Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-08-23
For the Freeman.
Across the Prairie.


THREE weeks AGO I came from Northern |
Iowa, and had an opportunity to notice
what the farmers have done in the Cedar
Valley and the northern part of this State. /
This was my frst opportunity to see the |
immense grain fields SO famous in the West. |
aud determined TO travel by day. Thou !
sands who come here on purpose to see the |
country make half their journey in the
night, and by saving few dollars for board
lose one half the advantage that might be |
derived from the trip.
The greater part of the gram had been
cut, but very little was stacked, so that one
might form some idea of The crop. Some
newspapers estimated the wheat crop at
twenty or twenty-five bushels per acre, but
unless appearances are deceitful except IN the
northern countries, the yield will not exceed
one half the estimate When wheat grows
only two feet high. it is quite certain that
something is wrong. Hot, dry weather in
June probably did the work. Great crops
in this region as in other parts of the world
are the exception, not the rule. Farmers
have no right to claim that the fertility of
the prairie soil is inexhaustble and wheat
can p:oftably be grown on the same land
for any length of time. Usually the first
crop is the best, and it decreases from year
to year, till the owner is compelled to raise
some other crop. When will these Western
farmers learn the old English rule, - 10
feed the land before it gets hungry" Ger
-. II IL
and less grain.
In regard to other crops, it seems to me
there is nothing ahead of Vermont, except
oats and corn. Never have | seen such
corn, and this alone proves the richness OF
the soil for corn refuses to grow when the
land is not rich, but there are certain quail
ties lacking for producing heavy growth
of grass / have yet TO see fields OF either
wild or tame grass that viii produce more
than a ton per acre. Some Will ask, why
leave - barren New England and 50 to a
country no better | reply that it has beer
my object from the beginning to remove the
idea that the West Is paradise where
everything grows in abundance. and lazy
I folks get a living without work. The chief
advantage that the Western farmer has, con
sists not IN the great amount he gets from
an acre but in the fact that he can cultivate
4 FIVE acres with the same labor that the East
ern farmer expcnds on one. Secondly there
is verv little waste land On the majority
of eastern farms twenty acres out of every
hundred are rocky aud barren, where moth
ing can live except few sheep with long
noses, made on purpose for reaching the
grass that may happen To grow between the
rocks.
4 wholesale merchant asked me few days
since il he could not make more money by
investing twenty thousand dollars IN a stock
farm IN Iowa than by using the same capt.
tai in trade | told him tie prospects were
good for the present, but it was possible for
the stock business like everything else to be
oveTdouc No speculation Is safe It re-
quircs time b. get started in the business,
and then there VIII lie an enormous country
TO supply the city markets with beet. Texas
annually sends thousands Of cattle to North
ern markets, and no section OF the country is
50 well adapted to grazing. For the present
the best beef Will not come from Texas,
Judging from the long horned skeletons APP
pcaring in the Chicago mal ket last week,
raised on those extensive plains II Horace
Greeley had said more about improving the
breeds Of cattle. " hen he went to Texas thi,
summer to tell the people - What he knew
about farming he would have earned the
money which they paid him. Till the pres
cnt breed O. cattle is all dead and another
takes its place. Northern men need fear moth
ing IN that direction Doubtless ten wear,
will effect the change it the Texans hav,
any enterprise Then woe 10 the Northern
stock farms, as a speculation.
In "a former letter mentioned the unsur-
passed fertility Of The Pacific slope All ac
counts. however. do not agree. saw a
e man who had lived fourteen years in Oregon
and had travelled extensively in that State
California and Washington Territory. II,
says land west ol the Cascade range il
excel, NJ. bat the whole region on the cas-
is dry, barren desert, and he positively af
frned that he would not take the gift Of al
tins tract. The more such land mar
has the poorer he is 1here IS a plenty
OF timber in the mountains. but it is i'm
possible to gctJt out. Not one acre of ian,
can ever be cultivated unless it is situated
near 50 ne large stream when it can be If
rigated. The world is full of reports and i
is impossible to be satisfied till every on,
F secs for himself
July Is the best month TO devote 10 trave
when the grains are still standing in tn
field aud everything is cheerful. Even a
that season some sights disgust the traveller
Worst OF all are those Affecting family part
Ings. Kissing may he well enough, but it ha,
better he iudulged in at home. At
Iowa a gentleman escorted lady to a sea
in the car and kissed the fair Thomelyl one
and was passing from the car-solemn sight
when she called 20 him to come around t
the ear window where they chatted till tn
train started Another kiss closed the al
fecting scene Then they parted perhaps I
meet no more. w
The Planets in August
The present month afFJrds an unusual OF
portnnity for the study of the plan etar
wonders, for Venus, Mars and Saturn no,
{ lend ther soft light to the serene summe
evenings, and bright eyes can, during few
evenings of the month track the path of III