1860. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMEH. 



539 



Fw the New England Farmer. 



OUB Towisr. 



Mr. Editor : — I frequentl}' see communica- 

 tions from other towns, describing their location, 

 their improvements, their general progress, and 

 other matters more particularly connected with 

 such towns, but have never seen anything written 

 from our town ; and as a town, I am not aware 

 that anything has ever been published to give us 

 even an introduction to the world. And now, with 

 your approbation, I should like to give, through 

 the medium of the Neio England Farmer, a brief 

 sketch of the business operations in the little 

 town of Fairhaven. 



It is a small town, situated in Rutland county. 

 Western Vermont, a few miles from the head of 

 Lake Champlain, and separated by a small stream 

 from the Empire State. Its area is only about 

 fifteen square miles, one-third of which is unin- 

 habited, the soil being somewhat unfavorable to 

 cultivation, but valuable for Avood and timber. 

 Its population is a little less than 1400, (being 

 an increase of over 50 per cent, within the last 

 ten years,) a large proportion of which are slaters 

 and other manufacturers. 



Agriculture is receiving some attention, espe- 

 cially of late, as you will see by your subscription 

 list, that quite a considerable number of copies of 

 the New Enr/land Farmer are taken here. Our 

 farmers are waking up to the importance of im- 

 proving their stock, as was plainly indicated by 

 the exhibition of horses, cattle and sheep at our 

 Town Fair this fall, and to the importance of 

 making and saving manure, deeper and more 

 thorough tillage, building good barns, instead of 

 the coarse, sham things of "olden time," under- 

 di-aining, &c., though the latter has not, as yet 

 been carried out very extensively, but some have 

 made beginnings. 



The slate quarries employ on an average about 

 100 hands, and produce 1500 to 2000 squares per 

 month. Here let me remark that a square of slate 

 covers ten feet square, or 100 square feet of roof. 

 Slaters generally contract to furnish, transport 

 and lay the slate fifc- so much per square. 



Our factories are small, compared with some 

 others in the country, but are doing good busi- 

 ness for the amount of capital invested. 



We have one forge of two fires, with rolling- 

 mill and nail-factory attached, producnig from 

 iron made here and elsewhere, some 1200 kegs, 

 or 60 tons of nails, and as much more of marble- 

 saws, nail-rods, horse-shoe iron, &c., per month ; 

 a beautiful saw-mill, grist-mill and tannery ; new 

 woolen factory, just ready to go into opera- 

 tion, with some 800 spindles and twelve to fifteen 

 looms. 



A paper-mill that has been in operation nearly 

 half a century is now undergoing thorough re- 

 pairs, and ex])ected to produce twenty-five to 

 thirty tons of paper per month, and will employ 

 fifteen to twenty hands. 



Our marble-mill runs twelve gangs of saws, 

 employing twenty-five hands, and cutting equal 

 to 16 or 17,000 feet, two inch stuff', per month. 

 Here I remark that marble-saws are simple plates 

 of soft iron without teeth, used in sufficient num- 

 bers to cut up a whole block at once. They work 

 horizontally, and, by the constant application of 

 sand and water, work through a large block in 



four to six days. I would also remark that the 

 marble company quarry their oM'n marble in the 

 town of Rutland, where they employ fifty men, at 

 an expense of over .$1000 per month, and that 

 other business men of this town are also doing 

 considerable in other places. 



A factory for cutting and finishing marble, and 

 for sawing, cutting and marbleizing slate, has just 

 commenced operations. It promises well, and has 

 already produced some of the finest specimens of 

 that kind of work, all within the space of a quar- 

 ter of a mile. The Saratoga and Whitehall Rail- 

 road passes within a few rods of these works, af- 

 fording ample facility for transporting every kind 

 of commodity with the utmost convenience. 



We have four stores of general merchandise, 

 two of flour, two groceries, one hotel, and a suf- 

 ficient number of doctors and lawyers. 



The village proper is on a level plain somewhat 

 elevated above the river, having a public green of 

 about eleven acres, with a large park in the cen- 

 tre, laid out in elliptic form, enclosed by a fence 

 with posts of marble, and well planted with trees, 

 which already begin to assume the appearance of 

 a grove. Here are four churches, small, but con- 

 venient, and neatly finished, and regularly occu- 

 pied, and another nearly finished. A Town House 

 of brick, some forty-four by sixty-four feet, and 

 another large house of marble, cut and polished, 

 with a large number of smaller ones of wood, are 

 now in course of erection. I should like to speak 

 of some other things, but have already written 

 longer than I intended. H. Briggs. 



Fairhaven, Vt, Oct., 1860. 



VENTILATlOlSr OP THE APPLE BARREL. 



By this we mean the boring of holes in the 

 head staves of the barrels that will allow the es- 

 cape of the moisture that is constantly passing oft 

 from the newly gathered fruit. AVe hazard noth- 

 ing in the statement that one-half the fruit sent to 

 this market this season, so far, has been materially 

 injured from this cause. The eff'ect of confined 

 vapor upon the apple is not at once apparent. 

 The fruit appears uncommonly bright on the first 

 opening — but as the surface dries oflp, the apple 

 begins to grow dull looking, and if a light skinned 

 apple, in a day or two will present the appearance 

 of half-baked fruit. 



But this steaming from confinement not only 

 injures the sale of the fruit, but to the great dis- 

 appointment of the consumer, his fruit does not 

 keep as he supposed it would, and as the variety 

 of apple he purchased led him to suppose it would. 

 Premature decay is sure to follow as a conse- 

 quence of this want of ventilation. — Chicago 

 Fruit Dealer. 



Salt for Fence Posts. — A correspondent of 

 the N. H. JoiLnial of Agricnlture set some white 

 oak posts, about twelve inches square, thirty years 

 ago, and on examining them the other day h;- 

 found them all sound. After setting, he bored 

 into each post, about three inches above ground, 

 with a two-inch auger, at an angle of about 45°, 

 and filled the hole with salt and plugged it up. It 

 took about half a pint of salt to each post. The 

 plugs are yet in, and the posts look as sound as 

 when set. He tried none without salt. 



