The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1851-05-22
HOMES.

We have from one 10 six arrivals Of
steamboats, daily; and they all come laden
down with living freight. Never within
the annals ofour State, has il populated 50
fast as it appears to be doing at this time,
aud hare in the very midst OF tho immi-
grafton. MOI Only do the immigrants land
here 10 settle in our town and county, but
10 spread away into the counties Of Cedar,
Linn aud Jones, Clinton and Jackson.
Al the rate which emigration is pour
ing into our State, il will almost double its
population the present year.
The class of people now coming among
US does not consist OF foreigners, unacqnain
ted with the ways or institutions Of our
country; nor yet Of the debris of Eastern
States; but of good substantial farmers
sud citizens, who have left the sterile soil
Of the old States, and the over crowded Cit
les Of the East, to seek homes upon the fer
tile plains, and in the fiourishings towns Of
the West. Generally they come ful!-hand
ed. for new country. Having sold their
little patches Of annually-to- be manured
land for good round sum, they bring their
farming utensils, aud with the sum obtain
ed for their unproductive land, purchase
an extensive farm of rich and arabic soil.
One of these men seized spade the 9th
er dav, and started out on the prairie, de-
.termined to ascertain how many inches the
soil, "black as his hat" extended. He re-
turned with mark on bis spade handle.
showing il TO be over two feet in depth
We have seen this rich black earth thrown
up in digging cellars upon the site where
stands our thriving town, 10 the depth of
fout feet. What think We, cul,ivators Of
the exhausted soil Of the East, OF black
mold TO the depth OF four feet? Will it no,
require many years Of successive crops TO
exhaus, such soil? Till il your lifetime.
would ye 10, in dying beaueaih TO your
children land tina, would require no ar,ii-
cial siimnant to urge the grain 10 yield
abundan,ly?
An old farmer. one who titled the soil ia
this vicinity before we saw the bluffs or
praires of Iowa. eleven wears ago, and who
knows the kind Of farming usually prosecu-
ted in the county, Informs US that the av-
erage yield Of whea, per acre is abou, TWEEN
lty bushels; and that of corn. fifty bush
iels. Amateur farmers abonnd-men who
knew nothing previously Of the culture
| of tho soil. and rasoried to thc Occur
patton, because they had heard US editors
so often allude to that being the most indie
pendent iifas These gentlemen farmers
lin general, sons Of sires who deemed
trades superiiuous to the future welfare oil
their cbildren-succeed rather Indifferent
! " in their new occupation, and encounter
very many hardships, and learn 10 over,
come them, before they produce their aver
age yield Of grain. All this time, The prac-
teal farmer, with thorough understand
ing Of his business, turns out BITS twenty 10
twenty FIVE bushels Of wheat, aud sixty ,c
seventy bushels Of corn per acre.
We have known whole field. situated il
the fertile valley where 10 located our beat
iful young city, under the attention Of
skilfu! farmer, yield an average Of one
hundred and fourteen bushels Of corn 10
the acre. We dom, know what amount Of
grain Eastern farmers expect their acres
to yield, but surely they cannot exceed the
above quantity. Then it must be borne
10 mind, tina, there are no forests to level
here, no stumps to grub up, no logs TO fire.
The farmer purchases say quarter sec
tion-one hundred and twenty acres OF
broad prairie and forty acres Of timber
lie erects his house upon the prairie and
thus eludes the miasm of decayng vege.a-
ton and the pest Of gnats and mosquitoes.
He escapes tina, plague Of ne~ly-settled
countries, fever and ague, aud is iuyigora-
ted by the bracing breeze stirring even the
hottest days Of summer. Shade trees are
set out round his dwelling, flowers and
shrabbery are transplanted 10 its vicinity
and upon The hillside young and thrifty
orchard soon makes its appearance. Sta
bles, barns and out-houses follow. and even.
tua!ly the dwelling house is superseded bv
brick, or substantial frame of ample d.
mensions. We have seen all this. over
and over again. We have known men 10
come here in poverty, hire an improved
farm and in few years move their stock
and farming implements to their own
house, built upon their own land. Blu,
then they understood the art Of Enrming.
they were men reared TO the business, but
who through rnisfortune-in some cases the