Mexico weekly ledger., 1879-01-23

MEXICO, Mo-, Dec. %, 1873.

MEXICO, MO, Dec. 70, 1873.
Editor Clinton, Ohio, Republican:
For the qualification of a hundred
and one old friends who have request
ed us to write, and a thousand and
one who did not, we take a seal this
beautiful Christmas day beside our
western tireside, amind the shouts
and laughter of our lively little ones
who have just cleared up a big
Christmas dinner of prairie chicken,
corn Cakes and coffee, to pencil
down q few notes of our sights and
experiences in Missouri.
After a long and tiresome Journey
OF three weeks, travelling in our wag-
on from Ohio across Indiana and H.,
and partly across Missouri, camping
at night beside a ripping brook, or
pond, in the thick shady woods or
on the open prairie, as the case hap
pened to be, cooking our beef, pota-
toes and coffee in the same vessel.
and sleeping night after night in the
old wagon. we ut last drove up on a
pleasant afternoon into this beautiful
city OF the prairies, where we soon
found comfortable quarters for our
selves and horses. In due time we
began to drive round the country,
talk to the people, see and admire
the beautiful prairies, covered here
and there as they are, with great
herds OF cattle, horses and mules or
piled up vita mountains of hay, until
we begin to feel at home in this
garden of the West.
But perhaps your readers would
like something more definite than this.
Mexico, the county seat of Audrain
Co, Mo, is located about one hun
dred and eight miles northwest of St.
Louis, on the dividing ridge between,
and about equal distance from the
Mississippi and the Missouri rivers,
and where the Chicago and Kansas
City railroad crosses the St. Louis &
Northern railroad, thus giving low
rates and direct transportation to the
great cities and the great rivers of
the West. But we did not begin this
letter to eulogize Mexico. She is a
beautiful city in a beautiful country,
with many fine buildings, 3 dozen
churches, q splendid high school, a
Female College, q big mill, and is as
full of people as-can do any good
for themselves. But it is of the vast
fields lying here idle from year to
year that we would speak.
Good farming land can be bought
here at very low prices. Wild lands,
l believe, range at So to $40 per acre
whilst improved farms run from IS
to S25 per acre. Good farms can be
rented here within from two to eight
miles from railroad stations, at 81
to 81 per acre, or, one-third of the
grain crops. In either case, house
and fuel for family purposes, are in
Guided.
Prices of stock and produce, as
we'll as L can learn, run about thusly:
Common work horses, $50 to $50;
mich COWS, SIS to $40; corn, about
% cents wheat, Is cents-not much
raised this year-chicken, 81 to 81 so
per dozen; hay, 81; rabbits and
quails-all you want for the catch
ing!
Mr.. Browning, VIZ have no axe to
grind in this, no farm to sell or rent,
but only to redeem a promise often
made to write and tell about the
country; but indeed 1t does seem
strange to us to see such vast tracts
of fertile lands lying here idle and
useless, year after year, beg ring as
it seems, to some hungering man to
come, cultivate her soil, reap the rich
mar TOoU aEA nave PTCnJS- ~
many strong armed men as WI know
of in Ohio will ride for days and days,
looking for a place where he can pitch
his ten for n season, ana give all the
proceeds of his hard toll for the privi-
lege of having a place TO work.
j FARR FRAZIER.