The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1875-04-29

Z Il
try. He, all his life perhaps. has
been used to green fields and dense
population. He misses the stately
forests, the wealth of vegetation, the
fenced highways. All these are for
the greater part wanting, and his
first conclusion, when he looks over
the 'dreary waste" and at the grass,
IN most places short, dead looking
stuff, even in its prime, and the soil,
which looks gravelly and sterile, is
that the old geographical tradition
had its foundation in truth. He lis
tens to the tales of great productions,
of turnips, cabbage and beets, with q
kind ofpatronizing incredulity. Well,
the 'upshot" oft all is, he returns
to the East perhaps, to tell his neigh
bors and friends that it is all hoax
1t requires a residence of twelve
months at least, before his opinion
is worth anything. After remaining
a year or two, he rarely, if ever, re-
turns to his 'tfader land"
But to return. Agriculture, it is
true, is confined to streams and their
immediate vicinity, but there are
numerous streams, one every four
or five miles in agricultural regions.
Irrigation is the "bug- bear" with
the Eastern farmer. 1t is some
thing he knows nothing about. I
know there were farmers in Ohio
when I left, who had not any idea OF
what irrigation consisted in, or
what it was. 1t depends upon two
principal bases-frst, the fall of
snow in the mountains; second, on
the uniformity of grade.
In the Spring, when the sun shines
warm, the snow in the mountains
begins to melt. and the streams grad
ually rise. So in the height of the
irrigating season the streams contain
volume of water. The greater the
fall of snow On the mountains, the
greater the supply of water, and the
farmers always like to see tie ranges
glistening white. Therefore the
farmer depends on the snowfall in
the mountains, and it generally meets
his expectations. 81
Next comes uniformity of grade,
The streams are very swift in the
mountains-a fearful descent. The
farmer takes the advantage of this,
and "takes out" his ditch close to
the mountains, and by giving it a
winding, tortuitous way, with an
even grade of say three or four feet
to the mile, gradually gets it above
his land, and many hundred feet
above the level of the creek bed, and
then it is an easy job to run the
water over the growing vegetation.
Of course. the ditch is controlled BY
stock company, and each man
draws so many inches of water, ac-
cording as he owns shares. There
are special laws upon the subject of
irrigation.
Now, what seems curse in the eye
Of the Eastern farmer, is in reality
blessing, for the farmers boast that
they make their own season" And
although it is a very nice thing to
have a natural season, the husband
men think it still better that they do
not have to rely upon it.
The next in Importance after the
grain crop is the hay crop; in fact it
is the first with some farmers.
Nothing but wild grass is grown.
Some experiments have been made
with clover and timothy, but proved
unsuccessful. 1t winter-killed.
A great many of the farmers along
the creek cut from fifty to sixty tons
of hay. No hay is grown on what is
called the "side-hill claims" unless
thoroughly irrigated. Hay always
commands a good price, owing to the
great demand for it on the mountains.
It sold as high as twenty-five dollars
per ton this winter and spring. The
farmer generally bales his hay whenit
is for the city or mountain market.
Corn, until lately, it was thought
could not be grown, but the farmers
are getting bravely over that. A
great deal of corn was raised the
past year, but it is deplorable fact
that the farmer sends more money
eastward for corn than for any two
cereals. Corn (shelled) commands
S2.10 to 1925 per bushel. 1t is
true that the large, late varieties of
corn cannot be grown here. 1t does
not mature.
Potatoes do very well for one OF
two years, on new ground in the val
ley. Potatoes don't take to irriga-
ton very well, and are hard to raise
by that but the mountains is their
home, although there was scarcity
last year on account of the ''Hops.
Sweet potatoes don't do well; they
groaC, but not very large, and have
no taste to them. For other kinds
of vegetables, such as cabbage, to
matoes, turnips, beets, &c. &c. we
''beat' California
1 could go on and give your read