Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1854-09-30
ANTI-SLAVERY BUGLE.
IowA--ITs SOIL, PRODUCTIONS, &C.

-" ouiy ''sp we puDnSheu the plans and pur-
poses OF some friends on the Reserve who proposed
an association for Western emigration. This COM
pany have sent out, as an exploring agent, Mr.. r
BRADLEY, who reports for publication, the result
of his Investigation, in the following letter, which
we have somewhat abridged. The facts he pre-
sents will be of interest especially to those of our
readers who have any purpose of Western emigro-
ton:
FrLroN, jackson Co., Iowa, Sept. Is, 1854.
Mr.. EDITOR: As far as l have been, have OBJ
served the soil, the su6so the stony formations
the timber, the domestic animals, their hea;thful-
ness or unhealthfulness. Noted the sanitary state
of the inhabitants. Particularly noted the water,
in regard to its purity. Noted the effect of the
climate on vegetation, (the great thermometer of
the WORLDLY | have carefully observed and en-
quired concerning its bread, fruit and milk produc-
ing capabilities. Noted the interest manifested in
educational enterprises with occasional prying
into the antslavery and proslavery spirit of those
Imet.
The soil is black sandy loan, laying on a
tenacious clayey sub-so. The soil appears quite
black in the valleys, lighter the rolls, they
here familiarly called. Many of the hillock
particles species of carbon, the resduum
of vegetable dc decomposition. The stony formations
mostly sandy lime stone. The timber for the
country's demands looks deficient; but with the
pine north of us, and prudent use of what there
is, with attention to raising for farm and
fuel it will be sufficient. 1t consists of white red
black and bur oak, black walnut. maple Eastwood,
cottonwood, butternut, &c, with some red cedar
the bluffs Domestic animals attain good size, and
appear unusually healthy in their present vege-
tartan state how they might appear if whiskeyed
or cham mpaigned, saturated with tobacco or gorged
with pork fat, do not know.
On the high prairies the inhabitontsorc as heal
thy as the same dietetcs and the same surround
ing circumstances would mako them on the hills Of
New England Along the streams and in the tim
Der, agues prevail in August and September, and
when taken, generally continue some time ;
but the only wonder ! have is, with the present
system of dietecs, &C., they have little as they
do. The water is what is called hard water. That
is it holds in solution earthly matter, which is the
case in all localities some extent and particularly
30 where the sub-soil i, ~. scious granite. But
this to fruiteatng person. is very little objection
able. Wheat corn, and in short every aliment we
take, hodsn combination iearthy matter. Why
should water, because it holds in solution or COM
bination lime or allumni9, be any objection
able than wheat, which holds the same? 1t is a
law of matter, that acids act as solvents, which
Office they perform fully in the animal economy
as in any other situations. Hence some of Tie
sanitary effects of subacid fruits, such as the
strawberry. the peach, apple &C.. to the end of the
pomologica chapter. Truth is truth, and | have
very little regard for carpers and cavilcrs; but to
show even Alopaths that this is no medical harle-
quinism, l will quote the opinion of John A.
,rbo Cbo;, e 81,
mittee for Illinois in the Pomologcal Convention
OK North America, and whose report may be found
in the Patent Office Report for l849-jO. After
other remarks, he says: "Who heard of chill
dren men, who provide seasonable fruits in abun-
dance and permit their habitua use, eating too
much, or becoming sick therefrom? | never did
have had little experience in the matter, and
have taken pains to collect information and know
the families where fruit is most plentiful and good
and most highly priced an article of daily food
are most free from diseases of all kinds, and more
especially from fevers and bowel complaints.
have theories to account for this, but | love not
theorizing. l merely state the grave facts, and
defy contradiction" Farther on he says: "The
juicy ones as duents and all as durehcs, the
free acids neutralizing or rendering soluble the
earthly matters in the blood, conveying them off
Corn--"the prince of ccrcals"-shows, by its
ample growth, its healthy foliage, its large golden
ears, that it finds in the rich prairie soil its need
full food and in the climate the necessary qualities
for its development. 1t is much freer from black
fungi or smut than in Ohio. Wheat is produced
in quantities sufficient to meet the country'S con-
sumption, and fair surplus to spare Generally,
spring or summer wheat is raised. Fall or winter
wheat is too much exposed by the blowing off of
the in winter, from the openness of the coun-
try, to be reliable. In cases where the snow
remains on it, it is said to do well. Oats and
buckwheat do wel-potatoes, tolerably. Garden
vegetables do we'll when suitably attended. Mel
Ions appear peculiarly at home, at any rate, must
have been the past summer, judging from their
abundance and size. Wild fruits, such as plumbs,
blackberries, varieties of raspberries, goose
berries and strawberries, abound in many places
Grab apples very abundant. The cultivated
varieties of the apple promise WELL where suitably
attended. 1t excels in currants where there are
ANY, but they are quite scarce. The peach makes
n large growth in summer but is often killed by the
frosts of winter, in the north of the State AT the
south part of the State | am told, it does well.
Its failure believe, is much owing to the absence
of intermingled woodlands. Few appreciate the
influence of exposedness such as champaign
country suffers though it crowds itself on the no
tice of all. We watch with care the variations of
the market, and pass unheeded the notifications
the atmosphere must receive in any country where
its cultivated fields are intersperscd with lofty
wood lots, cooling by broad patches of shade the
fierce heat of summer, and measurably arrestng the
cold blasts of winter in their sweeping progress.
So wide is the difference, "that a train will leave
Detroit, Michigan, in wintry winds, with from %
10 So freight cars, and from so to 100 pounds Of