The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1850-02-12
Western Correspondence


Tile IVest setilcd and built up By true Pilgrim
spirit and nterprise.-AHraciire features
Of he Ijest.-Node Of tarmmg.-Breat-
ing teams.-Siclness incident 10 The coun-
try Our ocn case,and Homeopathic cure.
-Nonaihye Of the East and II'esi COM
pored.-Hcr increasing ,cealh and cause
IF horrea' greatness and present position.
ANN ARBoR, Mlcm.
The spirit of the pilgrims lives aud
breathes in the West. VI hat though
they landed on a barren shore, in the
dread of winter, among Wild beasts and
savugcs-what though large proper
ton of their number fell victims to the
hardships and priyatiors incident 10 a
rigorous winter in cold and frosty lati-
tudes--what though a remnant only
were left, the true repositories of ster-
ling worth and Christian faith--and what
though they seemed to tread amid dam
gers more terrific than those from which
they fed l. still, IN them is this truth ex>
emplhed--
They never fail who die
In great cause: The block may soak their
gore
Their heads may sodden in the sun. their limbs
BE strung to city gates, and castle walls
But still their spirit walks abroad
Who were the original settlers of the
West! Who braved the hardships of a
pioneer life Who laid the foundation
of her institutions, civil and religious !
Who has turned the waste places into
fruitful fields, and caused the wilderness
to blossom as the rosel " ho has lev
cled hills, filled up the valies, built
towns and villages, dug canals, bull,
rail roads, and whltencd every river and
ket the products Of the broad and teens
ing West The great aud glorious ans
swer is-the SONS Of the pilgrims have
done this The spirit that was nurtur-
ed in the lap of storms, tempest and dan
ger, is only equal to deeds like these !.
Fifteen years ago, we were credibly
informed, it consumed nine days to pass
over the sloughs, al certain seasons oI
the year, from Detroit to Aun Arbor-a
distance of forty miles Now the triT
is performed in about two hours. The
villages oi iypsiIanii, Ann Arbor, Dex'
ter, Jackson, Marshall, Butter Creek
Kalamazoo and Niles, on the line of the
Central Rail Road Monroe, Hilsdae
Jonesyille, Adrian, Coldwater aud Con
sian'ine, ON the curved route of the
Southern Rail Road, which is in opera
ton as far as Adrlan-torether with tn,
villages Of Pawpaw, Lansing, Union City
Michigan City and Grand Raplds-al
the growth Of few ,ears--bespeak al
enterprise on the part of the inhabitant
of Michigan, unequaIed in the histor,
and settlement Of any State in the Union
This has been effected 10y pilgrim enter
prise, born aud nurtured IN the East
bLt seeking the West for display of it,
power and energy. The reason of lhi!
is, that the great leading features of the
West have a.sironger affinity for thei
spirits, than those of the East. Hence
a desire for Western life. Some of thC
distinguished features Of the West are
these There is quite mingling o
prairie and woodland, not always in til,
proportion that settlers might wish, ye
allording many advantages. The lane
Is generally covered over with scattering
oaks Their roots are 50 far buried be
loW Tie surface as to admit Of ploughing
close up to the trunks. The underbrusl
was generally kept down by annunl fire.
placed there by the indians to clear theil
hunting ground Of all distinctions 81
that the wood lands had the appearance
Of vast lawn covered with shade trees
u lid grass grows proiuscly upon tho
pralries and marshes, and deer and otbei
game afford a supply of meat for the ta
bles of the em grant hunters. Whca
crops ar sown upon land, without the
usual labornus process of chopplng
lodging, and burning, The land is frs
leuced-the trees then are all girdird anc
the soll broken up, which is then ready
to receive the germ al rich and boun-
lilul harvest The winter after the crop
is taken Of, the dead aud giTdled trees
are lelled by the chopper, upon the fro
zen ground and What is not broken ur
by the fall, is chopped aud hauled of
for wood, or piled up to be fred. More
over, the soil is light and easy TO till
and yields large crops Of rye, corn, oats
and other coarse grains. Also, there
are always opportunities, IA new coun'
Try, for the Investment Of capital that
paws well to the owner
Since the Indians have been crowded
off to make room for the white man, the
wood lard has more or less grown up
with thick underhrush, which now
adds materially to the expense Of break
ing the soll. Farmers usually hire their
land broken, by those whose business it
is to furnish team, plough, &c. and re-
celye stipulated price per acre for their
labor A breaking team sometime con
-isls of fourteen yoke Of oxen, with a
plough hat turns iurrow 90 nch's aide,
the beam of which is ten feet long, and
The total weight, Of plough, yokes and
chains, $500 lbs This would be con
sdered a strong team, prepare! ! for the
worst kind Of underground soil, and
would cut off roots as large as a mans :
leg The wheat crop varies from Is 10
'}5 bushels per acre, and is worth from
| 20 to 50 cts. at the mills. The wheat
when harvested is put up in stacks in the
fields aud is considered less subject ia
the depredatons Of mice than when