Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-03-13
ELI PERKINS.
He Visits the Lone Star State..-What He
Thinks of Texas and the Texans, also
of Iowa and Minnesota.
Cincinnati Inquirer.

Cincinnati Inquirer.
Last week [ rode from Texas to Min
nesota. In riding from spring gardens
and violets into good sleighing and thir-
ty degrees of frost, had a good chance
to compare the prosperity of the north
west and southwest.
How did find the people?
[ found different degrees Of prosper
ity, but found about the same happi-
ness everywhere. | think the Texan.
clad in butternut-colored cotton over
aIls and faded slouched hat, with holes
in the top, about as happy as the rich
farmer up in Iowa, with his bank ac-
count, warm clothes and well-filled
barns. | found the seemingly sgualid
Texan, with no house to live in, maraud-
ing hither and thither, and sleeping in
an emigrant wagon, about as happy as
the rich farmer up in Iowa, who is the
master of a big warm farmhouse,
whose daughters play the piano, and
whose feet rest on ingram carpets. 1t
was queer to note the indications of
wealth increase as the cars rolled north
ward
In southern Texas there are no barns.
The houses are the merest apologies
often tents. The people are dressed in
rags, and cotton ones at that. They feed
on the commOnest food. Corn, pork,
mOlasses and cofee-the old slave
diet-seems to satisfy every one.
The average yield OF corn in Texas is
about thirty bushels, which at twelve
cents bushel would be worth $500.
Many q man pays bushel and some
t.,n NF s., H.,
There is no market in Texas. The Tex
as farmer is poor. Lands have shrunk
60 per cent. in Texas during the last
two years. There is no more emigra-
ton in the state. 1t is good grazing
state, but no one wants to work there.
In two years the most enterprising far
mer becomes a slouch.
West of Austin the country is subject
to drought. Irrigation is necessary in
San Antonio. The old irrigating canals
are there still, showing that the Span
iards irrigated their lands one hundred
years ago.
found hundreds of young men from
the north in Texas who want to get
back but can't. They came here to
make fortunes. They were deceived,
and now they cannot get money enough
to pay their passage home.
AS Irode north OF Texas, up through
the Indian nation IN Kansas, the indi-
cations of material prosperity increased;
but even in southern Kansas | saw that
same slouchy, negligent, indoient spir
it among the farmers. | saw no good
houses IN southern Kansas; nn. good
barns and no fences. Here, too, II the
farther makes a good crop there is no
market for it. Corn is worth fifteen
cents per bushel. 1t doesn't pay to raise
corn or nogs, SO the farmers are stand
ing around, just living and waiting for
the price of farm produce to advance.
Even eggs are five or six cents per doz-
en-, or about 81 per bushel.
In northern Kansas the houses began
to grow better, the farms looked more
tidy, big barns appeared. and the far
mers themselves wore better clothes.
An air Of thrift and enterprise began to
show itself. This air of thrift became
more and more manifest as entered
Iowa. Here the Missouri sun-bonnet
disappeared. People came to town in
nice buggies, instead of astride of faded
horses. Splendid white farm-houses be-
gan to snow themselves. Carriages, wo-
men in furs, handsome, rosy-cheeked
girls, and men in good warm clothes are
seen in the street. In Iowa every farmer
tells you how much he is going to make,
not that he is simply getting living.
"I shall fatten 100 steers, 200 hogs,
and sell 1,200 bushels Of wheat this
year," says a young farmer on the cars.
"Pll make 81, 900 clear"
T. = la 20
constantly advancing. Farms that
could have been bought four years ago
for 81 per acre are now worth $50. The
people are all thrifty and getting rich.
..Why is it" | ask everybody, "that
pure farm lands in northern Wisconsin,
around Oshkosh, Horizon Junction and
Ripon are worth $75 and $50 per acre,
while the deep black alluvial soil in
southern Illinois is going a begging for
s2O?"
"Oh, it is the climate" they all say.
1t is in the wheat belt and the dairy bel
that farmers get rich. 1t is here that
you will see the nice houses, the flour
ishing villages and the splendid church
es. Always sure of crop Of wheat
here, sir"
You may travel the country through
and you will see the rich farmers all
live in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa
and Minnesota. These are all butter
and cheese states, as well as corn and
wheat. 1t is in these states that you
see the handsome women, enterprising
men, splendid colleges, and wealth lying
around loose. In Ohio farm lands are
worth from $40 to 500 per acre, be-
cause it is a wheat, corn and dairy state.
The Trinity House, London, have
found their recent experiments with a
new gas for the purpose of Lighting
buoys, which are now useless after dark,
so successful that they are having a
number of buoys constructed after the