Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1875-07-28

Co, and many other prominent laIabel
men have creditable improvements nea
town, and the feeling among the "soli
men" is earnest aud In favor OF encoul
aging agricultural development both D.
precept and example. But those fannin
mills, they have gone To
THE BURNT LANDS,
where there is a development of IN
farming interest, made within the pas
three years, which seems incredible :
Fourteen miles In direct course from
Alpena, eighteen miles by the road, Il
town 80 north of range 9 east are located
most of the farms visited, but In sever
al towns adjoining this are large tractl
of what are known as "burnt lands
Why they are so called and why the,
have proved such a proyidential inter
position In favor OF Alpena Is thus ex
planned, which explanation Is best intro
duced with the original remark that tn,
face of all these lands is clay, the sur
face soil being light or dark loan
according TO the situation and the pre-
vious growth OF timber. Formerly this
land was heavily timbered the best o
1t with beech and maple, aud an oc
casional cork pine; the lighter quail
ties with hemlock, some beech anC
maple and pine in groves. Fires killed
the timber many years ago, afterwards
this was blown down, and later still II
was burned up, root and branch, q:
clean in many instances as that which
formerly stood upon the cleanest pine
plains in any portion Of the State. BE
fore any investigation had been made a:
to the character of the soil on these
lands, dense underground of popular
birch, Eastwood and other small timber
covered the entire surface of the cOun
try, and Notwithstanding the land has
mainly proved so valuable, at the out
set appearances were against 1t, and
those who made the first break into this
unkempt bramble, were called fools by
all the very wisest men In the Alpena
region, except Hon. j. X. Lockwood
who holds so sublime faith concerning
that quarter of Michigan, that he ca.
see therein reasonable hope for inc de
velopement of every industry and enter
prise under Heaven; gold and copper
mining not excepted. And, by the way
his faith iIas been the means of develop
..ng many incidental resources that have
uuuCQ W tht OuslhtSS uuO
prosperity OF that whole section.
Some years ago the first improvements
were commenced, but little had beer
accomplished up to 1918, when the
success of the first farmers began TO be
understood by few outside, and then
there was rapid settlement and civil
zation In all quarters of the burnt lands
Three years ago Mr.. Thwaits, the only
man as yet who has nothing to do with
numbering, winter or summer, but makes
farming his sole business. OF 1873 acres
he has 100 under cultivation, and his
crops this year will be worth at least
$4,000. On the place he has moving
machine, threshing machine, sulky rake
hay litter, tanning mill and all the small.
or agricultural implements. His fall
wheat is near five feet high and as thick
as il can stand. Spring wheat four feet
high and well headed. Glover, small
kind, four feet high, bright and com.
pact. Timothy, equal to the best raised
in any country; and of roots and gar.
den crops a showing that would com.
pare favorably with the best raised in the
Saginaw Valley. lie has three barns, a
commodious two story house, excellent
water from both we'll and brook, and
his crops average to the acre thus: Fall
wheat, 40 bushels; spring wheat, 25
bushels; potatoes 175 bushels hay one
and half tons. There are within sight
of his, twenty farms with clearings on
each side of from twenty to one hundred
acres, and on all, the crops are as good
as on any equal area in Mich. There
are few fences, as the farmers dare not
hill ,At n1a
made to render them safe from the fires
in the forests and burnings. No cattle
are allowed to run at large, and in fact
there are but few cattle in the vicinity,
as it has been hand-to-mouth struggle
with most OF the settlers, and standing
upon one of the ridges, one can look for
two miles to the east, mile or more to
the west, and see all this expnnse that
three years ago was an underbrush
bramblc, covered with waving grain,
with broad belts of clover in full bloom,
with patches of potatoes--enough, one
would think, to feed a commonwealth
with gardens, dwellings, barns, and all
the appointments and Appearances of an
old settled farming community.
/ could give you names and details
until you could not rest, but have here
mentioned one individual because he is
more exclusively farmer, as all the Others
hope to be soon. Land Is cleared and SOW
cd TO fall wheat the first year, the second
year it is ready, If so desired, for the
mower and reaper or any other modern
farm machinery that requires horse
power, and all this is within two-and-a-
half hours drive from Alpena. Let those
of Raw Citv who trayc! for buSiuose or
pleasure up the shore, especially him OF
the tanning mill item, go out and look at
this New Michigan, this repetition
without the wearing labor Of clearing
Off the monstrous growth of forest, and
with the added advantage of market
doubly remunerative at their doors-of
the ancient glories Of "Old Macomb"
and the other wheat producing counties
Of early days. 1t will do them good,
and perhaps strengthen their faith in
the soundness and solldlty OF the north
ern portion of the Lower Peninsula.