The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1839-02-06

beauty, extending from horiznn TO horizon,
: covered with tall, waving grass, and many
r colored flowers. At intervals of six or eight
miles you perceive "A liule clump of trees,
: tall, straight and free from underbrush; and
IN the broad openings between these little
wooded islands, you will see, perhaps, the
log cabin OF the frontier settler, and here
and there in groups of half n dozen or more,
horses, cows, and olher;catIle, quietly sra-
zing, or rowing at large over the public do
main. As you advance in your Journey n
cross the prairie, the plain which you sun
posed perfectly level, breaks into gentle un-
dulstions or smoothly rounded hills, not too
steep for cultivation aud fertile vallles,
watered by small streams, or springs of ex-
cellent quality. Aud this is the character
OF The Western pralrles-not, perfectly lev
el as has been represented, but broken into
gentle undulstiOns, like the waves Of the
ocean.
The sol! of llhuois is generally rich,
black, damp mould, aud varies from two to
five feet IN depth Sand and rocks are
things almost Unknown. OF sand, howey-
er, sufficient has been found for building
purposes, and occasionally the traveller
will meet with ledge Of limestone rock
but he may ride for days and even weeks,
over the country, and not find stone ia
his path MS large ms n rifle ball. This alb
sence of pebbles md sand is a striking pc
culIarity of The country, aud is often noticed
by person. accustomed to the rncky soil Of
New England. The difference between the
pale yellow fields Of the Eastern States, as
you see them just turned up by the plough,
II compound Of dry sand, rocks aud loan,
and the farms of the West, black, moist,
aud mellow, unincumbered by a single rock
or pebble, Is greater than person who has
not witnessed the difference can rendily con-
ceivc.
The labor OF cultIyaling good prairie land
is tr'fing. When passed through the low
er part of Illinois, in the month Of May last,
some oil the farmers were then breaking up
ne" helds, aud planting corn on the sod
stout plough, constructed in q peculiar
rnnuer, and drawn by six yoke Of oxen,
turned broad furrow eighteen or twenty
inches wide, and the process of ploughing
} and planting was performed Mt the same
moment. In one case, n person with a
large bag Of corn attached to his side, walk
ed few feet in sdvance of the plough, and
as the sod turned over be dropped a suffi-
cient quantity Of seed in the creviec between
the new sod and that previously turned, and
the whole work was done.
I In another case, a person with bag Of
corn followed The plough. and with thick
axe struck one blow into the broad surface
of the newly turned sod, dropped in n small
quantity Of seed, trod il down with his foot,
and passed OF
In this way, thirty or forty acres were
broken and planted in an incredibly short
space of time, aud crop is thus often OBJ
i"ined the first year, sufficient to pay ell the
expenses Of breaking up and fencing the
land, without mnnurirg, hoeing, or any cul-
tvation whatever. You have only to plough,
plant, and reap.
Oats, spring wheat, and rye may also be
sown upon the surface, with a fair prospect
of good crop, unless the season should
chance to be dry one. An average crop
of "sod OATS" as they are called, is about
40 bushels to the acre and Of wheat or
rye 80 To 35 bushels. If it should be a dry
senson, the crop will he considerably less.
Ia the month Of August { passed several
fields Of :" sod corn" which saw planted
IN the spring, aud better crops, | venture to
say, never gladdened The heart Of n New
England farmer on his well ulled fields.
This result, | must confess, was truly as
tonishing.
A ride through one of the ,hickly settled
counties Of Illinois, in the month Of August,
is very agreeable. On every side you be-
hold wide spread fields of nodding wheat,
acres and acres of oats, and miles and miles
Of tall waving corn.
The life Of a Western farmer, nfer hav-
! ing passed tic tolls aud priya,ions incident
10 new settlement, is certainly one Of ease
and comfort, compsred with the life Of the
majority of busy mortals.
u is well known, presume, that there is
no pine timber in Illinois, which greatly in-
creases the difficulty and labor u building.
Almost ever ;bing is constructed Of oak or
walnut.-Thr farmhouse, in The bnck set
tlement, is usually a mere cabin, built Of
logs, poiched together at the ends. The
crevIces are filled up with yellow clay or
mortar. The roof is covered with oak slabs
or shingles. There is generally but Que
room Ia the house--a door aud window.
THIS room often contains much 10 = small
space--it is the kitchen, sitting room, bed
chamber, and sometimes the harnrss-room
and work shop. The out-houses consis, of
small log barn md house, and per-
hnps covering fpr hay-rick. If you are
= travelling through the country and APP
J pronch one of these cabins, you are sa-
lu,ed by the deep moutbed yells Of two or
three lazy, wol6'h looking ours, that raise
their lsnk forms from the earth, where they
lie bssking in the sun, give growl or two,
and then relapse again into the quiet doing
state, from which your presence aroused
them. The settler appears ut the door Of
hi, cabin, ssd while he Iei'ur-ly smokes hi.
lpipe, This constant coni2suion) eyes you