The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-07-05

y. III
Toledo, or the District. ~
Kalsas Special Correspondence.
bS9lay Kansas, June 18Th, 1877.
~ EDITOR TAR:-The last time /
wrote you, was at Glen Elder,
Mitchell county, Kan. Tho follow
ing day, 1 meved along down the
valley sf the Solomon River, stop
At Bsloit to rest. Bcloit is q hand
some little tsxn containing some
two Thousand inhabitants. tits the
county seat Of Mitchell county.
Leaving there, Itrsveled southwark
tow,rl the Saline River, passing
some rich and level prairie | came
In sight Of that River the following
evening. In crossing through OF
t.ws county l found that only about
four per cont. was forest area. A
good maay have planted timber out.
Cottonwood sells At $3.50 per cord.
Dickinson county has the name Of
being the banner county for raising
wheat; and I judge il is correct, for
] see farmers raise from 100 t. 500
acres Of wheat. The granerics Of
Dickinson county farmers will be
full this year, rs wheat in no coun-
try could be better this year than
in this. This county has about
$4,000 acres Of forests; and it will
average 20 cords per acre. Wood
sells At Abilene for $3.50 per cord.
1t is surprising to the weary trav-
eler to think that people would ever
think cfnaking farms where when
zen and all middle aged men we're
taught in school days to look upon
this country as asnIbarren dessrt),
like the plains Of Lake county, pee
pie have in days past been led to
believe them ,oorthlcss. Yet, at
Short Creek, the people who settled
it have become wealthy, in worldly
goods, byit the excitement caused by
the finding Of q rich mine Of lead.
Devclopm snts made within the last
three months show that q rich mine
oflead lies within twenty-five feet
of the surface, and covers large
area. "A town Of considerable size
has grown up like mushroom. 1t
was prsdicted that it would not last
much longer; yet it still grows, and
tho Fourth Of July will find 5000
inhabitants living in the city Of
Galena. At present people cannot
find Accommodations in the town,
without they can sleep upon the soft
sids Of, . plank, fora bed. Baldwin
has had a harder time, we arc awars,
than Galcnas yet, it has weathcred
the blast, and success in the near
future, I predict, is awaiting i, as
yell as either Galena or Dcadwood.
with regard to the tier Of coun-
ties ] travelled in upon my return,
i have to add the Same testimony
with regard to crops. The cattle
driven from Texas, into the south
part Of the Statc,l are numerous.
There arc, City thousand head
or more, feeding upon the buffalo
grass, preparatory e shipping this
Fall, to the Eastern markets. In
ail the counties where settlements
have been made, people arc putting
out timber more orless. The prin-
cipnl varieties successfully cuttita:-
Cd, ere black walnut, COTTONWOOD,
poplar,Soft maple, white ash; honey
locust and Usage orange for hodges.
Thousands " young cottonwoods
are found growing spon the sand
bars Of the Repnblican and solomon
Rivers and small streams. They
arc pulled and transplantel; and
seem to live with scarcely an cxr
eeption, provided the ERE il kept
from tlIcm; and 10 the third year,
they will aGord, from the limbs,
,cnttipgs for further propagatioa.
The Legislsture allows . bounty al
two dollsrs per aero for every acre
Of timber growing; and people are
paying the tsxss against them BY
planting timber under the timber
act. Settlers can receive q patent
Of 100 acres Of land from, Che row
crnmcnt, by planting 40 acres %
timber. Itrgives them eight years
to perfect their title. Some, arc