The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1866-06-09

pretty well settled and goodIy portion Of the
soil under cultivation and fencing. The better
class Of Farmers dwellings simple one-story,
weather-bOarded buildings, not without an air
of neatness and comfort about them, though far
from the stateiness and durability Of their East
ern compeers. No more stabling surrounds them
than is necessary for the protection of a few hor-
SEES during the severe months of Winter, as cattle
are generally without shelter throughout the en-
TIRE year. The principal aricuItural product is
corn, which grows luxuriantlv with little cult
vatlon Sometimes the corn is planted as the
held is ploughed, by dropping the seed in every
tnlro or fourth furrow. Sometimes burrows are
run across an unploughed field of last year. for
the reception of the seed, and the soil is so rich
and porous that even thus good crops are raised
in favorable season. Spring wheat does well
here but Fall sowing is apt to perish from the
high winds and cold of Winter, unless a little
oats or buckWheat is mixed with the seed al a
protection. The most profitable business on The
prairies is stock-raising. Cattle, horses. mules
and sheep will flourish and grow fat on the rich
prarle-grass during the Summer, while the hay
cut therefrom will subsist them in Winter The
immense freighting business carried on with the
far West creates constant demand for draught
animals. They sell at good prices and cost lit
tie or nothing in the raising. Sheep grazing
"Ouiu otoO Oc ulBnly reLnuQcfaIlVe, II mills were
nearer at hand for the manufacture of wooden
goods.
Mounting an occasional elevation higher than
its neighbors, the eye discerned long wagon
trains moving off toward Salt Lake City and The
Mining regions Of Colorado, Idaho and Montana.
laden with stores for the far Western pioneers
AS the snowy-covered wagons stood out in relief
AMID the deep green OF the surrounding country,
they might well have been called The schooners
of th0prairie."
Twenty-Five or thirty wagons are sometimes
found in single train, drawn by from three 10
eight yoke of oxen, or from two 10 four pairs of
mules. Oxen are preferred because they are
cheaper and less troublesome, though not onite
SO speedy as mules They draw their loads IL
or Is miles per day, and at night are turned
loose to feed on the prairie grass, requiring only
herdsman to keep them together and bring
them to camp in the morning, ready to be volced.
up for the next day s march,
The pony which we rode galIoped along easily
and rapidly, leaping over guies and slight OBJ
structlons In the road, as nimbly as a deer
Here and there the smouldering embers of a Camp
ire were seen, marking the place where train
had gone into Corral y the night before and
had already started on its interminabe Journey
westward. AT other places, te&msters were
smoking their after-breakfast pipes as they yoked
the oxen and attached them to the wagons
| 1t was yet early when we crossed the Nemaha.
a narrow, sluggish stream flowing into the
missouri river. The cabius of the settlers ap-
peared at longer intervals and became ruder
IN construction as we advanced. Many of
them were built OF round logs and " chinked y
with the black mud of the prairie The low
ROOF IN some cases, was of split boards with a
| light covering of earth, on which green sod
had sprung up from the seeds carried there by
the wind. But little of the land was cultivated
ana no fences were seen except the little garden
enclosures around the dwellings, Immense herds
OF cattle with an occasional flock of sheep were
! grazing on the sunny slopes in charge of a
| mounted herdsman. The roads through this
section are mere wagon tracks, running at will
over the open country They intersect at every
conceivable angle without any apparent system
or design. Seeing but few persons of whom TO
inquire the route with no land marks or finger
boards to direct our course, it was not strange
that we frequently lost our way, more than once.
the last vestige of a road faded in the springinC
| grass, and we found oursef in the heart Of
prairie stretching away till the distant elevation
touched the horizon, with no living being, no
human habitation, no mark of civilization in
sight-nothing but the interminable sea of green
around and the blue sky overhead
/ Toward the close of the afternoon the clouds
which had been lazily floating through the sky.
suddenly gathered in dense black mass in the
| Northern horizon. The mutterings of thunder
were heard in the distance, like the opening guns
of great battle, and from the bosom Of the
clouds the forked lightnings began to flash forth
A stiff Northwest wind sprung up, driving the
heavy mass rapidly toward the zenith Soon
the big, steady drops. of rain began to fall, adj
vance guards of the coming army The storm
swept over the defenceless prairie with fury,
! dashing tne torrents of rain full in our face
Flash followed fash, and peal followed peal in
quick and stunning succession. Storms like
this spring up very suddenly on the prairies and
are sometimes quite fierce and destructive, un-
roofing houses and killing stock in the fields
We urged our pony to his utmost, but long ere
we reached our destination, were drenched to
| the skin.
Pawnee City is a small but neat village, the
prospective County seat of Pawnee County. 1t
lies in the midst of as fertile. country, and is
inhabited by as intelligent, moral and enterpris-
ing people, as we have seen in the West. It
has a aourishing Academy and considerable trade
with the country around. An NJ E. Church is
in course of erection, and number of stores and
dwellings will be put up as soon as the brick can
be burnt There is a scarcity of timber and of
water power. Limestone is found in the vicinity
and good quality of bituminous coal has lately
been discovered near by. The community needs
mechanics in almost every trade, and with fu'
ture prospects for the Territory, consider this
good point for emigrants to locate. L. M. H.
/