99 



dot their valleys and river-sides like so many bee-hives. 

 The capitalist receives in most cases, a satisfactory dividend 

 for his investments, and the mechanic is richly repaid for his 

 daily labor; and the enterprise and industry of both is 

 abundantly manifest in the beautiful and useful productions 

 of these establishments. 



The town of Fitchburg is eminently a manufacturing 

 town, and the Committee exceedingly regret that a more 

 general exhibition of specimens of products of our fac- 

 tories and shops has not been made at these annual Fairs. 

 By the United Slates census of 1850, it appears that the 

 annual value of manufactured articles in the town of Fitch- 

 burg, was $1,540,668. Since that period an increase of at 

 least 30 per cent, has been made by means of new power, 

 new mills, the enlargement of old ones, and the introduction 

 of new branches of productive industry; so that the sum 

 total of the value of manufactures in this town for the present 

 year will exceed $2,000,000. It may be proper here to state 

 that three new mills are now nearly finished, one for hose, 

 and two for paper, that are built with a capacity of manu- 

 facturing .$2.50,000 in value of goods annually. Within the 

 limits of this town there are about eleven miles of available 

 mill-stream — the Nashua and its branches. At the present 

 time it is estimated that not more than one-half of the avail- 

 able power of these streams is appropriated. Notwithstand- 

 ing this abundance of unappropriated water-power, steam- 

 power is now being introduded in this village to considerable 

 extent for manufacturing purposes. Of the single article of 

 paper, half a million in value is annually made in this town. 

 Of scythes it has been stated, and we believe the last census 

 bears out the assertion, that this town produced in 1850 the 

 best and the most in value of any town in the Union. This 

 assertion would not hold true at the present time, as two large 

 establishments have dropped scythe-making for the edge-tool 

 business. Putnam's machinery,Kimbairs&Simonds' scythes, 

 Blackburn's cotton duck, Ackley's sheetings, and Hayward's 



