Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-09-09
Letter from Wisconsin.


Editor Jsniafd Sentinel and Repu6-
iican: Dear Sir-Monroe, the county
seat of Greene county, is a beautiful
town of about $500 inhabitants, situa-
ted in the southern part of the State
Ii is the terminus of a branch of the
Milwaukee and ST. Paul Railroad. 1t
is not built compact, ike most o. the
eastern towns, bet each house is sur
rounded By yard PLANTED with shade
trees, &C., which adds greatly to the
appearance of the town; but the style
Of the buildings lock rather odd to an
eastern person, being mostly one story
or story aud half with one story at
tachment. The surrounding country is
rolling, about equally divided between
prairie and woodland. Tin Der heavy
enough for building purposes Is quite
plenty; the different varieties are burr
oak, white oak, hickory, walnut, bass
wood, cottonwood, quaking asp and
sugar maple. From the latter in some
parts of the county a great quantity Of
sugar is made. Wood for fuel is worth
from S3 so to $500 per cord, deliv-
cred. There are very few springs or
running streams, but good water can be
obtained by drilling to . depth Of from
80 to 100 feet through limestone rock,
at cost of from one to two dollars per
foot, according to the size of the bore.
For drawing the water the windlxss is
IN general use, but Wind-mills are be
coming quite an institution in this
country; most Of the large stock owners
having them attached to their pumps,
the plice Of which is from $3.50. TO
500. The soil is very fertile, needs
ou. little fertil;sing as yet, though some
are beginning to manure for corn, they
generally raise from 20 to % bushels
of wheat and from 60 to IS bushels of
she)led corn per acre, and that year in
the same fold, as crops are not farmed
in regular rotation like in the east
Gram of course is some cheaper than in
the east, but as one man can farm more
here than there, be makes more with
less labor, provided it is good season,
which this has not been, for the drouth
and chiuch bugs destroyed the wheat
auc oats crop almost entirely. Some
farmers with over 400 acres did net
have q single bushel of wheat some
had only Eve or six bushels, other. got
about their seed and Eve or six bushels
per acre was considered a good yield.
Corn is also injured a great deal, es-
pecially when adjoining a wheat field.
As soon as the wheat was cut the bugs
attacked the corn, where they irst
entered the field they killed it com-
p.etely; but on the whole il Is thought
it will make something over half crop.
Indeed, ] have nowhere seen in this
western country as good corn as saw
on Jonathan Keieer's firm between
Salem and Thompsontown. There are
a greater or less Dumber Of these bugs
here every year, but the present Year
their depredations have been greater
than ever before known. Many per-
sons IN the east suppose them to be
something like the potato bug, tof
which there is also a liberal supply
here but that is a mistaken idea; they
are a small black fly with silvery wings,
emitting an odor when crushed, some
thing like bed-bug. They de not eat
the gram, but get on the stalks and
extract the substance. The grass
hoppers have not visited this section
yet, but they are expected in year or
so, as they are srill drawing closer.
The climate here is considered very
healthy, but think the extremes are
too great. The winters are long and
cold, from 30 to Sc degrees below zero,
and in summer it goes to the other e1-
treme, from ITO to l20 degrees in the
shade. If We had the western soil on
the hills Of Juniata l think it would be
preferable in lrany respects to great
part OF the west; but as the "moun-
tain would hot 60 to Mohammed, Mo-
BANNED had to 60 to the mountain"
ID. w W,