The Van Buren press., 1873-07-15
Barton County Missouri.
One Of the Best Counties in the South-
Vea-LamaF and its Prospects
Crops end the Farm
lands Of the
County dc.
LAMAR, Mo, July 5, 1873.

1ouT correspondent came TO Lamar,
in Barton county, five days ago. am
pleased with the town and county. | do
not know that | have visited any place
during my travels, that has impressed me
SO favorably as this. Coming here from
the boisterous city of Joplin, stopping in
the serene Quietude of this pleasant coun-
ty town; is to me great relief Barton
county lies on the Kansas line, between
Vernon county on the north and Jasper
on the south. Spring river and its trib-
utaries water the county plentifully, and
ths skirts Of timber land furnishes a suf
purpores. About four iifths of the lands
Of the county are prairie, and without Il
doubt, the prairie lands Of Barton coun-
ty are as beautiful and fertile as any to
be found anywhere in the West This,
taken with the low prices Of the lands,
makes this very desirable place for EN-
igrants, who wish to find a good farm
ing, stock and grazing country.
The unimprovod lands are now selling
at from "a 10 $40 per acre, according to
location Improved lands sell at from
SO to S25 per acre. Proximity to mar
ket and the county seat. Some very
good improved farms can be bought at
the above rates.
Some New York men have come into
the county and bought large tracts OF
lsnd improved them and have made good
stock farms. Several farms Of 1000 to
5000 acres each are run by these men.
And I am informed that they find stock
raising very profitable. The winters are
not more severe than in Arkansas. stock
do not require feeding more than three
three months during the year, where
they have the cultivated grasses to
rua upon during the fall ana spring.
| learn that cattle raising is the mos!
profitable farming business, although
horses, hogs and sheep do vel. All
parties are making an effort to improve
their stock, and the Texas cattle and
horses are rapidly disappearing. An
Agricultural Society is formed and will
give their first exhibition this fall.
All the cereals do well here The fin
est crops Of wheat and oats are now be
ing harvested in the county | ever seen
grow anywhere 1t is estimated that the
whcat crop will average 30 or 80 bushels
per acre. Corn looks well. The farm
.es expect 50 TO 60 bushels per acre.
! F. ,re sre many meadows Of splendid
looking timothy and clover. Both
grasses, as well as blue grass, do well ;
sltou2h they are not extensively cultivat-
ca on account of the abundance and su-
peror quality Of the wild prairie grass
a bout one third Of the lands ofthe coun-
t. are owned by actual settlers. There
are 375 600 acres in the county. or this
there is not q ten acre tract bat That
mi zht be proftably cultivated Think of
this! You who want homes. 100000
acres OF as good land as are TO be found
in the United States, that can be pur
chased at moderate rates, lying inyitingly
spread out to the public.
The people of Barton county are most
" new settlers. When the war was over
there was but two farms in the county
Now there arc two thousand farms. The
county is small, 90 by 90 miles, and con
tains about G000 inhabitants. They cX,
tend n hearty welcome to strangers who
come TO settle among them.
There are five or six small villages IN
She eounsy-Nashyille, Dublin and Gold
en- City on the south and La Roy, Rar-
ton City and Milford ON the north side
Lamar is the county seat Ii is near
the centre Of the county, and i, the prin
cipal trading point 1t contains about.
1000 people, is sit1.tcd on the high prai-
rie, but is surrounded by the timber on a
stream called Muddy--the waters of
which do not correspond with the name.
There are some good business and dwell
inc houses, but they are scattered about
rather promiScuously They have no
court house on the public square, around
which the business houses arc situated
The Melhodsts and Baptists have each a
good church building a new model,
two story, brick school house adorns the
northern part Of the town, and does cred
it to the intelligence and taste Of the peo
pie. Six lawyers get livelihood of the
people of Barton county and have Their
residence in Lamar, and your correspen-
dent thinks OF falling into rank and max
ing the seventh Three physicNns who
do not fnd much to do, on account Of
the generally hcalthfulncss Of the people :
three real estate offices one bank; two
hotels and one private boarding house !;
two drug stores; four houses where gon
eral merchandise is sold three grocers (;
furniture store and lumber yard a
merchant tailor; two hardware and ag
ricultura stores; two livery stables !;
two boot and shoe stores; three mllln
cry shops; a baker and barber. The
" Lsmar Democrat" and" Southwest
Missourian, Republican, weekly news
papers, and monthly " Real Estate BuI'
etin, by r. J Tucker, once of Arkah-
sas, keeps the people posted, both at
home and abroad, on all matters OF IN
tercst, foreign and domestic, A steam
Touring and grst mill does good and
having business. There ID Masonic
isdse and an Odd Fellows lodge in La
mar The farmers are organized INTO
Oranges all over the county
Barton county has no railroad But
there sa good prospect of the the coun-
ty getting two, through lines-thc Kan,
sas City, Springfield ~ Memphis road
and the Jefferson City and Southwestern
R.R There is some talk Of Lexing-
ton and Gulf road
The 4th of July was celebrated by the
Patrons Of Husbandry, pretty gener-
ally throughout the county. "A great