Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1863-03-20

FROM NORTHERN ILLINOIS.

no hill nor mountain visible, and at little
distance from Lake Michigan, no lake nor
water scenery, Fields, felds,--as far as the
eye can reach with very slight unevenness
OF surface.
The ne' thing that forces itself upon him
in fair wostbor, is the apparent richness Of
the soil. Black as muck" II surely is,-
very light and fne-and he is tempted to ask,
Does not grsin grow to luxuriant herei Is
not the gtoW-t Of the stalk such as to leave
the grain diminutive in weight This indeed
is tendency, to which there are several
he will only think, How can | navigate this
streetf Is this the Slough of Despond
Have modern road-buildors no more skill than
those Of the seventeenth century and before
surface, where do they go to; Has this mud re-
ally any bottom or any emo These queries, and
athousand like them are readily suggested; and
Of course, in the progress ofcommendable pa
tience, will answer themselves. If the wealth
er is cold, and the roads frozen, then team
moves with difficulty aud danger. The hubs
are so high, so sharp and rough they seem
perfect succession of stone walls, and your
wagon is in constant danger Of being stove
1.-THE weather is dry and warm, you are swell
tered in dust. Nermonters can hardly real
ize, that on almost perfect level, for about
six months in the year the roads here are far
harder for teams than even your hardest hills.
But, in reference to growths, they are not so
great as to endanger all crops. The native
prairie grass as it grows now after being
moved or pastured as it has been, is light.
Native pastures here are not as good as
yours but If the land has been plowed, till
ed properly and seeded to clover, red-top,
timothy, &c, will equal your best pastures.
1t is said TO burn very badly in dry year,
and the sward is very light, Of course the
grass will fail earlier than yours would, and be
slower in reviving. So Of tillage land. 1t
has been powed for several years, and much
Of it is really worn. and needs manure. OF
the best farmer in the neighborhood asked,
How much corn do you harvest to the acre ,
'Oh, said he, twenty-five bushels for the aver
age sod-corn; ,hirty-fve bushels for old
land But don't you really harvest more :
= o yes, where tie land is good and the corn
hard we get fo,ty and afty, and sometimes
as high as eighty Here, then is the aver
to leave Vermont to raise corn; Wheat,
also, by the acre, is not surprisingly large
Twelve bushels is good average field. But
the land is easily cultivated and the inhabi-
fields, rather than to expend time, labor and
expense, upon a small piece to endeavor to
make it increase irs average. In ttis the peo-
pie Of the prairie are like the early inhabi-
tants of any country, surface tillers, and are
living on the primitive growths Of the soil,
with what i, produces by a simple, and nearly
primitive culture. Such, to great extent,
is the present cultivation Of these regions.
The people have bought many cuttings of
the white willow, and think they can raise
timber quickly. Perhaps they can. If the
prairie, however, i, dotted over with forests
to any considerable * ent, it will greatly i'm
pede the evaporation. shioh is now the outlet
of the superhuous water, and tend to make the
country uninhabita)Ic or unhealthy, The
evaporation now Is urrid, because the winds
are unbroken. Thyi sweep this open eoun-
try, With the same freedom they do the ocean,
and surface mud is rapidly dried in warm
weather Trees would break the current Of
the wind and impede evaporation, but per-
haps their absorption Of moisture might be
some compensation. They surely would sup
ply fuel, rails, posts and the like, all which
are needed.
Let any paradise seeker in the East consid-
er we'll, before be concludes with the multi
tude he will be gratided il he can only reach
these parties. Let him remember that men
of his profession, and in his state of mind, re-
move from here to the west--to Iowa, Nebras
ka, Oregon and California. How well and
how beautifully does this thought apply to
the few
eli solid happiness you price,
Within your breast the Jeyellies,
And the fnnle ho