Vermont

VERMONT, the Green Mountain State, so named from the evergreen forests of its mountains, is a North Atlantic State of the United States of America, and the most north-westerly of the so-called New England group. It is situated between 42° 44' and o' 43" N. lat. and 71° 28' and 73° 26' W. longitude. It is bounded north by the Canadian province of Quebec, east by New Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Connecticut river, south by Massachusetts, and west by New York, from which it is separated for about two-thirds the distance by Lake Champlain. In length, north and south, the State measures 157.6 m. ; its approximate width at the northern border is 90 m., at the southern border 4o miles. Its total area is 9,564 sq.m., and of this 44o sq.m. is water surface.

Physical Features.

The mean elevation of the State above the sea is approximately i,000 ft., extremes varying from 95 ft., the surface of Lake Champlain, to 4,393 f t. at the summit of Mt. Mansfield, 25 m. E. of that lake. The general surface is much broken by mountain ranges. The most prominent feature is the Green mountains, which extend nearly north and south through the State a little west of the middle. Farther north, the Green mountains are cut deep by the Winooski and Lamoille rivers which rise to the east and break through it to flow into Lake Champlain. The Missisquoi river also rises east of the range but flows just north of the Canadian boundary, and then back into Vermont and west to Lake Champlain. The crest line of the Green mountains is generally more than 2,00o ft. high, with the following summits: Mt. Mansfield, 4,393 ft.; Killington Peak, 4,241 ft.; Mt. Ellen, ft.; Camel's Hump, ft.; and Mt. Abraham, 4,052 ft. Distributed along the eastern border of the state are conical shaped mountain masses. Mt. Ascutney rises abruptly from the floor of the Connecticut valley to a height of 3,32o feet. Other prominent peaks are Jay Peak, Burke and Belvidere mountains. In the southern half of Vermont and near the western border are the Taconic mountains, a range nearly parallel with the Green mountains and extending north ward toward the centre of the State. To the northward of the Taconic ranges extends a series of broken uplifts known as the Red Sandrock mountains. These

are near Lake Champlain, and, standing in a low country, are un usually conspicuous. The least broken section of Vermont is on the somewhat gentle slope of the Green mountains in the north west and" on Grand isle, North Hero island and Isle La Motte in Lake Champlain. The forms of Vermont's mountains, even to the highest summits, were to a great extent rounded by glaciation, but as the rocks vary much in texture and are often steeply inclined, stream erosion has cut valleys deep and narrow, often mere gorges. The Green Mountain club, since 191o, has been building a well marked "Long Trail" reaching from Massachusetts to Canada which follows the Green mountain range.

Lake Champlain lies in a beautiful valley between the Green and Adirondack mountains, and a little more than half its area is in Vermont. The lake is about 118 m. long, and in its northern portion are numerous islands which are attractive resorts during the summer season. These islands are large enough to constitute an entire county in themselves, and are connected with each other and with the mainland by bridges. On the north border of the State is Lake Memphremagog with islands, a rugged promi nence known as Owl's Head on its west border, Jay Peak farther back, and a beautiful farming country to the eastward. The lake is 3o m. long and from i to 4 m. wide but two-thirds of its area lies in Canada. The Vermont tributaries to Memphremagog are the Barton and the Black rivers from the south and the Clyde river from the east. There are many other lakes and ponds in the State, the section in which they are most numerous being the north-eastern part. Here Willoughby lake is one of the largest and one of the most beautiful, lying as it does in a narrow valley between Mt. Pisgah and Mt. Hor. Lakes Morey and Fairlee, in the Connecticut river valley, are popular resorts. Lake Dunmore in Salisbury and Leicester, Lake Bomoseen in Castleton, and Hubbardton, Lake St. Catherine in Wells and Poultney and Lake Hortonia in Sudbury, west of tha Green mountains, are noted for the charm of their scenery.