Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-04-13
From Wisconsin.
DARLINGTON, LAFAYETTE Co., !
WIS, Mar. 26. 1870.

DEAR CHRoNICLE:-I am still in
the land of the living. Think that |
could not say as much in most other
parts of this little world of ours, for
! nature here appears to have done her
very best for all those that wish to
look on the bright side of earth and
life. Its great floral hall, its wavy,
bOundless, Ito the eye) rich grains that
have an ocean-like appearance in
summer, and it is hard for me when
standing on an eminence here, not to
eXclaim:
How beautiful is the wild scene,
Though odd to seem SO far from land,
On rolling waves of brightest green,
That break on a dissolving strand.
This great west must be the farmers
department of every CLINE, for it is
already represented by many differ
ent nations, mostly from Europe !;
and am sorry that many of their Gus
toms, manners and tastes, were i'm
ported with them. A small house,
only enclosed, without a shade or an
ornamental tree or shrub around it ::
large straw barn on which a new
covering is added at every harvest; q
large rich farm, on every acre, per-
haps, is sparse woodland in little
groves of second growth, such as
lack oak, pin oak, white oak, quaking
ash and haZle bush, &c. Eight out of
ten of the farms here are enclosed by
wide wreathe of wild flowers, mostly
several kinds of roses; few wire and
board fences are to be seen, THAT is
fankee); most are fenced with two
large dogs, well trained to their duty;
it is farming by foreigners that
makes this Eden express what it now
does.
EASTERN MEN.
Eastern folks that have been here
long, are Cften responsible for the ex-
preston, by travellers of good taste,
"Hon'e Sweet Home" and 1 think
the time will soon come when this
region will lose its bleak, desolate look,
for see that sons aud daughters are
not stepping in their parents tracks
in many things that makes life pleas
ant and home dear.
CROPS.
Last July all faces were remarkably
short here, for the farmer saw his
pile" the merchants saw old goods
leave their shelves, the mechanics
saw plainly comfort and happiness for
some time to come. But soon after
harvest all faces began to look like
Sunday ones that saw in old Conn.
fifty years ago. The trouble was
plain. The wheat crop was too large,
the crop of corn, oats and barley too
small. Potatoes would have been a
large crop, but were one-half frozen
the last OF Oct, hence the price is
high in some parts, varying from %
TO T5 cts. Wheat from 40 to 90 cts;
oats so to 60cts; corn so cts; hay 81 to
S8 per tun. These States, though first
this side of the North Pole. are well
adapted to corn as well as other crops.
Four years ago it was burned here for
fire wood, and worth only Is cents
per bushel. No manure has vet been
put on land here, except to fill Gp
holes and hOllOws, and to be dumped
into the river; yet l think that it
should be put on corn ground. Here
it is apt to lodge on crops; but corn
will get at least partly up again,
though the soil is from two to three
feet deep it must wear out in time.
TIMBER AND COAL.
Coal of a second quality is found in
several places here, but as yet not a
drop in the bucket towards supplying
those that must have it; yet all hopes
are bright ON that point. All farms
that have a boundary on any stream
generally have timber enough, but
those out on the prairies look to me
somewhat naked of timber, and l |
always feel like skeptic when told
that it grows as fast as it is consumed, |
nd ffa aalr IL
often point to large nurseries of young
soft maple trees that grow two feet |
high the first season from the seed. !
Eastern men will be first to have |
farms with suitable woodland, mostly
of this kind, though it is very liable |
to be broken down here by the wind. |
WATER.
Here in Wisconsin, those that have I
wells, drill from 40 to a 100 feet in a /
yellow limestone rock, and get first |
rate water, at a cost of 50 per foot /: |
but many prefer cisterns of large size, |
with a filter attached. These are
used in Minnesota to a great extent, |
for there they have to drill often 200 |
feet for water. The frost here is often |
five feet thick. saw it not quite out !
in June, up near the Minnesota line, !
so our cistern water has poor chance !
ever to get warm.
WEATHER.
There is a pureness here in the
atmosphere seldom enjoyed by those
living in a deep, shady wooded coun-
try like Ohio. A halo always lights /
up the west, especially in our long
Indian Summers, that make all OBJ
jects loom up larger in the clear dis
tance. Winters are dry and cold, but I
pleasant, with little sleighing. This
has been true to the letter of what
old settlers say of them. More birds
and more kinds winter here than in
any of the eastern states. Here in
the middle of March we have the
song of the robin and blue bird. No
snow now. yet only about one foot of
frost out of the ground. The thickets
of oaks with their leaves on make q
warm covert for birdsand animals here
in winter. G.. C.. H.