Mexico weekly ledger., 1878-07-04
AUDRAIN COUNTY.

miles west OF 81. Louis In missouri
It embraces about 700 square miles
Of fertile territory, diversified witt
prairie and forest, watered and drain
ed mainly by Salt river and its tribu'
taries. Its climate is salubrious
Its winters mild, and its springs ant
autums delightful. In summer ex.
cessive heat is not ~protracted. L
generally divides itself into period:
of two weeks, and a couple of those
is all that is ever experienced. Of
ten these heated terms, as they may
be styled are of shorter duration.
The lands of Audrain are of easy
cultivation. At the sametime they
are highly productive, all the cereals
of Its latitude yield pentifully. AS
grass region 1t is unrivaled. No
yer the blue grass regions of centra
Kentucky surpass it. Consequently.
Audrain is celebrated for stock rails
ing, being in fact n of the most
profitable stock raising counties ir
the state, if not the most so. During
the year 1877 Audrain exported over
1000 car loads oflive stock, worth
at the least calculation q million Of
dollars. During the year previous
the corn and hay exported were val.
ued at a quarter of a million more.
No county in the state is better
adapted to sheep tending. This
branch of husbandry is also well at,
tended to. The annual shearing ex,
ceeds a quarter ola million pounds
and is worth not less than a hundred
thousand dollars. If no extraordina-
ry backset ~intervenes the products Of
the county this year will exceed two
millions of dollars. Our population
is estimated at 20, 900, of which about
one-fourth reside in Mexico. This
gives only about 20 persons or four
families to the square mile. Such a
population might be quadrupled with
immense advantage. Such multiple
cation of it would increase our pro-
auctions as many fold, but with one
family to every 40 acres. There
might be without crowding, as almost
every acre in the county is suscepti-
BILE of cultivation, as many as 20, 900
souls living outside its towns, which
in that event could easily embrace as
many more.
Audrain county is also inviting to
the fruit grower. Apples, peaches,
grapes, pears, cherries, plumbs, april
cots and such small berries as goose
berries, currents, raspberries and
black and dew berries are not only
exceedingly prolific, but of peculiar
delicacy and flavor. AS a wine pro-
ducing section Audrain has not its
peer any where. AS yet vineyards
are not extensive. Our American
population is not expert in that most
profitable species of cultivation but
the day is not distant when the are
of orchards and vineyards will enter
extensively into productive agricul-
ture. With their assistance Audrain
could support an immense population,
as her vicinity to both St. Louis and
Chicago, would give en- railroads, al
ready constructed and operated, the
advantage of the two best fruit mar
kets in the county.
While the population of Audrain is
rapidly increasing it is a fact worthy
of notice, that there yet remains large
bodies of unimproved land, eligibly
situated for settlement and cultiva-
ton, which can be purchased at pri-
ccs ranging from five to ten dollars
per acre, and there are also improved
farms which in these hard times can
be obtained at correspondingly low
figures. There never was a section
any where that offered greater in
ducements for investment or the Sc
lection of homes.
Well supplied as Audrain is with
railroads, the financial condition OF
the county surpasses that of any 9TH
er in the state. Our people have
been jealous of their reputation. They
have not neglected their engagements
nor suffered unpaid interest to in
crease their debt, on the contrary,
they provided a sinking funS at the
start and in that way have paid and
are still paying off their bonds, which
would command premiums in any
money market in which they might
be offered for sale. With 80 miles
of completed and well equipped rail-
roads within her territory, transport
ing her products to every desirable
market, her arrangements are such
that her entire debt will be paid with
in two years.
The population of Audrain are in
dustrious, liberal, intelligent and
progressive. Great interest is mani
tested by them for the education of
their children. Schools have been
commenced and are sustained in eve
nv district. In some as many as two
or three school houses have been
built. AS noticed elsewhere in this
paper, the educational advantages of
its county seat cannot be surpassed.
The public and graded school of
Mexico Is equal to any in the west.
With ample provision in endowment
and taxes. Our children are taught
----.A IL . xc I'll |