True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1857-12-30

tion of your mental, and moral powers
Young men, in all the business Of life act
for yourselves, and depend upon your own
energy Of character, and perseyeriug in
dustry, and with the blessing Of God you
will be successful.
&FBy permission, we give below, an
extract from private letter, written by
our old friend 3. ". JOHNSON, formerly
resident Of this county-now Of Bremen
county, Iowa-Which will be Of interest
to our readers .
NEAR WAvEBLF, Iowa,
Nov. Is, 1857.
DEAR SIR I'm answer to your inqui.
res concerning the " West" the nature
Of the soil, climate, DC, ! must say that
my health has not been as good SINCE
1859, as it has been during the last sum-
mer; my family has also enjoyed good
heal til since we have been here. TO a
debilitated constitution there appears 10
be something in our climate more "bra-
cling" than in southern one ; nor does
any disease, rage as an epidemic, in this
high latitude; while many prevail in the
south. We live on the divide" be-
tween Cedar and Shell Rock, while those
living "in the timber" and near the
streams have some ague and bilious fever,
though it would be injustice, even to
these localities to call them sickly. AS
TO the prcductiveness Of the soil, that is
beyond the shadow of a doubt. 1t con.
sists of a rich. sandy loan for about two
feet, and below that it Looks more like
producing corn, than some of The Island
Creek farms. For summer residence !
have never enjoyed more pleasant eli
mate than this, California excepted) and
believe, with such fixtures as most farm
ers have in the older settled states l
could enjoy the winter season, notwth.
standing the fact, that we are some two
and half degrees, higher in latitude lhan
you are.
When winter commences, it is a regu-
ular, steady matter; not freeze up and
then a lhaw out, with mud 10 the axle.
In the spring whe2 the ground once
lhaws deep enough to p1ow, we commence
seeding; expecting no more freezing un-
til the succeeding winter.
On the subject of prairie WINDS"
of which had heard SO much have
been rather lavorably disappointed thus far
for they have been neither so powerful
nor SO constant as / anticipated; Though
| cannot tell you where the thermometer
now stands, yet can tell you some things
from which you can guess about where it
might be. For two mornings past, not
more than five minutes out of doors were
necessary TO "sprnkle my whiskeIs with
FROST" Yesterday took a load Of corn
"to town." and found the boys skating
on the mil.ponds.
We have about three inches of snow,
WHICH commenced falling this day week.
With you, the latter part of January
and The early part of February, have an
intensity of cold far exceeding mid.No.
vember day, and if proportionale inIen-
sty prevails here, then, shall not be as
lonished, if what has been told me is trne
that is, that cattle without shelter, have
been SO frozen that their horns. dropped
off in the spring, and their udders render.
ed useless for milk.
In natural advantages, our state is SUI
perior to yours in some respects. and in
ferior in others. 1t is common express
sion here, that one man in agricultural
pursuits, will produce as much here, as
two will on your less productive soil. 1
would qualify this little by saying, that
two men here, will probably produce and
take care of as MUCH grain, as three will
do with you. This estimate, ! think may
be relied upon at all times.
We have TO feed stock little longer
than you. bnt The above will more than
balance that, Another advantage in our
favor in the stock line is, that at present
our grazing costs nothing.
You possess an advantage over US in
timber and mineral fuel but as an Offset
10 that, may say that we have great
abundance Of timber for all present pur.
poses large coal field in the state, and
)hat the Mississippi floats annually vast
ly greater amount Of pine timber than the
Ohio. Then when our prairies are bro't
under cultivation, (for we have no hills of
waste land as with yop) our heavier pro-
ductions, and our facilities for cons,ruc.
ton, will justify us in making from two
10 four miles of railroad, for one that you
can make; and when these are construct
ed, our annual products will justify us in
The cost of few miles of transportation,
Of such an amount Of fuel and lumber, as
may be necessary to supply the demands
OF more dense population.
The Qitizens here, are "goaheadatiye"
in character and do not shrink from obsta.
cles which you'd seem ipsurmountable
10 those who have been reared where less
enterprise prevails.
Bremen county contains population
equal to about seven hundred voters |;
and the county seal lWayerly) contains
merchandising houses OF the usual varie-
~, Touring and saw mills, mechanic
shops, &c. &C., and court house, which
view it any way you will, would cast
even deeper shade, on that "dingy old