Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-08-31
THE CHRONICLE.
HOW THE WEST LOOKS TO A
TRUMBULL COUNTY FARMER.
LAMARTuNE, FOND DU LAC Co.,
WIsCONsIY. August 8, 1870.


LAMARTINE, FOND DU LAC Co., I
WISCONSIN, August 8, 1870.
EDITOR CHRoNICLE:-Perhaps a
word from an old subscriber Of the
CHRONICLE, and q resident Of old
TrumbuIl for over sixty-five years,
and now a sojourner in the Western
States, might not come amiss in Civ
ing a brief report Of the condition Of
the crops and a description Of pOr-
tions Of Illinois, Iowa and Wiseon-
sin. I started from Trumbun county
on the 18th Of June last, and my first
stopping place was in Grundy county,
Illinois. The weather, before leaving
home, for some two or three weeks,
had been very wet. Arriving at Chi
cago on the Monday following our
departure from Ohio, we found
marked change in the weather, when
in this part had been rather hard, ana
all kinds of crops showed the lnJurl-
Gus effect. l saw many fields that
had been planted in corn that had not
vet come up; and in the vicinity OF
Joliet, oats, wheat and grass We're
suffering for rain, causing n lengthen-
ing of the farmers faces.
From Gardner I took a ride OF
twenty miles into Kankakee county
and a corner Of Livingston. At
ter crossing the Mason, a stream OF
some magnitude in these parts, that
in places was as dry as Main street
in Warren, 1 travelled some fifteen
miles and not q tree was to be seeni
and a worse trouble was, not fence
TO guard the crops. A person not
familiar with the country, In travel
ing the prairie, will not unfrequently
be brought up standing in a G n
f3eld in which predicament had the
had luck to find myself, when l was
hailed by a son of the Emerald Isle,
with the warning that I could 60 no
further. He objected to my proposal
to cross his corn by straddling a row,
and so I had to retrace my steps
mile or so before 1 struck the tran
again. I next visited Morris, the
county seat of Grundy. This pfaee Is
situated on the north side OF the 1lll-
nois river, and is a smart town. Here
/ took the Chicago & r. /. r. X. for
Rock Island. All along the route
the crops showed the effect Of dry
weather. A half crop Of oats and
wheat will be all the farmers will
realize, if, indeed, they will get that:
Early planted looks well, and Will
be a good crop. We crossed the Fa-
ther of Waters at Rock Island, and
entered Iowa, stopping first at Will
ton, Muscatine county. The soil and
face of the country here is as fine as
any one could wish-but there is
lack Of those very needful articles,
wood and water. Nine miles is not
unfrequently the distance they haul
their wood, and often they are Obliged
to burn corn in the ear. 1 have seen
cObs hauled from the elevators for
burning in stoves. Wheat and oats
here will not be over halt a crop, and
pasturage is all dried up. The stock
is what I call spring poor"
I next visited StanwOod, in Cedar
county. Part of my route was thro'
timber. The timber here looks more
like an orchard than a forest. Think
q man would be in luck getting a
twelve-fOot stick by splitting three
trees together. The swine can sit on
their launches and eat acOrns off the
trees. The roots of the trees cover
the face of the ground, and a man
must look sharp 70 get peep OF the
soil.
From Stanwood we took the Chi
eago & Northwestern r. R., and
crossed the Mississippi at Clinton,
expecting to take a ride up the river,
but in consequence of low water the
lAn N
We proceeded by rail to Grand juno
ton, about thirty miles west Of Chi
cagO, and from there returned TO
county, where the weather
has been very hard on farmers. Grass
is light and wheat and oats poor.
Farmers here are turning their at
tention to the dairy business. L was
in two cheese factories where they
are getting the milk Of two or three
cows. Their cheese look
first-rate. Many farmers send their
milk to Chicago, it averaging twelve
and one-half cents per quart was
at the station one morning near car
time, and it was as thrOng as gen.
eral training" There were twenty
teams hauling milk. From here we
went to Crystal Lake and took the
cars for Fond du Lac. The country
wore a sameness OF appearance Of
drouth until we passed Janesville,
when the earth put on smiling face,
there having been plenty of rain.
Such fields of wheat I never saw.
The straw is not so large a growth,
but the heads are long and well filed,
the berry full and plump. And such
fields of seeond-grOwth clover knee
high and Just blOssOming out. Corn
and potatoes are fine. The Colorado
bug Is doing damage in some places.
Here, also, the farmers are starting in
the dairy business. / have been at
two factories. One has the milk Of
six hundred cows, and had twelve
hundred cheese on hand. The sur
made me think was back
in Cheesedom. A young lady is the
boss, and everything is as it should
be. They do not color their cheese as
in the east.
I have not seen any section Of
country excelling this. The land is
rolling, with plenty of timber, and
is well watered. Never falling wells
are had at from twelve to forty feet
deep. The country from Byron to
Waupum, and then north to Ripon,
and so on to Green Lake, and then
back to WinnebagO Lake, can't be
beaten. Farmers look as though they
were at home. TRUMBULL-