Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-06-21
NOTES OF TRAVEL.
Another Letter from jed Lake.
ST.. LOUIS Mo. June 18th. "

ST.. LOUIS Mo-, June 11th. '78.
Cleburne is situated on the west side
OF the cross timbers, and on a small
stream called Buffalo Creek. This
stream has large number of springs
along it's banks. At Cleburne is one
spring from which is hauled daily, as
many as one hundred barrels of water,
for the use of the town. The water is
very pleasant to the taste, but not cold.
1t is cool enough for one to drink in this
climate.
On the morning of the 31st ult., Capt.
Dixon, Perry and myself, took a team
and left for Hillsboro, the county seat of
Hill Co., some 30 miles south. On
leaving Cleburne. our road was on the
west side Of the cross timbers for some
four miles. From this road we again
had view of the land that had so pleas.
ed us yesterday. We were now east
of the tract, and looking over it from
this side did not diminish it's attractive
ness. The fields that were under cult,
walton attested the richness of the soil
Wheat, oats, corn, cotton, potatoes, cab
bages, onions, and all like products
showed that the soil was capable of pro
ducing vast amount of the articles
necessary to support man. The cattle
looked well, and where it was prairie
the grass showed large growth. After
going south about four miles, we struck
into the timber. Through this we found
farms opened and in cultivation. We
saw corn here that stood fully 10 feet
high, all silked and tasseled, and on
most Of the stalks two ears were set
We saw cotton standing fully two feet
high. Wheat that was cut and in the
shock, showed that there had been a
large growth of wheat The soil in this
country is Of several varieties The
best prairie soil is that known as the
black wax, but 1t is the most difficult to
work. When wet it is almost impossi-
BILE to work it at all; when too dry it
cracks and bakes. But when the sea.
son is good, such as this has been. it pro-
duces the best crops that they can raise
on any soil. There is the red soil. This
is clay with considerable sand inter
mixed, and is the general soil of the
timbered lands. This works easily in
wet or dry weather, is warm, crops
come on quicker, and, in the fore part
of the season, look better, but does not
yield as well as the black wax. There
is still another, which Perry called the
gray lands. 1t has the appearance of a
mixture Of black wax with white lime
stone gravel 1t is easily worked when
not too wet, does not crack bad when dry,
and is good soil for crops, and can be
worked in seasons when it would be i'm
possible to work the black wax
In the cross timbers we took pains to
test the water at the wells. We found
some wells that were 40 feet to water,
through the sand loan and then through
clay. The water was good We found
some that were not more than twelve
feet; two or three feet of soil, and then
blasted out of limerick, in which the
water was also good. On passing out of
the cross timbers to the east, we came
upon fine, high rolling prairie of grass
land. The crops on this looked very
fine. The grass on the prairies was
good. 1t was thick set but not tall
Cattle that we saw feeding on it looked
we'll. The creeks that we crossed had
gravely beds; the water in them had a
milky look. Some five or six miles fur
Their on, we came upon large tract OF
country Of the black wax land This
land seems to be appreciated by the set
tiers. Here the land was fenced and in
farms as far as we could see Those
farmers who had worked their land had
magnificent crops. Occasionally We
would see farm that had not beer
properly worked, and the crops showed
that good tillage pays as we'll in Texas
as in Iowa. We drank water from sew
eral wells on this tract, and found il
uniformly good The farmers through
here expect as yield per acre, fol
crops that are well tended, 25 bushels
wheat, 60 to 80 bus. oats, 40 to 60 bus
corn, 400 to 600 TBS ginned cotton. They
also told us that they could raise three
to four crops of oats from one sowing
and that the third crop was generally
the best. After harvesting the oa
crop, they 60 over the ground with ;
shovel pillow, and there will be oat
enough on the ground to seed it. W.
were shown one field that we were tol(
was the third crop from the sowing. 1
was estimated that this would yield ion
bushels to the acre. From the looks O.
the shocks as they stood on the ground
we thought the estimate low enough
In our route we saw number O
peach orchards laden with fruit, ant
some apple trees with some fruit OF
them.
At Hillsboro we found the Distric
Court in session. The Judge, who's,
name I have forgotten, but who lives il
Leon Co., 12O miles east of here, an,
Judge Maxcy and Col. Anderson, boil
of Waco, IS miles south told us tina
the country from Fort Worth to Waco
the strip over which we had and wer
to pass, was the best part of Texas 70
grain growing; that the counties of Tar
rent, johnson, Hill and McLenan, hat
the reputation of being the best coun
ties in the State. Judge Maxcy ha(
been resident of this State for owe
thirty years, was judge of the Distric
Court before the war, was a confederat,
Judge during the war, and had been al
active business man all his life. HI
said that since the war the seasons il
Texas had been more favorable than ev
er before; that the rains had come NOR
seasonably; that they had not had sucl
long dry spells succeeded by sucl
heavy rains as they used to have, an,
that this season was the most favorable
of any season that they had had, sine
his residence in the State. All thes,
men said that what they wanted now
was an immigration of men that were
willing to work. When asked how the,
treated northern men there, they al
said that in general people treate'
them we'll, but that after the war, Their
was certain class of people in Nilsson
ri, Kentucky and Tennessee, that hat
been so vicious that they dare not e
home; that they came to Texas, and
finding themselves outlawed and impe
cunious, they took to robbing and steal
ing; that they stole and robbed witt
gross impartiality; they would as sool
rob Texan as a northern man, if h
had any money. But they assured u
that the people were watching and hunt
ing them down with vigilance. Will
we were at Dallas, the train east of Dial
las. towards Marshall, was robbed, ant
inside of two days the authorities hat
all the robbers, but one, captured.
Col. Anderson told story of maj
that came to Waco, few days before
from Maine His friends had mad
him leave his watch at home and buy
rouolvor hoforo bo ctarta1 Hn fol-