The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-05-20
The West.

continuation VI tue letter printed last
week, writes home from Missouri as
follows. It would be wei! for those
who have the western fever to read and
digest this letter:
I" II You say you want to hear
Of the advantages and disadvantages Of
this country, just as l sec them. That
would be tedious undertaking, but l
will try and give you a few, just as |
can think Of them. First, let mo speak
Of its advantages. The land is level
or rolling-it will last longer to plow
att don't take the same amount Of
labor to tend the crops as it docs with
yOu-thCrc is but little "Glth" to cut.
Now for its disadvantages: First, tho
water is too scarce. The creeks dry
up altogether in summer, and getting
water by wells is altogether too unccr:
tain a process to be relied upon.
Houses arc bound to DO built upon
high ground, on account Of health
They dig deep wells near the houses.
wall thOm up, and when it rains, they
run tho water from of the roofs Of tho
houses into these wells. This water
they are compelled to use for drink
ing and cooking purposes. lis it any
wonder that whiskOy is in demand II
You have no idea how troublesome this
scarcity of water is to tue farmer. They
even have to water gcGsc--I have wa.
tered some myself since have been
hero. Streams the sizo Of tho enc that
runs through your farm have about
dried up, and it has not been but a
few days since it raincd. The winters
are too cold. The farmers have to pen
their sheep all winter TO keep them
from freezing. The ground frozO here
last winter, upon an average, eighteen
inches in depth, and in some places as
much as five feet. Tho ice was four
teen inches in thickness. The wind
blows too much and too hard. Every
day or TIVE it blows SO hard that man
can scarcely see, or get about. Almost
half the time | am hatlesI. Nearly
all the men wear caps on this account.
They have no coal or rock, and there
arc but very few quarries in the coun-
try. They'haTo:.nO timber that is fit
to build with. They bring their luni.
Der from Chillicothe, 40 miles distant,
and it is brought there ON the cars
from other States-just think Of what
the price will be. Such timber as they
build houses with, you would hate to
cut up for frc-woOd, but ii is the best
they have or can get. Taking every.
thing into consideration, it Is a much
bigger job to fence in land in this
country than with you. They have
very heavy droutA, hero every few
years. which burn up pretty much ev-
erything-thcn again, the seasons are
occasionally so wet that it is impossible
70 RAISE crops at all. Every few years
chintz bugs destroy the crops. Blue
grass burns up in summer, 50 that it is
not fit for pasture. II you came here
you would have to do without ample,
until you could raise an orchard. and
that would be about Is years. Thew
can hardly raise one for the rabbits.
Mr.. VOLTS orchard is not Of any &C.
count, yet it is Is years old. You
have bout as much again weather that
you y, can work Ou:, Us they have here
The grass does not sod as close here al
it does with yeu. Here they have no
convOnicnces about their farms, or
houses, or barns. Water is what plays
smash with them. There arc more
convOniGncss about your farm than
there is about all tho farms in this
county, so far Us l have seen. NIL
owned your farm and Ashward Rine.
harts, Just as they arc, | would not
begin to give 1t for any farm | have vet
seen in the West. You, in your pre-.
'Ont fix, arc making more money and
it falter than Mr.. Wolf and
bis son both, and you are in ax that
Iou eau have just as plenty AID live
u't as easy. People with you are
ixed better than they are here, and
nave ten convSniOuccs to where tho
western farmers have one. They are
not all rich hcre-it is just like II il
1t hOme-somo are rich and some Door
and | think there arc moro renter,
han in West Virginia. On The lon Of
tall, they have great deal heavier
Ak to pay than you have. can't SEQ
hat II would pay Won 10 nnnIl %,