Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-06-21
INDEPENDENCE, Ia, June IA, IS.

Since my arrival home L have been
asked so many questions as to the coun-
try and the prospects, and my own in
tentions, | have concluded to give you
another letter for publication. In order
to prevent any misunderstanding as to
my own intentions, let me say, have
not had, and | do not now have, any ex-
pectation of ever leaving Independence
as place of residence. | do not think
any person who has passed the meridian
of his life in one place, and is fairly
we'll situated in business and property,
wise to move. Besides, l have lived in
Independence the twenty-five years of
life when men are the most active, and
when they do good-if ever they do.
This county has had the benefit of my
labor days and now, as age and infirmi-
ties come on, this county must provide
for nv necessities and see me safely I'M
der the sod when life is done. But this
blind my eyes to the fact that other
States have good lands, good soil and a
good climate Here we have to build
our houses to protect us from the cold
of winter; in Texas they build them to
protect themselves against the heat of
summer, consequently, to us, their
houses look very inferior and very shah
billy built. Whereas, to them they are
just what they need. We build large
barns to protect our fodder and our
stock from the storms of winter; this
protection they do not need, and so do
not build barns to any extent. In the
timber country fruit grows well and is
of good variety. Perhaps some of the
kinds that do well here would not there,
but they can have an abundance of good
fruit by taking pains to plant their
trees. They do not freeze out in winter,
while they can raise good crops of
wheat, oats, corn, potatoes, rye, barley,
cotton and sweet potatoes, and fruits in
greater abundance and more varieties.
Most people think the stock interest
is the great money making industry of
the country. This is true at present.
Cattle can Craze and grow fat on grass
the year round, In the winter season it
is sometimes necessary to provide feed
for two or three days, during the preva-
lence of a Norther, but aside from that
the stock cattle get their living on the
ground all the year. At the present
time all crops bring as high a price
there as here. Their wheat is now worth
So to 80 cents; oats 30 to 40 cents; Corn
40 to so cents per bushel; new potatoes
81 90; berries Is to 20 cents per quart.
Cows with calf by side, $12; steers two
years old, SO to $40, horses such as they
raise on the praires, $50 to $40 each.
AS to reptiles, we saw one tarantula.
The family who captured it went from
Sigourney, Iowa, three years ago, and
have lived near Denison ever since, and
this was the second spider of that kind
they had seen. Snakes we saw none,
and of other reptiles we did not see or
hear of any being seen lately. They
disappear before civilization the same
as the rattlesnake has in Iowa. They
claim to not be infested with anything
more dangerous than feas.
All spoke favorably of the climate
There is Southern breeze all day and
all night. If you have south window
to your room you can rely on having a
cool night for sleep. We were not
troubled by the festive bird of night,
known as the mosquito, to any extent.
All claim that the country is very
healthy. Every person with whom we
talked claimed that they had less to
contend with there than in any State of
the Union. The grasshoppers had never
done half the damage that chinch bugs
and the weavil had in Iowa, Illinois and
Ohio. That they could work at some
remunerativc farm work the year round.
Judge Maxcy said the time to break
this black wax prairie was in January
and February; that the red land could
be broke at any time; that the common
soil was best when broken in April and
May; that an Industrious man could put
in his entire time at work that would
pay, and that they did not have to feed
out in six months of winter what they
raised in the summer,
As to the society there, you will find
some who have lived in Texas all their
lives, and those who came there from
almost every State in the Union; and
the Canadian farmer, also from England,
Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany,
Hungary and Italy. And then there are
large number of persons whose remote
ancestors, on the maternal side, at least,
immigrated to this country from Africa
This gives the cosmopolitan character
that you will not meet in any other
State In this respect it is the most ia
vored State in the Union. It is an in
teresting country in which to study pro-
vincialisms. One person will say: Il
judge, from the appearance Of the
ground, that there was very severe