St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1861-02-07

"o" eHao'cu to ODtaln ROOuS much
cheaper from the United States. The
principal American traders arc Nor
man w. kitson, who owns a splendid
store opposite Fort Garry, and j. w.
Burbank & Co., proprietors of the
steamer Anson Northup.
We were greatly interested, a few
days since, in an account given us by
lady, now stopping with her friends
in this town, and who has spent the
past year or two at ST. Cloud, of the
appearance of the trading caravans
from Red River as they passed
through ST. Cloud to and from st. Paul.
These traders travel in procession
with many hundreds of carts or two
wheel vehicles, all wood, having not
a particle of iron about them, and
drawn by any sort Of quadruped that
can be made to draw-horsc, donkey,
OK, cow, elk, dog, &c.-and sometimes
two or more Of these animals of differ
cnt species arc mated or harnessed
together. The axlcs Of the carts are
innocent Of grease, and when the train
is in motion the crcaking of the wheels
may be heard for many miles These
carts, as they come into st. Paul arc
loaded mostly with peltry, which is
exchanged for groceries and other
merchandise needed by the settlers.
The northward detection of isother-
mails as you pass west of the great
lakes, and toward the west coast of
the continent, is q fact well known.
Red River finds its parallel in the
climates of the interior districts of the
Northern Europe and Asia. The sum-
mcr temperature is high the winter
cold and severe. There is plenty of
rain in the summer months, a general
absence of late spring and early
autumn frosts.
The natural division of the seasons
for the climate of Red River are as
follows
Summer.-Junc, July and August.
Autumn.-Septcmbcr and October.
Winler.-Novcmber, December, Jan
uary, February and March.
Spring April and May.
The summer temperature and the
absence Of frosts determine its fitness
for agricultural purposes, and the
splendid crops are the proof thereof.
The clear, dry atmosphere renders in
nocuous the very cold weather of
winter. The half-brccds camp out OH
the plains, with only few blankets
and robes. Indian corn is sure crop
on the dry points of the Assiniboin
and Red River, the horse-tceth and
Mandan corn being the kinds most
cultivated.
Wheat is the staple crop in the set
tlcmcnt. Forty bushels to the acre is
common return on new land and in
some cases the yield has been between
| fifty and sixty bushels. The grass
hoppers, which have several times
eaten up every green thing, are its
only enemies.
OF hay the quantity is unlimited,
and the quality excellent. Hops grow
everywhere wild, aud with the great
est luxuriancc. Peas grow wild, and
the yield is large. Potatoes are un-
surpassed in size and quality. All
kinds Of root-crops grow well, and at
tain large dimensions aud all the
garden vegetables which grow well
in Canada and Northern New York
flourish better in Assin.boin.
Flax, hemp. and tobacco are cult
waited to some extent, the want Of a
market alone preventing the first two
from becoming most valuable exports
Melons arc cultivated in some of the
gardens of the settlement with won
derful success; and the kitchen gar
dens Of the Royal Canadian Rifles al
Fort Garry, and the Sisters of Charity
would deserve prizes at an Illinoi:
State Fair.
The almost limitless prairics en-
vironing the settlement are fragrant
. with the perfume of thousand flow
: ers and in the thickets and long
: grass are strawberries, raspbcrrics
sakatomc berries, gooseberries an,
n prunes.
e We append few statistical items
n Four years ago the Red River Settle
ncnt contained