilerable 

 note in Sutton, among which are Dean's hill, ly- 

 ing in the north part near the line of New Lon- 

 don, upon which are several valuable farms ; — 

 Lake's hill, near the north village ; Wadleigh's 

 hill, near the residence of Hon. Beiija. Wadleigh ; 

 South Meeting-honse hill, at the south village, on 

 which is an extensive black lead mine, but fiom 

 some adverse causes now unworked. Dresser's 

 and Kimball's hills are situated in the south-east 

 part of Sutton, near the line of Warner. On ail 

 these hills the soil affords valuable pasturage, and 

 in many cases rich and extensive farms. 



Of the forest growth, this town embraces near- 

 ly all kinds incident to the climate of New Eng- 

 land. Of the Pine there are several varieties ; 

 and extensive tracts of the noble white pine slill 

 remain as monuments of the former beauty and 

 grandeur, which, on account of its valuable qual- 

 ities in cabinet and other manufacture, are pre- 

 served wilh_great cave. The Norway pine, and 

 the Yellow or Pitch pine grow in the vallies and 

 along the streams, lieing seldom found on the 

 hills, which are covered with a more hardy and 

 vigorous growth. Of the Oak, there are also 

 several kinds ; such as the white oak, the red 

 oak and yellow oak; like the pine, this Iree 

 foririerly was said to have been immerous, biMi 

 the demand for its valuable properties in whee-li- 

 wright and mechanical purposes, has lessenetJ its- 

 existence, while it has enhanced its (irice. The 

 majestic Rock Maple exists in abundance wpo» 

 the liills. This tiee is highly valued, not only 

 for the beauty of its foliage, but for its sap, fr&rw 

 which is annually made vast quantities of sogait; 

 Though only the ordinary and simple process is 

 taken in its tnanufacture, yet it is estimated by 

 competent judges, that nearly if not quite fom- 

 thousand pounds were produced in the spring of 

 1845, in Sutton. Were the best means and care 

 employed in its manufacture, probably enough 

 sugar from the maple could be produced to fur- 

 nish a supply to every family in town. The 

 white maple is also found here, valuable for its 

 timber, from whose sap sugar can also be made, 

 though not so copiously as from the rock maple. 

 Of the Beech there are two kinds — the white 

 and red, both of which grow in the greatest 

 abundance, interspersed with the maple, on the 

 highlands. The Elm is found in the meadows 

 and intervales. Of the remaining varieties, is 

 found the Hemlock, the Spruce, the Poplar, the 

 Bass-wood, the red and white Ash, the white, 

 black and red Birch, the Oil-nm or Butter-nut, 

 and Juniper crllackmatack. On the south side 

 of King's hill there is a large orchard or original 

 forest of butter-nuts, consisting of many hun- 

 dred trees, which may be regarded as a curiosi- 

 ty, as the only instance of the kind known in the 

 vicinity. In a large swamp lying in the western. 



some of the best land in the county if not in the I part of Sutton, Cedar is found, though the Pii^-. 



