Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1869-09-17
Am Open Letter. About
3. ....s,.. .. iowa. -.rs -.as

| AhiS itbteE Is 10 tue many people
the wide world over, who are askinj
us, by every mail that comes, some
thing about Iowa. In writing 1t, on
task will not be an easy one, for tin,
simple reason that to write a descrip
tion of iowa is to write a book. anC
not an editorial or letter. If W,
were writing for pay by the page W,
could make several fat volumes or
this subject, and still not tell 1t all
You must know that Iowa Is a grea
State. young in years, but already ole
In history, and great in wealth &C
rapid has been her march and devel.
opment. With this as warning fol
you not toexpect too much, in space
so small as column or so of the Reg.
lister, we will proceed to our work,
writing of things that people want to
know, and in English simple enough
for all to understand-making it up
as we 60. from the store>house of edi.
torial memory, and using no more
figures than positively necessary.
Iowa is a prairie garden, twenty
three years old as State, with an
area Of $1,000 square. It's location is
one that must give it future COM
mercial supremacy. 1t is central in
the Union, lying midway between
the Gulf and the Lakes, and half.
way on the great iron road around
the world. Added to this command
ing location, it has the two great
rivers of the land for its servants
the Mississippi washing the whole
length of Its eastern boundary, and
the Missouri nearly its whole length
on the west. Its surface is exactly
what man would have made IL; about
ninety per cent of 1t prairie, coming
ready for the plow from Natures
hand. Different from the fiat land
prairies of Illinois, it Is elevated and
rolling, billowed i'm gentle and gegu-
lar elevations and depressions, afford
ing drainage that is natuarl and
complete. Itmight be called q table.
land between the Mississippi and
Missouri, having a common altitude
of 1850 feet above the level of the
sea. Cultivation has shown the soil
to be unexcelled in richness and elas-
ticity-crop following crop with no
apparent diminution of its strength,
and that, too, under system of ag-
riculture so needless and dishonest as
to dispense with all fertilizing. Its
composition Is an admirable proper
tion of clay, sand and lime, with q
gift of vegetable mould, and has
shown itself of most remarkable
power in withstanding alike the raw
ages of droughts and the drownings
Of floods. 1t is of deep, rich, black
loam, from two to six feet deep.
Farther on We refer to this subject
more at length.
Coming into the. Union as the
twenty-ninth State-on the Goth of
December, 1S46-Iowa has swept rap.
idly to the front. In 1886, there were
only 10000 people In its borders. In
1916, it had but 81, 900, and ten years
afterwards 1t had $4,000. In 1867 i
had 920, ,00Q-and there is every reason
for believing that the census Of 1871
will show it with q; population o
between 100000 and !, 200 900. ant
probably even more than the lattel
number. This rapid increase in pop
ulation will probably continue fol
some years to come, as not more thai
one-third of the land of the State /,
yet occupied. There still remains a
least twenty-five millions of acres
untouched by plow or spade, waiting
for farmers yet to come. Some o
this can be taken by homestead priv
ileges or entered at Government price
while large proportion of that hel,
by private parties is obtainable a
from $3.50 to $40 per acre-and M
difficulty is had in getting choice lot
on long time and easy payments.
The soil Is congenial to the growtl
of every product of the temperat
zone. Every plant that grows be
tween here and the North Pole, cal
be profitably raised in Iowa, Will
the most substantial of the plant
and fruits growing between here an,
the equator, can be raised to profit II
the Southern part of the State. Wit
varieties educated to the climate
there is nothing to prevent the farm
er of Iowa from having an abundanc
of fruit as well as a profusion G
cereals.
In the production of corn an
wheat. Iowa has position at til
font, as official figures will bear u
proof. In 1850 she was the fifteentl
State in the aggregate amount G
wheat raised. In 1860 she was tn
eighth, and in 1868 the sirth. TIL
same increase for the next two year
will advance her TO the side of Hi
nois and Indiana, which now stan
first and second. Last year in aver
age per acre, she excelled the latte
States, taking rank next to Vernon
and Minnesota. In barley the sam
year we had the highest average
and In oats, the highest after Mime
sota.] That we are rapidly gainin
on the older States in the production
of wheat, is attested by the statemen
of the Department of Agriculture
that our State has this yea
increased her average of thi
crop, 224, 900 acres,--100.000 NOR
than any other State. In 1864 W
produced l5,02l ,l49 bushels; in 1856
14,635, $50; in 1867, %, ,OOO, 900 /; in 1885
25, ,0O0, 900, and this years threshin
will be at least $4,000, 900. and woul
have been 3 or 1900 more, but for tn
rain that beat down much of tn
crop in harvest. The average pc
acre is good. Good farmers raise 2
and 80 bushels, poor ones shame thei
soil with 10 and 15. Spring wheat
the most generally raised, but tn
southern counties produce grea
deal of the winter varieties.
In corn we stand third from th
; front in the aggregate amount pre-
duced; and in the average per acre
lead all other States. The report {
the Department of Agriculture fc
1868, puts Iowa at the head of tn
| IL