The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1872-06-18
For the Bloomfield Times.
Western Correspondence.
PALoMA, Adams county, Ill,
9.. II. ,June 9Th. 1872.

Sirs:-I send the enclosed $1,25 as / see
my present term of subscription will end
soon, and cannot think of being without
THE TIMES. / also send few items which
may be of interest to some of your readers.
Paloma is small town or station on the
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Rail Road
about 10 miles east of Quincy and near the
centre of a prairie. The soil is good and
deep, and very productive, and climate
healthy, no ague nor Mosquitoes here, but
any amount of Chinch bugs to hinder and
sometimes destroy.the corn, oats and wheat
crops. The Colorado or potato bugs also
abound here in two or three different vari-
cites, and sometimes do good deal OF
damage to the growing potato crop. The
wheat crop about here is not very promising
ON account of being frozen out in many
places, for we had very little snow last
winter to protect it, and some fields are in-
.jured by Chinch bugs. There is good ap-
pearance for most kind of fruit especially
apples and peaches, in fact this is a splen-
did fruit country, much better than some
places in Pennsylvania. ,.sli.i.,
This village is improving slowly, there
are several new houses and other buildings
going up this spring. The Methodists are
erecting fine large building for Parson-
age in Paloma which when completed will
be credit to the church and community.
We have only one church now, but the
Free Will Baptists are going to build a
church here soon. Wehave "lots' of mud
in wet weather, but the soil is deep and the
water soon sinks, and the ground gets dry
sooner than in shallow or "hard-pan"
soil. ~
This part of Illinois is well-improved
with many good farm houses and some
good barns but generally they do not have
las large, or as good barns as in the east.
Good farm land is dear and is held at from
$50 to 500 per acre according to improve
ments etc. Some men.bought farms few
years ago when land was higher than now
and are in debt for the same and will hardly
be able TO "make the riffle," as they say
over in Missouri for they pay high interest
and do not get very high prices for produce
except wheat, but that class of farmers
threshed out their wheat last summer and
sold it at about 81 per bushel to get money
to pay debts, and now buy their flour at
81 per barrel. Farming is done here on a
pretty large scale. Most of farmers SOW
from 80 to so acres of Oats and nearly as
much wheat and plant 40 to 90 acres in
corn. 31'i | t.0i3A '!H
There will be about 90 acIes planted in
Cucumbers near this village this summer.
There are picking establismentsin in Quincy
that contract for and buy the pickles and
pay 10 cents per hundred. 1t is said to pay
well, much better than raising corn or oats
Two steam grist mills were burnt near this
place since the first of March, both insured
of course at all they were worth. Many
farmers had wheat deposited in the mills
taking receipts for it having the clause,
"Not liable in case of fire;' and SO they
lost their wheat, and must buy their flower
until they raise another CROP 1t certainly
was no loss to the owners of the mills for
they were we'll insured. st,.,,o., s..,.f,
~ On the morning of May 2Sd a portion of
this, region was visited by terrific lorna
do that passed in an easterly direction but
in narrow course not over couple of hun
dred yards in width, unroohng houses and
barns, tearing up orchard and other trees
and carrying them off many rods distant,
and leyeling fences and making the rails
fly in the air like straws. In one instance
near here it tore off barn roof and carried
it tagainst house about sixty yards distant
and broke in the roof and otherwise badly
wrecking the house. A young man was out
milking the COWS when the storm came
and he caught hold of an apple tree, but
the wind took the tree and the young man
both up, luckily he had presence of mind
enongh to let 60 so he escaped unhurt and
from all we have heard no lives were lost
But enough for the present
D'l'-' A reader of 'fThe Times.'
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