New-York tribune., 1867-04-09
TaE PENNSYLVAN4 WILDERNESS.
Nsw-YonK. April, 1867.

from the counties Oi Potter aud Mexican. Livery
where politicians were figuring. Did any body Aho"
how these counties had gone, and where were they'
any how
Recently. the Sunbury and Erie Railroad running
nroperly from Harrisburg to Erie has been com
peted As it passes through this region we begin 10
know something about it. A journey to Kane III
Mexican County gives me some facts regarding
section as unknown to Our people as MOnl''h" "a
idaho.
The western branch Of the Susquchanna running
far between the spurs of the Alieghanles mas o,'n
The highway thither while for many years ~ il"9
horpe an its waters logs and lumber bouhd ior 'lo
known world The lumbemen were haruy i"o',
In the valleys they raised little gram ana Ior meat
,l, d,.crdcd much on yenSion, bear and speckled
,ont Several new counties have been organizedout
,f tbi, REGION and named Cameron, Elk, and Forest;
bnt portions Of it still included III the counties OF
Potter Mexican, Clinton Clarion, and Jefferson. Ii
NAV be roughly estimated one hundred miles long
and sixty wide and contains the headsprngs oi the
Susduehanna, the Allegany. and Genesee hlVeIs'
Not single important road passed through from the
north south east or west: the county towns were III
sgnificant hamlets reached after days or weeks OF
travel II required years for fashion to be IN
troduced The most important men were the iaW-
vors. and a little learning made a lawyer Almost
always 2 lawyer special agent Tor NONRESIDENT
landowners: he had good salary: his duty was
lmitod TO preventing the land from being strpp,d Il
pf timber to use what influence he could 10 dlS-
courage settlement and Improvement for taxation
Dyoud follow and either to get elected to the legls-
iatu.e or 70 attend as lobby member and see thatno
laws were passed to develop the resources OF tnlS
wilderness
large part of the land is owned by capitalists III
Nsw-York and Philadelphia, hut perhaps the heaviest
owners are well known bankng-hOuses III Europe
and their possessions include millions OF acres Inc
originally was in the Holland Land Company ana
these foreign proprietOrs now properly represent ''
organization The leading idea has been that some
day this land would be valuable O. and that there could
be no safer or more profitable investment Coal ana
Iron were known to exist. and there might be other
minerals Still here and there small tracts of few
Thousand acres each were held by persons OF limited
means sometimes they sold their land sometimes the
sheriff sold it for them, and few settlers eaheu
foothoId After the railroad reached Wiliamsport
there was some activity and few new settlers went
UP the Susquehanna with goods and their families
IN canoes while of their number drove YOKE Oh
oxen along the valley When the river became 100
shallow TO be navigated, the canoe was abandoned
n sled was constructed regardless as to whether the
ground was bare or covered with snow, and they
Dusbed ON through the wilderness to the waters Oh
tbe Allegany and selected locations where the Ili
road was to come But they had to wait many years
some did not live to sec their hopes reazed thelr
children seldom went to meeting, never to school, ana
all looked back with sad hearts to the land they h"u
left behind l was told of one man vho haa H'eo
avalIcvfifteen wears waiting for the railroad; when
II did come he improved the first good chance to sell
out and return to his native place TO educate his Gull
dren
In pas,ing through this country, l saw many signs
Of recent Improvement There are good saW-lhlilsJ
and at least one first-class tannery newly put i'll
operation. with fine prospect for bark is plentiful
and several valuable cOalmines are shipping large
quantities of coal. Beyond Saint Marys is mine OF
canne coal, so named from candle" as II was uSeu
nv the miners in England instead of candles. saw
il burning in CRATE and it left reeduum similar TO
the ashes of hard wood Perhaps this Is the only co
of the kind in country unless it be in the Breckn
ridge mines of Kentucky
Iva. told that the soil in the narrow valleys Is III
.ned 10 leaoh that for this reason grass does NOT 90
well: but that on the mountain levels 1t IS retenlVe'
of fine quality, and excellent for grass oats potatoes
and perhaps other crops but lumbemen pay httle at
tention 90 farming. From many sources l learned
that the amount Of level flat land is considerable ana
That, il the saw timber has Deeh cut OIL IL 0"i "
bought very cheap
Ills q recent discovery that acre Of good grass
land is worth any acre Of choice plow land. More
tIan this: the grass land is destined to increase IN
value. because the climate in which 1t Is natural
d limited to o few degrees Of latitude. Philadelphia
does not lie within it, nor any place south OF 1t,
anIess sufficiently elevated to make climate cores
ponding 10 a higher degree Of latitude
On the continent of North America, there are more
segrees of latitude in which the climate Is suited 10
figs oranges, lemons cotton, and sugar-cane' thah
- grass Now, while dairy products are limit TO a
belt not exceeding three hundred miles WIDE ana a
par OF which must always be devoted to other crops
he importance Of developing all our grass land Is ap
parent The increased demand for butter ana cheese
owing 10 the increase of population ana the great
profits arising from this source make grass larm Oh
,specia value 1t is Of consequence that pastures
,haU be level: STILL the land to be mown should
not be too rough 1t is well known fact hat tho
grass Of mountain regions is more nutritious than
lhat in the low lands.
Now. this Pennsylvania wilderness is surrounded
,n every side by the most fruitful regions Ill the
world On the East are the famous wheat and clover
eegions on the South the counties of Centre and In
Aaua on the West the great dairy and fruit regions
of OHIO and on the North by Chautauqtia CattaIau-
gus and Allegheny Counties where the farms are as
valuable as in any part Of the world. Some 20 or 80
years ago these western counties were lightly es-
leemed for the reason that they frosty and
the Winters were so long, and this and that. Per-
Aaps II has been discovered that in countries where
cattle have TO be foddered months in the year
krass enough grows to feed Them and that where the
Winters are mild the Summers are 50 hot the grass
will not grow at ALL Boston folks very particu-
lar and il any people know how TO pick out things
good 10 eat they do The very best beef in their
ket comes from the State of Maine.
Ianumerable streams of cold pure water come down
through the bills: on the upland levels springs are
frequent andn the small riyuets trout are abundant