Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-04-12
A Trip to Illinois.
From our Walker Correspondent.

After a very pleasant visit Of some
weeks among my old ~neighbors in ILL
nois, l find myself in my quiet home,
and can say there is mo place like
home" especially for old folks. 1 can
say but little of the en- route, as it was
made in the night. Isuppose my exper-
fence was similar to that of others who
ride in the ears 300 miles and change
three times. At the outset there was
a feeling.of starchiness,a becoming pride
in the gloss of the hat, the high polish
of the boots, the heavy yellow watch
chain and the smoothness of that paper
collar; everything is pleasurably delight
ful. After awhile comes a sense Of wea-
%riness, which grows into crossness, that
peanuts nor candy will not allay, and
when the conductor comes around the
twentieth time, just as you are contem-
plating a little nap, and says, ticket,
sir" your co~mbativeness becomes a
real bother. And just at this point of
exhausted patience, you are told to
change cars, and then and there you are
obliged to see your baggage thrown out
upon the platform; how a person can
avoid Gaming somebody, [ don't know. l
wish our legislators would add two
more articles to their R. R. law.
While in Illinois my observations
were very limited, confined to mud prin-
cipally. l. thought l was acquainted
with that here, but it's height, depth,
length and breadth hat | found in Hi
nois, was beyond all comparison. OF
course, most all business was at a stand
still, save that of the dairy. Milk will
flow, mud or no mud, and it has to 90 to
the factory. That business knows of
no stops. And when I saw four-horse
teams go by, Juggling and foaming, deep
in the mud, hauling a light wagon, with
one or more cans of milk, | seemed to
realize the saying, Money makes the
mare go" And surely there is cash in
that kind of business, and l marvel at
the stupidity and apathy Of the farmers
in not going into it. Here they are
groaning and whining and growing poor
err every year, when they have all the
facilities, if properly used, to make
them rich and good-natured. Say not
that you are too poor to go into the
dairy business, but rather say you are
too lazy. A few years ago these same
farmers were groaning just like you, I'M
til they got so poor that unbelief could
no longer live in them, and then they
found a way to go at it. [ wish you
could see for yourselves; see how we'll
dressed those wives and babies are, and
see the rolls of greenbacks left. Be
persuaded to 60 into it six days in the
week, and surely you will have the
smiles of your Heavenly Father as you
remember the Sabbath and pay your
debts.
[ will give you a few figures for you
to dream over, and encourage you to
make a start. A farmer neighbor of
mine MIXED 16 cows the last two years,
no better COWS than yours, with like
keeping, and his milk-book shows that
he received for that milk $500, and
that is no extra case. One of Woods
factories, out of the three he is working,
and each doing proportional work, was
using, when | was there, 21,0OO pounds
of milk per day, and making from it
about $50 pounds of butter and 1000
pounds of cheese; the first selling for
about 40 cents and the latter for about
II cents per pound. This factory pays
its patrons for milk the six pres
ent winter months $40 to $3.50,
and the last summer months about 80
cents. If necessary, | can give you
more figures to "chaw' upon.
y. SHAPLY.
April 8. 1873.