Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1856-04-18
Gorrsspoa0enft.
MARroN Linn co.. town. March.

ces, requested me 10 write 70 them.
and to give them my impressions OF
Iowa. and matters and thiags gene-
rally here. have now been here a
little over four months. and have writ
ten more than fftv letters. and yet
there are quite number whose re-
quests have not been complied with.
And rs many Of them take your pa.
per. have concluded 10 write 10 you,
and If you think It worthy place in
your columns, they can read il ia the
American, and each Of them may
consider il as addressed 70 him.
And If any Of those to whom ! have
not written. are so unfortunate as not
to takSthe American. they will have
nobody to blame but themselves, II
they mss the Information which may
communicate in reference 10 this great
State.
After having visited Iowa. l have
moved TO Il expecting to make il my
permanent home. Ny FIRST impres.
sions Of the country were favorable.
and those Impressions strengthen as
my acquaintance with II Is extende,l
have not however. and think shall
not, advise any one TO remove here
without FIRST visiting the State and then
judging for himself.
Although il Is said. that compare
sons are odious. will take the liberty
Of comparing the South Eastern por-
ton d Indiana. with the same quar-.
ter uf Iowa. With thai part of lndi-
ana, | am tolerably we'll acquainted.
and beyond that portion Of Iowa. /
have no knowledge.
Take an aera Of 30 miles square IN
South Eastern Indiana. and In Il you
wall fnd tracts OF land equal TO any
land in the State. Bat il is also true
that great portions OF it are SO billy
and stony, that il Is either unfit for
cultivalion-or II cultivated. tits with
great labour.
There is another large portion OF Il
that the soil ia so thin and cid that IL
will require years OF toll before IL viii
yield any adequate return for the la.
bour bestowed upon il. have no
hesitation in saying that there can be
found in one county in that part OF
Indiana more land that Is unfit for
cultivation from the causes mentioned.
there can be found in the whole 90
miles square in Iowa: while IL is also
true that three fonrths Of the land IN
Iowa. Is equal to the best that is In
Indiana. Il would be difficult to fad
any whe.e in Iowa, that / have seen.
u quarter section upon which a res
pectahlc farm might not be made
am speaking OF prairie. The tim.
Der land is not taken into the account
FOR cultivation.
The scarcity Of timber Is indeed a
difficulty but not so great as most per-
sons in heavily timbered countries i'm
agine. Aud as the country improves
the difficulty will be felt less and less.
BY proper economy this Is timbered
enough for fencing and fuel until the
land Is generally brought into cultiva-
ton, and by the time there will be Ca.
cilities by Railroads for procuring
supplies Of timber. and for distribu-
ting the rich and abundant coal that Is
found in various sections Of the State.
have some knowledge Of the Ia
bour and expense il requires TO open
farm IN heavily timbered land. and !
have sufficient knowledge Of the pro.
cess Of making farm in prarie land
to know that ! would rather pay S3, 90
per hundred for rails and haul them
10 miles. TO fenceA farm. than to
clear and fence farm in such timber
as have seen Ia Indiana.
The cases are frequent here. when
man buys an 80 or 30 acre lot. He
then hires the breaking and fencing,
and pays all the expenses Of caltiva.
ton, and then by the sale OF the first
crop. pays for all the improvements be
has put on IL. and still has a hand
some balance left. So far rs my ex.
penses goes, l prefer this climate. Il
is dryer. and the weather is more uni
form. Seasons however vary. and /
am told by the old settlers that the
latter part OF lLe fall and early part
of the winter were the most disagree
able they had seen from the fact there
was more rain and what Is called raw
weather than usual.
March is nearly gone and the prai-
rie winds have not commenced blow
ing yet. l have oftrn seen much
more wind in Indiana during the same
season. It is proper however to say
that it Is often remarked by those who
have been here for some time that
there has been less this season than
usual
1t has rained but once since the FIRST
Of December. and then only gentle
shower for n few hours about the goth
Of Feb. and until within the last few
days our bouts have not been soiIcd
with mud, since the beginning Of win
ter.
As to water. II is true you do not
often find the pure clear, cold water
gushing mp just where you want to
build your house, or when you want TO
water your stock. and In this respect,
It is not singular. In almost every
place good supply Of water can be
had by digging few feet. and The
cases are few where there is much dif-
6calty Ia procuring water for stock.
Although Indiana is some 20 or "a
years older than Iowa. I do not Be.
Iieve that the former Is any IN advance
Of the latter socially. morally. selie.
lously. or intellectually: while thore L
evidently Ia the mass Of the people
here moro energy and enterprise. =
And itis ressnnable 10 supposs that a
man who looks over these broad prxi.
ties every day. Il capable Of taking q
broader view Of things than the men
whose vision Ia bounded from day 20
day by the trees around his own hsId.
In almost every part Of tbs State l
hAve been. stone Of good quality IL
/ found Tk.ee 4. . .,.,s.I@e~lln var{~