The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1878-02-28
LETTER IRON MR.. EYKE2

III. H. Anderson recently received a
letter from John Sykes, owner of the
Okabena Home farm on the West Lake,
but now at Beverly, Illinois. From
this letter we are allowed s male TIE
following interesting extracts: & s
Weather here after tho old style,
changeable. Set in rain last night,
snow this morning, and has kept at it
all day, but melts nearly as fast rs it
falls. Ground soaked and covered with
water ard slush. Two or three degrees
above freezing for or 4 days previous,
and weather. clear and beautiful Over-
head. Mercury way up in the tifties.s
Frost about out of the: ground.
No Improvement III times here. Pro-:
duce and live stock Of all kinds at un-
usually low figures. But little improve
ment Of any kind going on in this part
of the country. Seventy-6ve cents and
board per day is the highest wages for
common labor, aud many are idle for
want of work. From SIC to $19 per
month, for terms of from S to 8 months
Including harvest months) are the
wages talked Of for the coming season.
Heard of some hired at those terms.
More business men in this part of the
country breaking up and making as
sjgnments than ever known before.
Any one that has an ordinarily fair
farm and the mind to hold on to 1t,
consider wise. Eut, rs a general thing,
success depends on the man. Ofcourse
real mist will over-take some.
judge, from all can see and hear,
that everything is prosperous with you
this winter Hear OF no relief for any
parties being necessary this winter.
And If the 'hoppers should let South
western Minnesota alone for the next
three years, l can hardly imagine what
the improvements may be 1T the end of
that time.
/ see you still keep agitating railroad
questions, both from le east and south.
east. The narrow-gauge talked of from
Fort Dodge to Worthington, would
give us almost an air line to your coun'
ty and bring us within about "a hours
ride. When that project is consumma
ted, won't that he joyful?
l see in the last ADVANCE, Mr.. Mill
er gives the town a good hint in regard
to suffering al kinds of rubbish, offal
)etc., to be dumped in the sloughs neal
I town. That is one thing noticed ;,nf
spoke Of while with you last Summer
Strangers notice these things. Not suf
fering these nuisances to accumulate
about stables and back yards and Il lit
tie more paint on buildings and keepin,
the weeds down, would improve TIL
looks Of Worthington so per cent, no
to mention the effect on the genera,
health.
While am talking, I will give yo
; my IDEAS in regard to the ma lure scat
tered about town. If l were living o.
and farming Okabena Home, 1 woul,
consider the privilege Of taking it on
Of their way, small fortune to me.
know it would be here, and I shoul
think your soil wonld show the benefit
Of it as much as ours here. Shnul
think the farmers within two miles {
l town would, in the winter time max
5 Il business Of it and haul all the manu-
| on their land they could get hold of.
. know Of a farm s miles east of here
where they practiced that thing, llau
/ ing their manure from Perry, mile
s distant. It was kept up for years al
& the farm became noted for it's goo
crops and increased in value $40 to
per acre more than surrounding farm
The last heard, $50 per acre had bee
y offered for the place.