Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1878-08-29
Letter from Brownstovvn.
BRowNsTowN, IND, Aug. 10, 1873.

EDS. HERALD:
We left Selden, in Fayette county, O..
on Friday, Aug. 18th, and spent a part OF
the day at the Clinton county Institute
Here we found large and prosperous
working Institute, under the direction OF
Prof. J. H. Grove. Prof. Patterson de-
livered his closing address on the subject
of elementary Science,'' which was
listened to with prompt attention.
In the afternoon we left for Browns
town. Nothing new till we reached the
Queen City. Here we spent the evening
at the spacious residence of Prof A G..
Wetherby, where we took great delight
in examining his large collection in Nat
ural History, but regret to say that we
did not have sufficient time to see all the
wonders that he has in his collection
Prof. Wetherby leaves to-day for the
meeting of the Science Association, at st.
Louis. He is correspondent for the Gin
cinRati Commercial. Look out for good
communications from him. We heard it
said in Cincinnati that Prof. Wetherby' S
late article on the Southern Railway ques-
ton carried the additional appropriation
of 81 200, 900 by the handsome majority of
5000.
Left Cincinnati, Saturday, at about
40 a. m. and reached BrOwnstown at
II a. M; and as soon as we alighted from
the train we had warm reception from
teachers and citizens. While waiting a
moment for conveyance to the main part
of the town, we were treated to all the
melon we could eat. This leads us to say
that this is a land of melons; about 1000
acres of this country are devoted to melon
culture. The agent at the depot told us
that IL carloads left here in single day.
Standing on a single eminenee, you can
see the hills covered with them, and large
numbers of wagons, well-loaded with
| them, making for the cars. Cincinnati
seems to be the destination of all this veg
citation.
Through the kindness of Prof. McCune
we had ride of ten miles to Medora, his
place of residence. Our whole way was
fianked by natures profusion of green
| corn, potatoes, apples, peaches and mel
ons. During the entire route our way
was through the sand lands. It is indeed
wonderful how pure sand will produce
such good crops, that seem to DEFY fable
and song. Prof. Cox, State Geologist,
says this sand was deposited here during
the drift period.
Along the way number of ancient
mounds were pointed out. Some of them
have revealed to the antiquarian bones
and metal vessels, thereby antidating the
life of the red man.
Prof. McCune's home is on command
ing eminence, at whose base lies the
broad and fertile valley of White river.
In this luxuriant valley lies most of his
farm. The view is skirted by long line
of smoky hills, some of them eight miles
distant. 1t is one of the loveliest views
that nature has ever given us. Besides
many ornaments in his home yard, here
and there are mounds of geodes, which
suggest the fact that we are in the land
of Geodes. Back and west of the home
eminence lies series of hills and valleys
that contain great quantities of fossil re-
mains.
Brownstown is the Judicial center and
| Seymour is the Commercial center of
Jackson county. Seven newspapers are
published in the county.
We took our first trip to White river
for the purpose of collecting fresh water
shells, on Saturday evening, and I am
glad to say that we struck regular bon
ANA. White river has some of the most
beautiful shells in its bed that we ever
saw, we don't think that they can be ex-
celled by the shells of any other stream
in the world for beauty and perfection OF
| form.
This morning the Jackson county In
stitute opened under the supervision OF
Prof. McCune County superintendent
A good corps of instructors are on hand
and there is every Indication of a grand
success. The Institute is being held in the
Courthouse, which, by the way, is good
one. Prof. Patterson is here, ready fol
Institute work. He has fine display OF
apparatus, and will, no doubt, Interest
the teachers and citizens very much, with
his talk and experiments in physics and
chemistry. SHELLS.