The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1854-06-07
lCorrsspondenee of the Ashland Unionl
LETTERS FROM THE WEsT--N0.s
Knoxville, MARION Co., Iowa.,
April Goth, 1854.

AVA Ill ~ WV
April Goth, 1854.
EDITOR ASHLAND UNION In my
last I give you a description of the sur
face of this country, 1 propose saying
something in regard to its productions,
&c.
FIELD CRoPs-An kinds of grain do
well here, unless it may be fall wheat,
and I think that will if properly c~ultiva-
ted. Spring wheat so far has proved
the surest crop. Mr.. P. Bridonstine,
formerly of Troy, Ashland county, has
spring wheat that weighs sixty-seven
pounds to the bushel. Oats first rate,
and are a sure crop. Corn Is raised by
every Farmer, and yields from thirty to
one hundred and thirty bushels to the
acre, depending upon the manner Of
~cultivating it; from sixty to eighty
bushels il a common crop. Sod corn,
when properly cultivated, yields about
thirty bushels to the acre. Sod corn is
raised by dropping the corn in the fur
brow, as the Prairie is being broken up,
sndnever receives any further attention.
Potatoes do well, much better than in
Ohio. There has been no rot among
them since 1 came here. Turnips are a
good crop, and in fact, all kinds of root
and vine crops do first rate. Glover
and Timothy, where tried, have proved
valuable. All kinds of summer grains
and root crops vegitate and mature
quicker here than in any part of Ohio.
FRUIr.-In the first settlement of this
State, the Farmers could not obtain cul-
tivated trees, and were obliged to trans
plant common fruit, and As they had
hard work to get along, could not devote
that time and attention to their orchards
that they otherwise would have done
This deficiency is now supplied by the
establishment of Nurseries in different
parts of the State, which can supply a
large amount of trees of the best varie-
ties of fruits. With the-means of the
Farmer increases the desire to improve
in the cultivation of fruit. Fruit trees
are all young here, but from those that
bear fruit I have eat as fine favored
Apples as 1 ever tasted in Ohio, and
from the samples I have seen and eat of
from older counties, I think Iowa will
excel Ohio in fruit. Apples and
Peaches both produce well, and are more
juicy and rich than you will usually find
elsewhere. We have plenty of wild
fruit during the season for it, Straw
berries, Raspberries and Blackberries,
in abundance; the best Plumbs and
Crab-Apples you ever saw, and any
quantity of Grapes.
SrocK.-Stock of every description
appears to do well, and are kept with
much less expense than in older settle
ments. Pasturage plenty for nothing
during the summer, and hay can be had
for moving and curing it. From what I
have seen and know about sheep here, We
have emphatically a sheep country. The
best common sheep I ever saw 1 have
seen here, and when the finer grades have
been tryed, they do we'll One reason
why this is a good sheep country is our
dry winters, which this State is celebra-
ted for. Sheep stand dry and cold win
tiers much better than wet ones. I look
upon Iowa as one of the great wool
growing States of future days. The
different diseases that prevail 80 much
among sheep in the northern part of
Ohio, are but little known here.
MINERALS, kc.-Besides these profit
able productions that are raised upon
terra frma, nature has provided rich
and ample productions beneath the soil.
We have both Lead and Iron ore, of
Gypsum (Plaster Paris,) we have an
abundant supply not only for u own
wants, but as an article of trade, which
is said to be profitable. Iowa can boast
of having the greatest coal field in the
United States. The Des MONIES coal
fields are traversed by the Des Moines
River. DIR. OWEN, the distinguished
Geologist, who surveyed the State of
Iowa by order of the q. 8. Government,
is reported to have said, while speaking
upon this subject before the American
Scientific Association, that the Iowa
River meanders near the eastern margin
of these coal fields. It is upwards of
two hundred miles in the direction of
the valley of the Des Moines across the
State. The entire area of this coal
field in Iowa alone cannot be less than
twenty thousand square miles in all, IN
bracing a country nearly equal in ex-
tent to the State of indiana. Some of
the beds of coal are said to be n hun
dred feet thick. There are plenty of
them abouthere from two to eight feet
thick. Thave one that measures six
and ons-half feet in thickness, and very
fine specimen of coal. Our quarries Of
rock abound every where in every hill
and ravine around us, in regular strata