Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1865-1872, 1867-08-09

pley County.
"Pryer," travelling correspondent Of
the Cincip< Gazette, writes as follows
concerning our sister County of Ripley:
RIPLEY COUNTY,
Although one, Of the oldest counties in
Indiana, is in a very backward condition
Generally speaking, its soil is of the light
clay order, and is lily adapted to corn,
This soil seems, however, when we'll man
ured and cultivated to produce good wheat,
good oats and the best of hay. Marshes
prevail almost everywhere, and large bod
les Of finely timbered lands are in the
hands of Eastern spectators. But this
land can be purchased with timber on at
from ten to twenty dollars per acre, and
with timber off at from elk to ten dollars
per acre. 1t would appear that a man
might take eighty acres of this ground,
planta par5of it to pears, apples and 9th :
or fruits, taf the rest in timothy, and
make the investment pay; for the timothy
alone would, in case the soil were proper
ly drained, bring annually at least ten
dollars per acre. From what have seen
TO. day, | am convinced that this is pecu
liarly grazing and fruit producing coun
try; that the sooner the citizens discover
this fact. cease paying much attention to
cows, and give their efforts mainly to the
production Of grass aud the culture Of
fruits, the better it will be for them.
Blackberries and wild fox grarol arc
abundant throughout Ripley. Black
berries can be bought at FIVE cents per
quart. Lam told that fish and game arc
plentiful. Surely there is water enough
for the former, aud wild country enough
for the latter.
3 ufis VERSAILLES,
The county scat of Ripley, Ave miles south
Of 0sgoOd, is, | am Informed by DR..
Thompson, citizen of the place, pleas
ant town, and in ordinary times, a stirring
business point. | hear from every quar-.
ter that the people Of Versailles are re-
fined, intelligent, highly social; that they
possess, in remarkable degree, the facul-
ty Of making strangers feel at home in
their midst. Their new Court House,
which is ono Of the handsomcst in this
part OF Indiana, is completed.
BATEsvILLE,
On the indianapolis & Cincinnati Rail.
road, is, perhaps, the most thriving town
in this county. 1t contains number of
good mills, and manufactures, several
pretty CHURCHES and handsome residences.
Its growth during the past few years has
been very healthiul.
He also writes as follows concerning the
German farmers. Ills remaks will apply
equally as we'll to the German farmers Of
Franklin County:
These Paople, whose countrymen 'have
ever been remarkable for ere readiness
with which they make good farms out of
poor lands, have accomplished here what,
perhaps, no other. people would think of
accomplishing. The very thnuest of clay
soil they have, by indofatigable industry,
brought into highly productive state,
as their wheat, their OATS, their hay and
their flax will testify. The secrets Of
their succes.are the smallness Of their
plantations and the amount of labor they
perform. a German never wants more
land than he can thoroughly cultivate
but on what he does possess he, his wife,
and all Of bis children that are old enough
to handle hoe, steadily, judiciously labor
To-day | saw a number of women bind
ing oats, tossing hay and failing fax.