Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-12-25
All sbou, the wea by Jared J.,.p.

thls county. The friend, ont on
spree or some other expedition,
dropped the letter where it fell into
our hands and we are now enabled
to give our readers something not
gotten up in the interest of western
railroad or land men. We would no,
dare publish it if Jared were here
and he will never raise money
enough ont 10 Nebraska to bring him
here, aud as for his friend, We can
dodge him. Here now is such a
Western letter as you never saw:
Cast thy letter into the postoffice
and it shall be answered after many
days. Yours of Sept. 22d prompts
me to the duty of answering your
former letter. promise better tor
the future, and in the meantime re-
member it is more blessed to give.
than to receive. Corrupting Scrip
ture am /? There are a dog
en- preachers in this vicinity
Who can beat me mile and three
laps every Sunday in far-fetched ap.
plications of Scripture.
You told in your former letter how
you spent the fourth. We went to
the county seat to have our patriot.
ism renewed and came home feeling
that life would he a terrible burden
outside OF America, and that il is
particularly lovely in Nebraska.
We had supposed there would be lit
tie worth seeing So far west but were
happily disappointed The cele.
bratlon was i'll grove and there
were several things worth seeing
There was badger tied to a sspling
near the grand stand and a small
boy who stood by to sauce people
who asked questions concerning it.
There was an Ex-Governor aud also
an ex State Senator to be seen. The
ex Governor stood on the grand stand
and was much admired, even more
than the badger and small boy. The
ex Senator stood on the grand stand
l tkink he was packed there in a
bandbox and taken out very care
fully. While l was admiring him a
man in the crowd remarked that Sen.
ator's shirt collars were cut very high
this summer. So it appears to me ;
tor that member of his toilet ran up
the sides OF his head to such height
that | believe if he had turned sud-
denly it would have amputated his
nose. Being something of student
of human nature / replied to the
man that men of gigantic intellect,
such as State Senators, are apt to be
absent minded and it was probable
the gentleman had put the garment
on wrong end up.
must tell something of farming
operations. have 43 acres broke.
| stripped my cane month ago. 1t
yielded well. tive can't raise any
thing else here I'll raise cane. From
It bushels of potatoes / have 25
bushels after using out OF them from
the time they were big enough.
VIII have nearly 200 bushels OF sod
com. Have winter wheat sowed and
it grows nicely. Winter wheat did
better this season than Spring. / be.
lieve it will do as we'll here as in
Kansas, but doubt its doing as well
there as reported. / made a short
trip through part of two counties in
Kansas, and the highest yield /
heard of was 90 bushels and that but
small piece. Wheat will not aver.
age through the country passed
over, more than Z! bushels to the
acre. This same country is reported
as having immense crops, in fact the
best in the State. The Spring wheat
crop in this vicinity l think will av-
erage abont 9 bushels aud there
were % bushels 10 the acre on one
piece near me. The average for the
State is Sc, down at IL tolls / think
this double the actual quantity. The
western country is not a wheat coun.
try and the sooner the people know
1t the better. Big crops OF wheat IN
Dakotah, Nebraska and Kansas will
be oTly occasional.
We have bad most delightful
Fall thus far. 1t was very dry
awhile but there mas been plenty Of
rain Of late and Ileasant, calm
weather. AT such times | feel at
peace with the country but when
the winds sweep the prairies for
days at time, 81 ipping vegetation
into shreds, my enthusiasm det lines.
The winds are very Objectionable
feature of The country and whep
they come in connection with rain
and bail they make things lively.
Now and then we have what the
natives call fog, and such a fog |
1t may be fog but in my opinion the
clouds come down and mop the
ground. 1t ia as easy TO lose ones
self on the prairie at such time as
on the ocean, and the wettipg be
gets is the same as if he were in the
ocean.
Aside from the uncertainty at
tending farming there are objections
to many of the people here. They
are sleepy, more dead than alive
class, satisfied with a dug-nut and
enough TO keep soul and body to-
gether. No interest is taken 10
school matters and there is no pros.
pect for average school facilities for
years to come. The country ia
fearfully in debt. The public in.
debtedness of this county is about
one-fourth of its assessed value
Taxes are about per cent. and the
Indebtedness increasing. With all
this debt the only public building in
the county is courthouse worth
81 600, that cost s45 900. Where
this thing is going to stop is hard
to determine. l thought matters
bad enough 10 Wisconsin, in the
way Of debts. but it is nothing com.
pared with Nebraska. There is
something there 10 pay With, here
there is not. | believe one-third of
the personal property of the country
is covered by chsttel mortgage snd
| have got 10 learn of but one siu-
gle case where q homesteader has
secured the deed for his land that
ia NOT untlar mnrfuaga and that a,