Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1865-01-28
y temperature during an average year.

april, So; May, 73; June, IS; July, 81; Ao-
gust, o5i September, 80; October, 81: No.
vember, 40; December, SO.
& During the two first and 1.-The two las
months OF theyear, observations we're tsker
az .. A. Nj during the other months at z
y to this time we have never been seri-
ously inconVenisnced by extremes OF
drought or humidity thong gh amodificatior
IN this respect may, as in other new coun.
trles' follow upon the improvements of The
For the efveye commencing with 1855
Ano ending with 1859, the average annual
quantity of rain was 3l4 inches, of snow
20 inches. These obserTations were taken
IN tue most northern part of the State, and
include the year 1856, in which extremes
were more diyerging than usual.
SNOW falls here at intervals from Decem-
per to March inclusively, but seldom re-.
mains over two weeks at the time. Winter
feedlng Of stock is required during from
tnreo 10 siEisnanths, according to latitude
OF the eondTtou of fall and spring pasture,
housing and stsll-feeding cattle over VIM
Ter does not belong to the general practice
OF the country, although in elevated ranges
1t is attended with benefit. Sheen REQUIRE,
Or at least, receive less care over winter
than any other stock, aud, in more than
Que half of the Stale, are left entirely to
smut for themselves from one season To
another. When proper precautions are
taken to retard ,lambing until March or
April, little or no loss results from this
practice with acclImated breeds.
Indian corn, the standard crop in the an
pteciatlon OF climate in these latitudes, is
planted hereifrom the FIRST to the last of Nav.
ana cut up tnlly ripe, about the middle OF
september, During period of eighteen
years. observation, only once, in 1859 corn
seasonabIy planted was partially injured
in the northern and central couuliesEbv
that phenomenally premature frost. which
proved SO destructive in the neighboripp
State of Ohio. After this accident. how?
ever, nothing more occurred to disturb the
regular course of the autumnal season,
which, In West Virginia, is one of unsur.
passed equality and loveliness. '
The above data, so far as they 90, NAV
be taken as indicative of the climate
throughout the State, with-the excention
of few couuties or portions of counties,
situated astride of the eastern mountain
chains, and their Plstesus, known as the
Glades. These natural meadows. from
1900 to 5000 feet above tide water. are
not remunerative to any branch of hus.
bandry, except Summer grazing and the
dairy. By way of compensation, Glade
butter, and Glade mutton and beef are of
transceudent quality, and command su.
perior prices in the market.
10 point of salubrity, statistical tables
and general reputation agree ia pronoun-
cling our climate unsurpassed by that of
any other State It is, indeed, qqestion
able, whether the whole Missisippi,valley
affords another tract of $4,000 square
miles, 80 inaccessible to epidemics and
sickness, generally, as We5t Virginia. The
oraclng purity of air and water is such.
that no mslsrious diseases have been
known here since the first settlement of
our territory No western fevers, no aQue
to blanch the ruddy cheek aHd wither the
| sinewy frame of the children of our soil.
Gastric aud pulmonary patients from
neighboring aud distant States, annually
resort to our highland atmosphere and
mineral springs to renew the Juices ofiife.
and to nurse their returningstren 9Th 10 tn &
sports ofUur streams and forests. Permanent
settlers,.wh came here seriously affected
in their general, health, have, after few
years of residence, entirely recovered their
original vigOr. sas e. H ave- s1a
Nor is the salubrity of our climate less
observable in the rest of animal creation.
| Diseases among catlles horses and sheep
are entirely unknown, and experiments in
| the acclimatiEstion of almost every known
breed of improved stock invariably meet
with encouraging suncess.CoaE
Not only the climate, butalso the
ToPoGRAPHroABIs BIsERuuTUREs6oE
of West Virginia designates this country
as pre-. eminentiy adapted to'pRstoraI Par4
suits. Our surface is VIGOROUSLY uneven,
! swelling from rolling 10 billy and noun.
tainous, with scarcely more than an ave-
rage of ten per ceat. of bottom land. Now,
although these bottoms, as we'll as-our rich
hillsides and level uplands, produce grain
Icrops equal to those of average prairie
llaud, yet the practical farmer will readily
understand that nossystem of husbsndfy
can be regarded as permanently profitable
on a surface chiefly, composed of inCliued
planes, unless toupded upon the rearing
and grazing of fstock. This braaeh is un-
versally conceded to the most expedi.
ent in all localities, where the unevenness
of ploughed surface exposes it TO the de-
teriorating action of rains, SC, and pre-.
cludes the use of labor saving machinery.
In Western Virginia, it is rendered addi-
tionally Temunerative by our proximity to
the eastern cities and sesports, which en-
ables US to realize almost the highest mar
ket prices at home, and to compete most
favorably with every other State.
Since the FIRST settlement of Western
Virginia, live stock has been its principal
staple, the profits of which have added
immenselyto to the public and private wealth
lof the country. 10 some Of the oldest
4 Feounties, the value of live stock is assessed
at from $5O0,O0O tofS900, 900, and in the
article of sheep alone IN the northern enc
of the State, at from $50. 600 TO $500, ,00C
per county. The care and improvement
bestowed upon the grazing business il
those and ether localities, is conspicuous
in the extent and condition of the farms,
Exhibiting some OF the most luxuriant nat
ural and artificial sod on the ooutinent. a
The extensive commons of woodland
still prevailing ia large portion of oul
State, will enable a begianer of moderate
means to realize u profit from the cum
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