Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-11-22
Nebraska Present and Future It's
People Crops, etc.
BIZ an OLD BADGER.

BIZ an OLD BADGER.
To the Editor of the HERALD,
Noticing in the papers accounts of
your snow storm at my old Wisconsin
home the spirit moves me to offer you
my coincidence and to drop you a few
more lines relative to the beautiful
land of my adoption.
As you felt that you could hardly
afford to publish friend Reeds dis
cription of the country at less than
regular advertising rates / shall con-
fine myself strictly to facts that can
be fully substantiated, or if l should
allow myself to fly off into specula-
tons | shall endeavor to "Put on the
breaks" and keep myself within
bounds; but ] shall premise my re
marks by saying that the country will
stand all and perhaps more than can
say for it. The general impression
among those who have never seen
Nebraska, is that the accounts sent
East by the r. II. Companies and
others interested in the settlement of
the state are gross exaggerations, and
aud that feeling was shared by me
before beheld with my own eyes the
beauties of the country.
The only exaggerated reports that
go East are the grasshopper reports
They are generally magnified ten or
twenty times.
We had touch of your early snow
storm, and from a years comparison
of our weather with yours as per &C
counts in the HERALD, in letters etc,
| have learned pretty accurately to
prognos yours, and | was satisfied
you were surely having hard storm
for the first of November. When we
have a winters storm | multiply it by
about FIVE or six and have the weather
in Wisconsin. As long as the wind
continued from the North it was cold
and considerable snow fell for couple
of days, but as soon as the wind
changed to the South it was pleasant
again and in less than twenty-four
hours the snow was all gone and the
roads dry and good. In fact bad
roads | don't think were ever seen in
Nebraska. This fall it rained almost
necessarily for nearly a week and yet
in the roads upon the river bottoms
loaded wagons did not cut into the
ground an inch. Ed. Combe was
here during the close of the rain and
Friday evening told him that if the
storm quit by daylight next morning
should start my pillow by seven or
eight o'clock. He thought it was
nothing but am Nebraska exaggeration"
the rain ceased about daylight and
by seven or eight o'clock the pillow
was running on smooth, level land
and the soil turning up literally as
mellow as a bed of ashes. He was,
of course, very much surprised as the
best soil in sold Grant" would not
have been fit to pillow in less than four
or five days after such weeks rain.
We are never hindered even a day,
in the spring by the frost's going out.
As fast as the frost comes out, the
ground is dry and ready to work.
Last spring most of the wheat was in
before the close of February-mdch
of it before the middle. Our crops
this year have been magnificent
Wheat that was well put in has aver
aged from fifteen to twenty four bush
els Some pieces however fell con-
siderably below that, on account of
the land not being in good shape, or
poor varieties being sowed. There is
much very slack farming here-such
farming as would produce nothing on
Grant County's hill-sides. A few
pieces were slightly injured by the
wonderful G. Hopper. Corn will
yield from forty to fifty bushels and
some will go much higher. Oats ay-
eraged about forty five or fifty but /
know OF several who raised eighty,
ninety and even one hundred bushels
per acre. Potatoes this year did
poorly aud barley was not very good.
Most all kinds of Vegetables make a
wonderful growth and are of the Fl
nest quality. The greatest display of
Vegetables, grain and fruits ever saw
| witnessed at our State fair this fall
at Lincoln. The display of fruit was
especially wonderful, and nearly all of
of it was raised in Counties joining
this-Counties that were setted TWEEN
ty years ago. 1t is becoming pretty
generally acknowledged that the
world can't beat Nebraska on apples
AMI grapes and her pears and peaches
are delicious. / never saw so fine in
any market.
In speaking of the fruit exhibit at
the centennial at Philadelphia, Robert
Burnet, of London, President of the
Fruit Growers Association of the
Province of Ontario, and one of the
most noted fruit growers in the world.
said; at is not too much to say that
at the Centennial there were power
ful competitions. First among these,
and we are inclined to think the fore
most, was Nebraska The apple dis
play of this most important State in
the Union was something grand and
remarkable. Whether taken in It's
extent, or excellence. the sample OF
fruit was the fairest we have ever
seen, and the color the highest The
fruits of California were indeed su-
perb and varied, but to our mind they
stood in the second place." Under
the circumstances and from such a
source l consider this quite compli-
ment to our young state.
A few instances of prosperity COM
ing under my own observation and in