The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1858-12-22


ers.
This mineral and cherry region is mainly
timbered lands, and includes vast forests Of ex-
cellen pine Of the yellow varieties. On the
northwest, toward the cosl.feld, there is, how
ever, large predominance ofprairie. And, in
other respects, as you approach the coal field,
the ceneralcharacter ofthe region approximateS
to that though not uniformly or by a regular
graduation.
The wild grape fourisheS in the same region
as indeed in the oiher--and includes some ex-
cellent varieties Prof Swallow the State ge
oIogist. considers the cherty hil-sides as just
the thing for the grape. He estimates that
there are here not less than five millions OF
acres exactly adapted to grape cultivation and
thinks the greater part much better for the pur-
pose than the bluffs on the MiSsori River; where
from the vineyards at Hermen, BooDvilIe, and
other places great quantities Of wine are already
made annually at large profit. The peach,
apple and other fruits can need no better cll-
mate, soil and exposure, than they have on
these sunny, sheltered and airy hilIsides, and
will find a marke, by railroads TO St. Louis:
General Fieto Of the State, continued.
The Railroads in Missouri are the Hannibal
and st. Joseph, endowed with 100000 acres of
land, traversing North Missouri from east to
west, and to be completed next spring; the North
Missouri Road, running north west from st.
Louis which will soon be completed so as to
ntersect the first mentioned road, and Will e.
yentually pass up into south eastern Iowa, the
Iron Mountain Railroad, finished last summer;
the Pacific Railroad up the Missouri river, to-
ward Kansas city as the terminus for Missouri
but aiming for the Pacific Ocean up the Kansas
river, and be the central route recommended by
Fremont, now opened 81 or 80 miles beyond
Jefferson City, and over 160 from st. Louis, (it
has 10000 acres Of land;) the Southwest
Branch Of this road--under the same corpora
tion-diverging at Franklin 40 miles from St.
Louis, passing on to near the south west corner
ofthe State and intended to traverse the lndi-
an Territory and connect eventually with one or
the other OF the more southern routes to the
Pacific The construction of this branch will
secure to the company over eleven hundred
thousand acres of land, large portions ofwhich
are valuable mineral land. When carried
through, it will pass within ten miles of Jasper
county. Over twenty miles Of this branch from
Franklin are completed, and for about forty
miles farther, the grading is going on, and the
rails are engaged to be delivered next spring.
I7The rapldity OF its future prosecution will de-
pend on the action of the legislature, and the
have been, and more are to be issued in aid OF
these roads, the State being secured BY fiFst
line upon the roade with their lands and other
! property.
The Missouri Central Railroad is an enter
prise undertaken by the citizens of Boonville and
| the vicinity, and which they are well able to
carry through, with the design Of connecting
! that place with the Pacific Road on the one hand
y ~ nj an tbn 9th Ja
sides these, there are charactered and surveyed
the Parkville and Platte Valley, the Charlton
and Randolph, the Usage Valley and Southern
Kansas Road, (this to pass within forty miles
of Barton comty,) the Cara ard Fulton, (o
which about dozen miles are nearly done) and
possibly some others.
Within two years preceding 1858, very large
quantities ofgovernment lands in this state,
were either entered by individuals, or appropri-
ated to the counties for school purposes from
the grants to the state under the act o. Congress
Of September, 1850; so that now, it can be only
by dillgent search that one can light upon any
valuable land remaing sugject to entry. In re-
gard to the cheap lands under the graduation
law, | was told by the Register Of one of the
land offices, that, that in his district, and be be-
| lieved in the Others they had been "pretty well
culled over" At least, none can be had that
are worth taking for immediate settlement. The
graduation prices are restricted by the act, to
persons intending actual settlement, and to an
extent not exceeding 800 acres to one person.
/ | see it stated that there are in the jackson
| District, TO the south east--about three mil
lion acres ofvacant land, chiefly graduated lands
all Of which if q man owned and rad taxes to
paw he would be, | imagine, all the poorer.
The assessed value fall the taxable lands in
the State in 1855, averaged $5,13 per acre
Good farming lands cannot, think, be now OBJ
tanned anywhere in North Missouri at less
price than five dollars per acre, at the very low
est, when unimproved, and will range from that
up to form thirty to fifty dollars. have a
memorandum of some sixty or seventy sales o
land in Missouri, made ont mainly frcm notices
ofsuch transactions within year past in the
St. Louis Necs. Many of the tracts sold were
of wild land, uron most of the others the i'm.
provements would probably rot greatly enhance
the price per acre, and as general thing the
terms were cash in hand. Tho list gives r
Audrain county, eight parcels at prices from
! $3.50 to S34- More than haifthe amount sold
was at $40 The assessors valuation of the
lands taxed in this county in 1857 averaged ovel
fire dollars per acre. In Calawav co.. 572 a.
cres sold at $50 per acre; 2Ooat SIT so; AGO al
S1S,25; 228 at $38, so; IL acres Just south o
Fulton at S3l7 per acre; average assessors val
nation in 1858, about S550--town lots excu
ded. Monroe, eight or ten sales, Sc to $50
Macon, for parcels, at $3.50: 10; 16. Shelby
several sales, Sc to %, 80. Saline, three, S11
19 and 1925. Howard, $17 so; 25. Grundy
$40. Buchanan $3l; Al. Clay, 27 so. Boone
25; so. johnson, 81. Lafayette, eight tiacs
from 20 to 40. Jackson, five parcels, from
! 26, ,25 to so; besides SO acres at 139, near In
dependence. Assessors valuation in Jackson
for 1858. exclusive oftown lots, over 1850, av
erage. Green, two sales, 1850; 80. Assessor
valuation, 1850, in Greene, which is twenty
five miles east from Barton, 625 per acre; il
Dade, which lies between them, it was, 1856
J 2,61, and for 1858, 2,3l the number of acre
taxed being more than doubled within that pc
riod by the transfer of government lands int,
private hands, and the average valuation reduced
by this means. narton is much easier reached
from the Missouri River, or the railroad, thai
Greene, and better country naturally thai
Greene or Dade. .l..., i.e.EII..
The wealth aad material prosperity OF Nilsson
ri.rest upon solid basis. What appears i
real and not fictitious. Owing, perhaps, in par
to their hard money system, and in part t.
something in the character and habits Of tn
people, theTe mas Deen less expansion OF credi
and less rage ofspeculation than in any other @
4 the newer States of the west. The seyentee,
millions Of State bonds in aid Of the railroad
are somewhat of departure from these habits
but are on this account all the more secure.
Missouri has been peopled chiefly by immi
grafton from the more northern of the slay,
states, Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky; bu
a, large part Of the immigrants have been sucl
as we're either hoor or with only moderat means
These have formed hardy population, manly
honest, and kind hearted, simple in manners
/ moral and frugal; q working people but no