The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1868-05-07

A@AA1ASAoWNg CulChdSdW OOsg 4OWt
April IA, 1868.
Mr., EDIToR:-In my last I prom
ised to speak of climate, surface and
productions.
CLIMATE.
The winters here are somewhat
colder than in Southern Ohio; but t,
ones feelings, the difference is far les
than is indicated by the thermom e te
The cold is steady. The air is sharp
, dry and bracing. We are seldom
troubled with those damp, disagreea
bic days, which are so annoying ir
Ohio and Indiana. When one is pre-
pared for cold weather, the winters
here are more pleasant than there
After winter commences, the ground
seldom, if ever, thaws out until Spring
opens. Rain and mud are almost
; unknown during the winter months.
In early Spring, the mud is deep for
a few days only, unless there happens
to be p1otracted rains. This sandy
soil dries very rapidly. There is per
haps about the same quantity of wind
here annually that you have in Ohio;
but it is felt more keenly on the prai-
Irie, than in a timber country.
THE SURFACE,
Along the Mississippiis is very rough.
The bed Of that rfver is several hun
dred feet below the general level of
the country. The approaches to the
FLYER are almost invariably along
sOit1e streatn Or raVine. But the de-
scent is Usually gradual, ranging from
four to twelve miles in length. The
SUBMITS of the bluffs on either side,
iii the meantime, retain the general
level Of the country, or nearly Sc.
The sides of these bluffs are precipi.
tOus. The Whole scene, taken in con-
1ectiOn with the Mississippi, suggests
the idea, that the ''Father of Waters'
here flows at the bottom of an i'm
mense fssure in the limestone rock,
the fssure being from four hundred to
five hundred feet in depth, and from
three to six miles in width; while his
tributaries present a similar appear
ance on smaller scale. Enormous
quantities of debris, having the appear
ance of being showed over the summit
during some former period, rest
against what would otherwise be the
perpendicular sides of the valleys.
From the Mississippi westward, the
country becomes more undulating.
Leaving the Turkey river at Fort At
kinson, fifty miles west of the Missis-
sippi, loaded wagon might be driv-
en- westward fifty miles without
encountering hill, or even a bank
which would make it necessary to
lock the wheels; although a number of
streams would be crossed in the route,
The streams here are very long,
and remarkably close together. From
their length they are called rtuers,
but in breadth they are only creeks.
Take, fOr. example, the Wapsipinecon
and Cedar rivers. Both flow through
the southwest part Of Chiekasaw eoun-
ty. At this point, they are about
ten miles apart. Most of the streams
in Northern Iowa, afford abundance
of water power, throughout the year,
which is being improved at various
points. Among the bluffs, large
springs are numerous, With water
clear and sparkling. At Decorah, the
cOunty-seat of Winneshiek county,
one of these springs is made useful in
prOpelling Touring mill.
A turbine water wheel is used.
Fifty three feet of fall is obtained, |
and the water is conducted through a
perpendicular iron pipe ten inches in
diameter. The proprietor of this mill
claims to have water power sufficient
to run four pairs of burs. The writer
has seen several springs as large, but
we seldom find them so large with so
much fall.
In Chickasaw county, the surface
of which is slightly undulating, pure
water can be obtained BY digging
from ten to twenty feet. Here also
are found what are called mound |
springs. They appear to be a quag-
mire on rise Of ground. By digging |
into them from two to six feet, water
is obtained in exhaustless quantities.
THE SOIL.
Sand, and decayed vegetable mat
ter-chiefy grass roots-enters large
Ly into the composition of the soil;
being annually saturated with aIkali
from the burning parairies.
PRODUCTIONS.
Wheat and Oats are the chief sta
pies. The yield of the former usually
varies from fifteen to twenty-fyel
bushels per acre. The latter from
orty to sixty bushels per acre. Last
7ear, some whole townships were esti-
mated as yielding an average of sixty
bushels of Oats for every acre sown.
Every farmer raises Corn, but the
arger varieties cannot be grown with
afety north of Dubuque. Potatoes of
superior quality are abundant here.
FRUITS.
Berries Of every kind, grown in
his latitude, are easily grown here, !
including strawberries, currants and
francs Of tba harrIinP 1yoriofioe Do,oI, 7