Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1863-09-15
Letter from Michigan.
WAKEsHMA, KALAMAZOO Co., Mich, }
August Oh, 1863. {

southwark, to the edge Of" the timber" as they
call it here-a large forest extending from six tc
ten miles south Of whore | am stopping, and TWEEN
ty or thirty miles east and west. 1t Is all settled
however, there being log house and some i'm
provenents on nearly every quarter section o.
less, but tho main body Of the land is still wilt
and heavily timbered. To the north is mixture
Of prairie land and "opening well improved
and one of the best sections for farming purposes
in the State
Remaining here over night, started next day
to 60 back to Gaesburg with my team, and hsC
made half the distance or more, when an aociden
occurred which, but for my lucky star which hap
pened to be in the ascendant might easily enough
have landed me on the other side of Jordan
was going down little descent, when the irol
that fastened one side Of the pole to he axletree
gave way and dropped on the ground, frightening
the horses into a suddenly accelerated pace, ant
the tongue being loose at one aide, the buggy
took zgzlg direction, turning two or three
times till was in the middle Of little sag OIL
hollow containing large puddle of muddy watei
when, the horses in dead run, the top Of lht
buggy up, the concern went over, and the'next
saw of it, was looking as little like top buggy, al
like blown up ron-clid n the confederate navy
While debating on what was 10 be done, an old
whte-headed man came toddling along as fast
as bis feeble limbs would carry him, but when he
saw tha! was not hurt, be began to make him.
sell merry over my misfonunes, saying" Well
young man, you got pretty well sapped, didn't
you ?" told him would not despute wish him
about that. "But see bere Uncle" said |, did
you see man with buggy and span Of bays
come by your house few minutes ago ?" | saw
the bays" be replied, "and came out to look fol
the balance Of the Graf" The old man kindly
asked me to bis house, where | cle,ned my face
and my har from some Of the free soil depos-
tied therei and some m.n having brought back
the horses, proceeded with them to the village
minus the buggy, which | reckon will need re-
pairing triae before they let it again.
came back here and have been tramping over
the country for several days. There are plenty
Of good farm, here and toerably good farmers,
though there is lack Of the close economy and
thrift noticeable at the east About the only
evidence Of strict economy and good husbandry
that | have seen here, appeared on a shoemaker''
sign, which read thus SHOE. | think be must
have been Yankee
You will find many good farms which have
been long occupied, and where some men live
whom they call rich, having pretty good houses
TO which the only mode Of access is by climbing
over or taking down r,i fence there being nc
gate, or even pair Of bars More generally
however, there i. pair Of bars, and q few indulge
in the luxury Of a gate. Many OF the dwelling
are framed aud quite commodious and comfort
able but many OF the original log houses are sti
occupied, nevertheless. They raise good crop
from a wide breadth OF sowing, failure Of which
they tell me, rarely il ever occur, in this section
1t j, a good fruit country, growing all the more
northern fruits, including peaches and grapes 10
great abundance Pear, also do well here, but
they are Of slower growth, and consequently not
SO common. The great staples are wheat-which
takes the lead-corn, pork and wool. Hogs are
" cOmmOners here, running at large in the high
ways aud in the field, and woods in great mum.
ber'. |. is no rare thing TO see drove Of fifteen
or twenty grazing by the roadside, or in an ad.
joining field afer the grain mas been harvested.
Even in the villages they are 30 common that lit.
Tie children are not afraid of them, playing
among them a, unconccredly as they would
among parcel Of kittens
Harvesting i, mostly done in July, and haying
in the FIRST part Of August, AFTER which ploughing
sud the sowing of wheat keeps the farmers bus,
ill it i. time 10 harvest the later crops Of corn
aud potatoes. 1t requires a heavy team to
plough much Of the aui-three horses abreast
being, perhaps, the most common, as that makes
a strong team, and one man can drive and hold
bis plough at the same time.
They have some big thunder and Lightning
here, good specimen Of which | witnessed the
other day. 1t became so dark in the middle o
the day as to render it difficult to read by an
open window. The roar Of the thunder, aud the
flashing of lightning, though distant at FIRST, wer
almost nce,sant for several hours. Toward
night it came nearer and grew heavier, seoompa
MED by torrents Of rain, displaying one of nature
mighty exhibitions OF grandeur aud submity. Tht
casualties by lightning, as have heard, wsr'
one barn burned, one COW and several hogs killed
The hogs are so numerous that ii is difficult mat
ter for fash of lightning TO get from the cloud
into the ground without hitting one, which q
course goes to the wall, as hogs are not oonduc
tors-except occasionally on a railroad.
The reads would be good, il little more pain
were taken with them, and some Of them ar
now, but the road take, are generally very small
and the roads numerous, so that but little wor
/. done on them. was riding, the other day
over a smooth road, extending in a straight lin
as far as could see in either direction, when
came to a sudden turn or crook, caused by tire
falling across the track several years ago. If
had been in TIE neighborhood Of supid Vermont
ers, they would have gone with axes aud oxe
and cleared it out OF the way but not SO thss
Hoosiers and Wolverines. They knew trio
worth two Of that and instead Of cutting III
tree a~ay-vhoh might have taken two men
hour-thOy simply made the road around it. An
r that tree has actually lain there and the peopl