Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-08-01
JhE frEEmau
Nebraska.

a FROM Iue MCesGHBCIs
Nebraska.
rfo. G. Brown of Greensboro writes us
from Crcston, Platte county, Neb., where
s. IS visiting, some interesting items about
EAAtregion:
Ne find things very different here
from the east-no mountains, no stones,
ad fences and no trees except little ones
Ihht the people are cultivating. AS there
Wis no one in this town more than four
4anrs ago, you see that everything is new.
The greatest want here is timber and fuel.
They burn slough grass mostly, which
efuws as high as your head, or higher,
and as large round as pipe stem, and by
twisting it up the size of stove wood makes
good fuel. Plenty of food-wood comes
down creek about fifteen miles from
here, but most of the people prefer to twist
ihe slough (s',D grass.
IL has been very wet and backward
here this spring, but for the last two or
three weeks it has been very hot. llar-
Vesting is coming on. Some will COM
mence the inst of the week, but most will
not for some ten days or so. Small grain
is boxing remarkably well; corn is back
ward, but o, how it grows-faster than
anything | ever saw. Wild oats grow
everywhere, They grow from two to
three feet high, and are now just ripe and
falling off, and you may think how pleas
ant it is walking through the grass, as
you have to stop every two rods and pull
them out, as they go right through the
akin.
h The religious interest is good in this
place. The NJ. +. Church is in the ascen-
dency, but is carried on in the primitive
stvle- old fashioned circuits. Bro, Esta-
brooks has to travel some sixty-fve miles
io reach his firthcst appointment and
home, and breaches three times every Sab
hath. There are some fifteen places where
ley want preaching and would have it if
ley could get it. There are some three
Iocal preachers here to help, but they as
yet get nothing for their work The grass
hpppers of last year made the farmers too
ppor to pay for preaching, but the pros
bect is now that they will be better of
Eext year.
+ had to take work the first four Sab
baths after came at three different places,
nd still they cry come; but | have been
. poorly the last two Sabbaths that |
apuld not speak.
' This is Il good country for farming,
though there are some hindrances. such
as grasshoppers two years out of the foul
since this township was first settled; but
ii a man can get one good crop here he is
better off than if he get three in Vermont
Il costs nothing, comparatively, 10 get in
Ahe crops here. One man and team Car
put in from sixty 10 seventy-fve acres, and
enltivate FORTY acres of corn and get sixty
I've bushels of corn to the acre without
manure. have seen loads of manure
carted out by the side of the road anC
brown into the ravines TO get rid of it
a young man coming here with none.
enough TO keep him one year and u gooC
team, could build him sod house, buy hi
land of the Railroad Company for 80 tC
$500 on credit, and if he will work ~
be has to in Vermont TO get a living, il
five years he can have his land paid lo
and Il set of good buildings, and a plac
worth from S3, 900 to $4,000. Men in thi
town have done us well as that. There
no government land in this town or coun
~, though but very little of the railroa
land is sold vet. 1t is about one an
thrce-fourths miles to the north limit G
the Union Pacific Railroad lands fror
where we live, and directly north from tn
city of Columbus. Tho cities here III
like our villages. AS soon as there az
five hundred inhabitants they are oblgc
by law to form city government.
"On the 4th they had Sabbath SchoC
celebration in the town next east of III
and they invited three other schools
unite with them, and had II very 600
time. About four hundred were prcsel
some one hundred from this town. The
Showed their extravaganza in the man
kinds and richness of the provision wit
which the tables groaned; and they did II
eat and were filled, and they took up,
think, more than twelve baskets full.
never saw so much or so rich food in We
mont at picnic We had an abundanc
of lemonade, but nothing that could il
toxicate."