Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-10-17
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TVOJuV tAUUWQDs
BATTLE CREEK, LINCOLN COUNTY,
KAN, Oct 4, lS77.-Dedr Courier
l will send you at present, a short
communication respecting affairs in
this quarter. We have had plenty of
rain this season, sufficient at times to
put us to some inconvenience but we
are indebted to it for the bountiful
crops we possess. The grasshoppers
destroyed our Fall wheat, which was
sown early, and as they deposited
their eggs before they disappeared,
some fears were entertained that they
would be very destructive in the
Spring. Fortunately, however, the
young pests disappeared without
damaging many farms. We had
about thirteen acres. of Spring wheat
on my sons claim, which yielded two
hundred and fifteen bushels of wheat
of q good quality. A few acres of
late sown rye yielded tolerably well.
OF corn we have not good stand,
owing to the depredations of the
prairie ground squirrels or stripped
gophers, which were assisted on my
own claim by community of prairie
dogs. We planted twelve or thirteen
acres on my sons claim and fifteen
(the first crop) on my own. Corn that
was well titled produced beautifully !;
early potatoes succeeded well, though
there were bushels of Colorado bugs,
but the bnll-nettles afforded them a
plentiful supply of forage. The pres
emit is good season for the starting
of fall grain. We had about fifteen
acres prepared early for sowing
wheat, part of which 1t sown and do
ing well. Our work has been delayed
by want of granaries, which we had
to construct of stone, which is the
most plentiful building material we
have, and can be obtained without
money. We had our first frost and
ice this morning.
Our country is filling up, and soon
there will be no vacant land to enter
for good farms remaining. Among
those who have settled here since
came, is Mr.. Joseph s. Rcnfro, form.
erly an Iowa printer, who has worked
in Eddyville, and was at one time
connected (editorially) with the Char.
iton Patriot, but has since been q mis-.
sionary of the Baptist denomination
in tho Indian Territory, and is now
a prominent minister here. He has
taken, and commenced improving
both homestead and a timber claim
on the upland northeast of LincolI
Center.
If / mistake not, it was part Of
the country known as the Grea
American Desert which FreMon
: pronounced to be land of great flor
al fertility. l will say that the par
in which l now live produces tn
greatest variety of curious and beau
. tiful flowers of any that have eve
dwelt in. Many of them will, n,
doubt, ere long attract the attention
of florists farther cast. have mel
Their time nor space to enumerate o
describe them, even were colnpetcn
to the task. But the honey-bee ha
never molested the flOweas of thi
region. Instead of coming in advane
:, of civilization, it has let civilizatio
J. advance without putting in an al
pearance. There are few humble
bees and q species of wasp whic
Q builds its nest under loose stones, bu
there are no hornets or yellow-jacl
cts.
u After Tuesday next we shall lear
} how the political tide has turned j
|. Iowa, and / look for q clear retur
/ from that state. IT tho people Of a
the Northern states were as true
: the interests of our country and hi
y manity as are Iowa and Kansas,
combined South might labor in val
against free institutions.
81 Yours truly,
ri ID. ". LEWIS.