The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1858-02-25
For tho Journal
Wood CCunty--Ditchipg, sc.


ITO be, or not TO be- was, few years ago,
&" the question" with Wood county, Tho ques.
ton has been decided in the affirmative. The
question now before the farmers of this county is,
hoip to be- and we consider this latter n very inn
portant one. Shall Wood county from this on,
merely exist, vcgctato This would be no im-
provcmcut on tho past. 1t always has vcge-
ta,od rankly, but not with the right kind of vegc-
tables. The fact is, aquatic plants have prcdom.
mated too largely for the wellbeing or good name
of this our beloved county, and they have done
this for the very good reason that they have found
here soil just suited to their wants, Aquatic
plants aud some kind of aquatic animals are good
in their place, but it is not good to have them run
about loose over whole country, at least SO think
some who have seen the practical workings ofsuch
a loose state of things.
Now there is no reason why the water, with its
attendants, should thus encroach on dry land and
refuse to be gathered into place 10y ITSELF except
that it has no place to be gathered into, Water
falling from the clouds falls upon a large belt of
land lying ON the south bank of the Maumee, much
the same as it would on large slightly Inclined Ia
bed. The water accumulatcS until II thin sheet is
formed and then it slowly slides oil the lower side Of
the table, l. c. into the Maumee river. To be sure,
the process of gulyng out some creeks has COM
menccd, but as this is comparatively new coun-
ty, Nature has not gone into very extensive ope-
rations in that direction.
The sol being strong large trees have grown
along the gucS aud thus frustrated natures kind
intentions, and indeed have done much to render
her work useless by hurting their giant trunks
across her would-bo water courses and thus have
formed stegnaut ponds where should have been
the ripling stream. As We go south from the
Maumce we shall find the face of the country
gradually to change. A irs; We emerge from the
timber upon small prairie, then again we pass
through II durkling wood and enter upon another
of natures clcarings. Anon, scattered oaks and
sandy land dry too,ng, for let me assure you gen
tie reader, that until now, il Jupiter has fallen
aely you have had need OF Boston rubberS--
But our dry land is but u sand bauk, Il part dlu.
Wan formation, showing that water was once
deeper hereabouts than now. And these same sund
ridges, running parallel, rs they do with the river
serve TO stop tho water in its slow march, Thus
us you travel OH SOUTH you step of ridge into
swale, dignifcd 10y the namc of prairie" aud
wade on, until you get towards the south side
when you come to dryer land and again ridge -
You now begin to descend i".GG i.G e ;e valley OF the
Portage ThS IS different stream from the Mau-
NEE The Portage never was finished Ii is like
the creeks that lead into the Maumee Nature got
her stream chokcl with her own productions be-
lore she got the wafer fairly to running Whcr
ever its banks are low it runs loose over the best
of the country it spreads itself amazingly and
occupies altogether too much room Ii we travel
on south TO the southern limit of our county we
shall ind at pretty regular intervals, ridge and
Il swao but mostly swae. The water tcdously
and tortuously winds its way around ridges, and
every conceivable woody obstruction, until at last
into the Lake or into the Maumec, it drops gladly.
If we look into our soil we shall find all the
clements Of grain in large excess. If, neyhaust
bic could be written upon any soil in the world
it could on ours. We find here just that proper
admXture of clay, necessary to the most success
iul wheat culture, the want Of which is likely to
prove fatal to the wheat growing interests of In
diana and Illinois. Moreover we can find here
on each of more than half Of the sections of this
county, land adapted best to all the different pro-
ductions Of Ohio, from light sandy loan to stiff
blue clay.
But all this avaeJh nothing so long as the
water remains. What then is to be done Why
we must commence where nature left of and make
streams We have been dching, but only in
townships We must ditch tho county The
good, to be great, must be general and universal.
No law that rests this matter in the hands OF town
ship trustees will long answer the purpose II
| must be county matter. A ditch that merely
effects one township is private ditch, and the
township trustees might perhaps manage it with
the help of lawyer. Bat where more than one
township is concerned, it would be batter to have
| Ditch Commissioners appointed or elected, aud
! thus would be avoided all that mass OF trouble
and delay which arises from the ignorance, selfish
ness and bias Of trustees, anxious to act only Tor
their own interests, or those OF their township -
! In this way much unnecessary expense would be
avoided. Mr. Editor if you never saw people get
in their own way, and stop their own proceeding,
and if you would like to see it, attend one of these
Trustee ditch meetings, where two or three town
ships are concerned. A bill Of hundreds is soon
run up in doing what an efficient Board could do
in day. And then if you wish to see nonsense
recorded, look at the clerks record. Another
thing what is for the interest OF one township
is generally for the interest of ALL Yet this is
not always so apparent to prejudiced eye in its
own particular case Washington does not
want the water from Weston to pass through
her borders and hence sees a thousand reasons
why it should not. In such cases, VIC need an
unbiased County Board. Again. it is said that
punishment prevents crime just in proportion to
| its certainty. So the certainty of ditch being
dug depends upon the certainly of each one being
obliged to perform his share. Now this will be
the case, if an efficient county Board should be
created under proper law. have talked this
subject some among " the sovcreigns OF our coun-
ty and find that there is general wish for some
thing more efficient and accurate less cumbersome
and dilatory than our present system At the
same time, it is not thought best generally to put
this into The hands Of our county commissioners
as they at present have their hands full enough
will not our legislators. try for MS again Il
takes time and trouble 10 accomplish great things
CLoDHoPPER.
A medical man named Sale. practising in
Nancy, Franc, was completing the operation
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