Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-10-13
Letter from Ohio.
| Corresponds Of the Alcxaudia Gazette.
THE HOOKING VALLEY.

This 10 great Staie, State OF macy towns,
scores of villages, aud never. Guiding success
sioa of speodid larus. A ride up this valley
will we'll repay ones troubr. Il is one vast
gardeu, with every sore thoroughly TILED. Ii
is panorama of never ending beauty; miGg
ling OF cosy farm houses. winding s;res ms, and
picturesque villages that pcases tquAlly the
eve and the taste of the traveller. Hooking
valley lies on the route from PaTkcrsbarg to
Cpuubus, aud has wonderfully fertile soil,
which is as black as ink, aud as frlabe as ashes.
The task It cutlVatlng it is but little. This
section is as famous for t5agrlcui urai resources
as our great Piedmont Valley, bu. it IS lucom-
parably richer in its mineral wealth and man :
features At every FIVE or leu miles is shrlv
Jog Town OF village resting Ia some romaotlc
spot half hidden by tie trees. You CAP catch
glimpse as the train rushes by OF the white
houses or huge mills, and can see tie spires Of
the churches away up high 10 the air eu;tog
their profile with vivid distlnctuess against the
blue sky. Hardly anything scultlvated 10 this
valley but corn. As far as your eye can reach
it ri sts upon field up3u fed, acre upon acre,
aud mile upon mile Of waving corn. Little or
10 wheat IS seen. There are % meadows, aud
pcrceptibIe absence of Cattle grazing ou the
thousand hills" The average yield Is irom
fifty 10 seventy five bushels OF corn to the acre,
aud the soil is simply lUrxhaustlbie. NJ ter
iii zers or manure i ever needed. Lam, along
hi. rJutc var!rs from SI5 o 5000 pr acre. Ii
IS mystery 70 me ho~ iafGieiS eau live aGd
prosper with grain s:il,ug as low Is II does
here. LIZ some OF the iowa, 10 Oalo where
| have Visited | saw Wagon loads Of hlst elias:
corn sold for ooe dollar barrel, or twenty h7e
| cents bu>teI.
There is widespread distress; among the peo'
| pie her, aud every one you Deet Is soti
mooey man. Indeed the d, m1cratS here make
that their issue. Ceftal ,ly money is very sc.rce
ami [ never yet have traveli' il aGy place
| where everything was so cheap. > IN: 0! tie
| 6rst.cass hotels 10 the small towns charge by
the day only 81; by tig week 81, aud By the
month Sl3, a0i the accommodates are stree
y first class. Money, as | said before, is Very
scarce, aud ii Is impossible Tor the laruels tC
borrow an7, except at 40 exlbltant lD:ercst
The war was the great seas 10 OF prosperity Of
the West, ard all the mall farmers that pt"c
farms on shares bougi line est.tes during Il al
season OF uneXaWpled prosperity, when graz
said at fabulous prices.
These W err Yankees are wonderful pco
|
vim 10 an average Ohloan than in dozen u
picaI Southerners lie works like a bee, snC
thtro are but lew drones iu the hive, aud wha
they do they do we'll All 0! tn If VILLAGES and
toms are models lr their Way, With broad
streets, in-y paved; massive houses, neat
grounds, large public bulldogs, attractive parks
and all he villages are lighted by gas. Every
thiag is in order The o.ds are perfectly
grade3, their bridges substantially butt, auJ
the hedges neatly tfinIm d. have not seed
all through my visit ID this Stare stngl; tun
| BILE down. ragged ieuce.
COLUMBUS,
the State clIitai, Is wi. built city ct som,
60, 900 Iohabitaut>. The streets are a. wide q
those Of Washington city and as well paved
| 1t has many mauu' acicres, oud Is sccoct
| Pitts burg fnr it's iron furnaces. The Caiil2 il
stately ed6ce Of the DIrlc stye Of arcnltec
ture ADD l. SURF Julied b. beautiful! groun1s.
The garden spot ol Oalo Is the
aCIoTO VALLEY.
aud it even surpass ; iIock,ug Valley IN it:
| W1udcrnI fertility IT soil. | WIS ponted gu
several f Ids where corr had been raised -uc
s>ively fer fifty years aud the crop was al
ucusulliy heavy ooe. Still win The grain a
! the present prices he farmers mag get lat, tu
they will oerer get rch These people are in
dusrious, sharp AMI ohrewi, but they are 90
mean They Indulge themselves as much a.
We do. u can see any number OF doe team:
driving through the streets, and the places 0
amusement arc always we'll patrou!zed. They
are vo:V law abiii1g set, arl the y lie! OH
f! GERS position is sioecure. There are 40 ignt1
Dor atfrays; 40 Ian smashlng or bar ROOM
d faculties as with u. Their s,ciaI noer lite
is entirely different from ours. y G IN loses
social position here if he gets drunk, that Is II
be does so publicly. aud fast man hasa [ iul
swing. Still there are plenty ut bar room
aud free aud easy saloons which have private
back doors to dodge into, and as they Dire al
ways we'll patroDz,i | an led to BELLY tina
like spme pillars Of the church know OF they
taste wckcdness in quiet way aud neTcr hraa
about il. The ladies .! the house always wal
upon her guests, Tor there are but lew negroes
| 10 this Safe, and these few hold up their
| heads. | aw several of these sDns of Africa :
suuDy CLINE, to use pjet!cal phrase, St,9l
| 10 bar rooms and being waited upon by white
waiting girls Their hospitality is not protuSe.
There Is not such thing 10 OHIO a. side
| board with glasses, sugar bows aud decantcI
sitting lovingly together. II you want Anything
you will have to plead guilty OF Sickness: and
llC CnbS'4I:IC' 10 tFtllD SOu Lb"~i u
| troubled, as Mrs. Partiugtoa would say, wiit
| wiud aud pain in the abouiDahie regions.
| like everything have seen ln Ohio-it5 uleu
towns, r1ads ani farms. but am not enrap
tured with the fair Ohioaps. have uot eu
| pretty woman since | have been n the Staie.
They are too big aud have such large feet, aud
that most excellent thing in d woman, their
voice. is Deiiher low nor sweat, but they arr
| useful, and come to thiuk Of It, it Is better to
be useful than pretty, that is the married Dcu
say so, and they ought 10 KIN " whats what.
As New York is the empire State OF the
North, so this is the empire State of the West.
1t is great 10 its Institutions 10 its minerals, ID
it's educated people, and great in its anied
wealth and vast agr cultural resources.
LHASSEUR.
Circevie, Ohio, Oct. II. 1876.
The INDIANA AND ONO FLECTIoSs.-
Enough is already at band OF the election re-
luros from these States TO improve the spirits