Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-01-10

only. This is in the limestone soil, and c
in the great wheat belt of the continent, |
and with its dry, hot climate must event /
uaily be a great wheat growing region |
An Ohio farmer informs me that he has
not failed to raise a crop for nine years. !
and last year he harvested 295 bushels to
the acre.
l will make a few general suggestions
space will admit nothing beyond the mere
suggestion.
SoIL.-The soil is deep, black and rich,
composed of clay. sand, lime, mari and
magnesia. The prairie soil is loose and
easily worked, but after cropping some
times gets more tenacity the soil of the
timber is not so rich, is of higher color,
has more tenacity, and crops wheat bet
ter than the prairie, because the winds of
winter blow the soil of the prairie away
from the young plant and thus freezes or
water kills it; while the timber will
grow the finer quality of tobacco, the
prairie soil is the richest inc easiest
worked; it produces corn equal to the
~alluyial soil of the SciotO bottoms. The
~alluvial soil of the Mississippi, Missouri,
Grand, and other rivers, is the richest in
the world. The bluff soil which is the
character of most of the whole country,
is but little inferior in quality, but is
what the g~eolo4ists call a later formation.
There is a portion of the highest lands
which are of drift formation, but the
largest portion is the blutf-a formation
made by a deposite of soil in fresh water.
There s no measure to the richness or
durability of this soil? 1t can, with care
full husbandry, be cultivated hundreds of
years without exhaustion. Then the
sub soil is full as rich. Whenever thrown
| - a. ,4Hs..- II Al - II A-,0-phAnn |
it becomes loose and mellow, and is said
to be more productive than the surface
soil. A friend says the best melon and
cucumber ground he has is where the
earth from a well has been spread.
TINBER.--There is plenty of good tim
Der in the Grand River country, and it is
growing instead of decreasing. In ali
prairie countries the timber increases at
ter the first fences are made. This is
partly because the timber belt is protect
ed from the annual fires, and partly be-
cause the growth is so thrifty as to ex-
coed the necessary use. The timber and
prairie is beautifully blended, and so
equally distributed as to give good prairie
farms with plenty of timber convenient.
i COAL.-This whole country is underlaid
: with fine workable beds of the best btu
minous coal. The bed. with but little
breaks, is about one thousand miles
, square. We are near the centre OF the
basin, and under our county is coal
enough to serve for a term of FIVE hun
5 bred years if $4,000 tons should be raised
, daily. 1t wants a little capital to open it
t here at Chillicothe and a more profit
, able investment could not be found any
S where. 1t lies about one hundred feet
e to the first vein, and probably 800 to a
vein six to ten feet in thickness.
OIL-In Carol and Ray counties is a
very rich oil field 1t is about fifteen
miles southwest of Chillicothe to the
nearest oil springs. The surface show is
very rich-much richer han anything
l Ohio or Pennsylvania has ever yet shown.
Wells are now being sunk. and it wiz
a soon be developed. The oil will be lu
bricating and very valuable. My opinion
is, judging from the geological formation,
and the character of the surface show,
2 that it will be richer than Oil Greek or
Pit Hole ever d canned of being. Chilli
t coihe will be the furnishing depot, and
o the outlet for this oil country.
IRON About twelve miles south OF
this point IS plenty of Iron ore, which
a extends southwark along the course oil
e Grand River to its mouth at Brunswick,
where it extends to the eastward. This
e ore is thought to be very extensive, and
G with the coal near it will, some day,
e make the valley below hero, a distance
of forty miles, 4 grand array of iron
furnaces. This will add to the wealth OF
e the country.
LEAD.-There is lead also within twelve
miles of this town on the south. 1t i,
not known yet how extensive; but sup
posed to pay for working.
SALT.-In Charlton county, about 80
miles down the Grand River, is a vslu
able salt spring. Salt has been manu-.
o featured there, and the water is rich III
salt. So, across the Missouri, in Saline
county, salt water comes to the SUFFICE
d in many places. The county derives Its
name from the salines. With railroad
facilities extending from these deposits
Of minerals, northward to the northern
regions, it will cause them to be devel
oped and make them sources Of great
wealth. These roads are sure to be built
Conference.-The is a town Of con
siderable Importance. 1t is 76 miles from
n st. Joseph on the west, 60 from Macon
city, l30 from Quincy and Hannibal on
the Mississippi. $50 from St. Louis, and
Y sc from the Missouri river. 1t is OF the
; Hannibal and St: Joe R. R., and three
miles from Grand river. The river is
j navigable with small boats to the juno
e ton three miles from the town, and in
flush water the largest steamers could
IS come up its narrow and crooked channel.
The town is growing very fast. 1t COZ
tains now 5000 or more inhabitants. II
is cheaply built for the most part, altho'
It it has some fine brick stores. Its trade,
probably, is much greater than the trade
d of Warren, and it is becoming a oonsid-
erable wholesale trading point. 1t sells
goods to about $4,000 people. Much oil
e its trade extends into Iowa. At this sta.
it tion, during 1864, over 10, 000,0 900 lbs. Of
a freight was shipped from here; while it.
merchandise received here was ovel
h 1900, 900 lbs. The cash receipts at thi,
e. station, for freight and passenger fares,
" exclusive of Government freights an
t, passengers, for the same time was $4,000
as 1t was increased during 1868, and proba
bly, doubled.
is This town is destined to be an import
re ant railroad centre. One road will sOOr
l. be built from Brunswick to this point, a
distance of 40 miles. This gives us Z
L nearer and more direct route to st. Louis
IS Then this road will be extended north t.
10 Desmoine, $50 miles, where it will con
neot with the railroad system OF loWi
lie and Minnesota, and another road will b,
De built from here to Council Blnffs, il
n Iowa, and still another into the oil re
gions. This will all be accomplished il
ten years, and by that time a consider
y able city will be built up here. 1t bid
b fair to be the most important point il
h north Missouri.
The topography of the country and
- ~ -
p ing it, must at all events make it a very
b. desirable and important point.
ID PosITIoN.-Missouri is the central State
a in the nation. It is in the line of tia
to great pathway between the two oceans
i'll Its rich soil, delightful climate, its rict
q mineral wealth, its favorable location
lie cannot fail to make Missouri the mos
ID ~populous and wealthy State of the ma
o. tion II will he the centre of ~DOlitica