Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-09-14
Note. by the Way.

Notes Dy rhe why
llps. 'OHIo SrArEssfxS:-Our last left us
ut Prarie du Chen. From Prarie du Chen
we take the stcafner "Diamond Jo,' Tor
Z WInona, where we arrive the nextmorning
In tinie tor breakfast. On our way up we
passed'the steamer "Itasca, with General
Grant sand party on board. Winona Is
vervRhriying uity OF 5000 Inhabitants. The
bestportion Of the place was destroyed py
IRE in 1860, but 1t Is now re- built In very
substantial manner. This Is the starting
point of the Winona and st. Peters. rail-
road. The cars are running as far as Roch-
, ester. the county seat of 0lmestead county,
and fifty miles from Winona. This Is a
first class road, with fine station houses and
an elevator at each station.
Took the train Monday p. NJ. and went
twenty mine miles to st. Charles, where we
stopped for day. After leaving the blutis
back of Winona we pass through the nnest
grain growing country in she world IL Is
one vast field of golden grain as iar as the
eve can reach on either side Of the railroad.
( Farmers are In the midst OF their harvest,
which Is rather late. owing to the extreme
wet az the past season. Help is not very
nlenty: harvest hands are getting SO so
her day. A great manv Germans and Nor
wepiaiis, of the "female persuasion," work
in che fields, and get from 81 80 to 50 90 per
day. The yield of wheat throughout Min
nesota will BE- immense. The average
weld per acre is-estimated at thirty bushels.
A gentleman In the cars remarked that
he had travelled from Maine TO Texas, and
he had never before seen 80 beautiful a
country as this-such immense crops and
such breadth of land in wheat. Weihad
occasion to go into the country several
miles on either side of the railroad, and
such crops we never saw before nor ever
expect TO see again, except In this country.
1t Is grand sight to see reaper emostly
self-rakers) In nearly every field. One
farmer said he would have 40 bushels per
acre on 100 acres, and 30 bushels per acre
on so acres, and offered to back up his esti-
mate with 500 "greenback." An old
friend on whom we called, told us that he
raised 27O0 bushels OF wheat last year, be-
sides large crop Of corn. He has but a
quarter section 4 (l60 acres). Nearly every
farmer has from 30 TO $50 acres Of wheat
besides large crops of oats and corn. Farm
ers In the Middle and Eastern States who
talk about large harvests, oughtito see the
grain that has been and is to be cut. Quite
! a number OF farmers In Winona and Wa
, bashaw counties raise as high as 1000 BUSH
els of wheat The oat crop is very heavy.
Much of it will be wasted, as IL is badly
lodged. The corn crop, so far as seen, is as
good as any upland corn In Ohio. "
I Taking the cars again we pass through d
magnificent country twenty-five miles far
ther to Rochester, the present terminus OF
the railioad.H Rochester is very pretty
and substantially built town of 5000 inhab-
; itants, containing many fine stores and res
licences, five churches, three grlst mills, one
female seminary!a brewery and four hotels,
the best of which is the " Bradley House."
| The passenger and freight depot is very
substantial building, and is as large as the
Union depot in Columbus. In 1856 the
place consisted Of one log hotel and half a
dozen shanties. Rochester is on the Zom-
bro river, and has very fine water power.
From Rochester we take the stage to Man
torville, the county. seat of Dodge county,
and eighteen tGtles farther west. Therail-
road will be finished up to this place by the
first of December. The country along the
stage route is equally as good as that
through which we have passed. Crops are
also equally as good. Mantorville isa very
pretty town Of l,200 inhabitants, situated
on the Zombro river. The Court House,
public schools, and stores are all built OF
stone, and are large and substantial. just
back of the town is one of the finest stone
uuarries in the State. In company with
our worthy friend and prince of good
fellows, Mr.. j. A. Mathews, OF Winona,
and his estimable lady, we hire private
conveyance and drive to Rice Lake, sixteen
, miles still farther west. After driving four
miles we pass through the town OF Wasioja.
A few miles farther and we come to one of
the finest settlements-if possible-that we
have yet seen, called the Claremont Settle
ment-the settlers being from Claremont,
NH. They have splendidfarns, and some
fine houses and barns. On the way we
passed a party of emigrants who had all
kinds of stock-in pdirs--necessary to start
stock farm-the most noticeable pair being
bull and COW yoked together, and pull
ing wagon containing the household
goods. After taking dinner and resting
/ our team we start on our return, OCCASION
ally stopping by the way to shoot prairie
chickens.-our skillful friend with his well
trained dog, bagging eighteen by the way.
/ Stopping at farm house to get drink,
we found the daughter driving the team
! and managing the reaper, which she has
done through all of the harvest, and did the
same last year. The young lady is just
fifteen years DID, 1 gts]' a..r
100. rH H..tI I "RUsTIcUs."
19bgga a. SHERMAN HOUSE, "a