Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-06-21
For the Essex County II erald.
LETTER FROM THE WEST
NUMBER TWO.

of the wet state of the ground we
must go three miles out of our way.
We crossed the river in a rickety old
ferry boat, on board of which was an
old express wagon and pair of horses,
occupying almost the entire room.
The Rock River at this point is about
twice as large as the Connecticut at
Dalton. Cleveland is small village,
the coal mining constituting the only
business. The shaft is sunk only
thirty-fve feet. The vein of coal is
about five feet thick and extends
overa large territory. tits drawn from
where it is excavated by mules, to
the shaft. distance of about one hun
dred rods, and raised by steam power
in cars. A pump is kept in operation
continually to keep the mine from
filling up with water. The rapidity
with which coal is hoisted from a
shaft is really wonderful. This coal
is different from the coal we get East :;
it shows grains very Plain, and is al
most wholly used for fuel in this vi
cinity. Some think the vein of coal
was q deposit of timber made at the
time of the flood; but l don't think
so as there is slate ledge above
and below the coal. The subterrane-
an passages extend under the houses,
one of which sunk into the nine last
year.
1t has been so wet here that the
lands on Rock River are just being
planted. They call the season late,
bnt say there is yet time enough for
good crop. These bottom, or river
valley lands are not equal to the
prairies of the West, as in a wet sea-
son they drown out: l was disappoint-
ed in the land bordering on the Miss
issippi River. I had supposed they
were bottom lands, or, as we call
them, meadows, but that is not the
case. The bluffs come down to the
river banks with few exceptions, and
extend back from one to three miles,
after which there is splendid coun-
try ofrolling prairies. Visited some
of the farms five miles back from the
river; one farmer was planting his
corn the second time. 1t took him
three days with two horses and one
man to plant forty acres with corn
planter. The largest farmer | have
seen yet has eighty acres of corn
forty Of wheat, ten of oats and barley
and one acre Of potatoes. This
farmer has 100 hogs and fifty head O.
cattle. A farmer here with one man
will raise fifty acres Of corn, forty OF
wheat, and cut about twenty-five tons
of bay. All the work is done with
machinery. The corn planter is val
liable invention. 1t is operated will
a pair of horses and two men-one tc
drive the horses and the other to
move the lever which drops the corn
| Two small plows run in front, one OF
each side of the machine, which makes
q small furrow, then comes the corr
dropper, after which is roller, O.
rather the wheels of the machine arc
about one and a half feet wide which
rolls the rows all down. The corn is
planted four feet apart each way ant
is cultivated with q machine the horses
going each side of the row. They
E cultivate it out each way four time
during the season. Two or three
days after the corn is planted the,
harrow the ground over with ligh
harrow to break the Jumps, as the
ground is very lumpy. When tn
: corn begins to comes up they rol
: it down with common field roller
: and then in two or three days begir
to cultivate.
: The farmers here are very we'll off
as general thing, and are mostly
, Foreigners. Those that go from GU
section live in villages and are general
ly engaged in buying and selling
produce, goods, &c. The farm build
/. ings, generally, are poor com
h pared with ours. There are very fey
barns the cattle in winter eat int
e the straw stacks and get under ther
!. in time of a storm. L have seen
$ few Vermont and N. III. farmers here
c that have nice farm buildings but th
: Germans think it a great waste {
time and money to build barns. Hors
e es are very large and fine here, as
s general rule. / saw pair of roa
s greys offered for sale for $3.50, whic
e will weigh 1920 lbs, five years oil
vt and sail right" A car load of goo
RI hove Inn 1od hare ooI1 for Q Q A ote