St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1871-03-17

know that they are giving their land the
worst recommend they could, for it is
this very kind of s1il that can stand the
wet and dry that is good for nothing for
the farmer The hest lands, those that
produce the most, are the lands, without
thorough cultivating by deep plowing
ami understanding, that feel these eX-
tremcs. Take your poor plain lands on
Springfield bill, wet or dry weather does
not affect them much, yet they produce
a. many bushels Of winter rye per acre
as the rich prairie lands that are sung
from nom till noon, from noon till night,
and, for aught know, all night
There are many kinds of bugs ont
here, but the biggest bug is humbug, and
this animal will be found lively one all
over this country the soil and climate
are 50 congenial to his growth that he
reaches neutrality-suspicious.. In all the
western pancgyrics no one ever sees any
| facts and figures to convince emigration
1t is all what they can do, and what
they are going 10 do Chat is, if some one
else will furnish the money!, but never
what has been done. | met a man on
the ears, a few days since, who gave me
lis experience i'll getting rich 10y buying
land. lie came here some i years ago
and purchased 100 acres Of land close by
town. This is the great expression out
here when one has land to sell. The
town, by the way, then consisted of a
few log hus : bat there was going to be
Il railroad right eli, and further, it was
going to run close to every mans quarter
section of land in the country they knew
ii, for they had seen the survey. This
man paid el2S0 for his leo acres. His
family was taken sick he used up what
money he had, and had TO send back
east to have his friends send him money
to get back with. lie was Il good me-
chanic, and went TO work, and in this
II years he has accumulated quite for
tune. His Land has lain as he left it.
lie has paid the faxes yearly, amounting
to S2O,-this year they will be about
S:11 and, To-day, this land has actually
cost him over $1,000 He tried to sell,
and the bet offer be conld pet was IS
per acre, one quarter down, and the bal
ance in one, two and three years. Now,
this Is not an i-olatcl case. More than
half the land in Iowa, to-day, is held hy
non-rcSidcnt@, whose land has cost them,
reckoning taxes and interest, twice what
| they will ever oct for it. a. 4 general
rule There may he exceptions, bat not
often. have no disposition 10 dispar
are the West in the least, but let ME say
TO those who fancy that 10y coming here
they are going to re slizc any sudden
wealth 10y iarmin. or trading, they will
be doomed TO a sad appointment. II
any one who wants land. and, Is willing
TO take a homestead out on the prairics,
out Of the pale of civilization, and bring
up Il family of children without any Of
the comforts otlife, living in a sod house,
rs most OF the hom"Steaders do, amid
ponds and @lcughS, and drag out n mis-
cradle existence, let them choose some
other locality than this bleak and cold
northwestern Iowa.
Much has been said about the healthy
climate OF this country, Well, now, if
country can he healthy where it is so
low and fiat that at least one quarter Of
it Is nothing but sloughs, with wafer SO
hard that it viii fairly rattle, then the
laws OF nature are different here than in
any other portion of this country. Com
mon sense teaches any one that such can
not lie healthy. The complexion ol pco-
pie Is almost 4 sure test OF the hcalthl-
ness OF any climate, and when | see :.
community where the color of the skin
looks like the pclt Of 4 dead sheep, after
it has been dead long enough TO have the
wool removed easily, | do not look for Il
healthy climate. Imagination Is some
times easily iiattcIrd, and when | see
some of these prairie homes pictured iout,
on some agricultural machine advertise
ment, with beautiful farm buildings, and
large farms of wheat being cut with the
two-horsc rcapcr,-and the painters of
the fairy lands, notice, always take
rrcat pains TO have nice stream of run
ming water close Ly the farm house, and
lar1c, splendid trees near by, | could
easily suppose that peace and plenty
rcimn there: but it is all delueion. Ii
a stream at all you see, it will be some
little slow, miry, muddy creek, and The
farm house will he abolt Ii by -, with
no cellar, no trees within from one 10
thirty miles, no barns only one made by
putting crotchcs into the ground and
covered with stTaw,-all, all bcspeaks
misery and poverty, and waiting, trust
ing, hoping, but not much praying, that
some victim may come along and tic
crcduIous enough TO believe their stories
about their rich soil, healthy climate,
biz crops, and buy them out. They for
nct TO tell the new conner that they raise
about II bushels Of wheat TO the acre,
and get from 80 to - cents per busheI
for il, and that they raise 30 bushels OF
corn to the acre, and get from 30 to 10
cents for it, They forget 10 tell YOU that
they have 10 pay more for everything &
farmer has to buy, than in the Older
states, and sell every thing that he has tc
sell at about half what the eastern farm.
Cr gets.
1t is true there Is great emigration
west, and every one that comes has an
interest to have some one else do lIbe"lec'
The more that come the better chance
, for the shystcrS that are here, the more
victims there will be to sell land TO with
out any tide or even color OF Il title; for
he it known that of about one-halt OF
Tho land sold in this section of the coun-
trv the titlc is worthless, and whoever
buys will be "a victim TO misplaced conf
| dencc. have prolonged this letter mucl
longer than | intended when | began, bu