The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-11-13


From the shore of the bay we have a
splendid view of Lake Michigan. At
a distance of eighteen miles boats may
be seen crossing the entrance of the
bay on their way to and from Macinac.
The lake is eighteen miles long and
one of the most beautiful lakes i'm the
world. Its waters are so peculiarly
that one could almost
count the spots on speckled trout in
forty feet of water. have seen schools
of bass, trout, &C., gliding thirty and
forty feet under the boat, and much
palmer than at half that distance in
the open air. Owing to the marvellous
beauty of this lake it has been dubbed
the Chatauqua of the West" But
this is no compliment whatever, for
varied and romantic scenery, calmness
and transparency of waters. endless
fishing, or as a summer resort, Chatau-
qua Lake is no more to be compared
to Torch Lake than Breakneck Greek
in Rootstown to the River of Life that
flows through New Jerusalem.
Having written a couple of letters
extalling the merits of Michigan, I
must, agreeable to promise, give some
of the disadvantages of this section and
particularly of Antrim county. In do
ing so will consider old Portage coun-
ty the standard for comparison. Farm
products are not equal to Ohio in any
respect except fruits and potatoes. Of
the former I have already spoken.
Potatoes are large, fine, yeild more to
the acre and almost entirely free from
rot, as in Portage. Wheat is raised
quite extensively and yields an annual
average of about fifteen bushel per acre,
corn is an inferior crop both in quaint
ity and quality. Hay is the worst of
all as we are obliged to import hay for
home consumption. This is, however,
owing to the fact that few farmers have
sufficient land cleared for meadows,
but are obliged to use their small fields
FOR better paying crops. We have no
coal lands and import what is used
here from the Salinville and Steuben-
vile mines Of Ohio, but we have wood
in endless quantities.. From our front
windows may be seen from ten to fif-
teen miles of the opposite shore of
Torch Lake which is almost u solid
growth of towering naples and beech,
which, when cut and seasoned sells for
$1.OO a cord. One firm own maple
wood land, which the County Survey
or estimated would require thirty years
to clear it at the rate of 900 cords of
wood per year. By the way, Ohio is
no where for maple sugar. Antrim
county would make old Portage hide
her little camps and blush. No State
can equal Northern Michigan in the
production of this commodity, except
that the season is very short. When
winter gives away to spring, she don't
fool around for couple of months
about it, but gives right up and VAN
ishes. We have roads here, also, that
discount anything ever saw in Ohio.
They are composed of superficial lay
er from one to three feet in depth of
fine white sand, gently sprinkled over
a substrata of mush, which is very easy
on corns, although it slightly impedes
velocity Of travel. On our way to In
termediate Lake we have to pass over
two and one-fourth miles of Corduroy
road, made of logs laid side by side
and, if the "gentle reader" wishes to
form an idea of the invigorating and
delightful sensation impaired by a
journey over these roads, let him sit
on a board two by one feet and slide
down stairs and imagine this blissful
battering of your feelings to last for an
hour or more. Yet these roads are
good in winter, we have already had q
week of good sleighing which will
probably continue until the middle of
April next. s.-....
The society here is somewhat rural
and infinitely varied, being mostly
emigrants from nearly every Eastern
and Central State, and being long de-
prived of the cultured and refined So
cieties of those places, they have be-
come rather crude in manners and
blunt in speech, Yet they are honor
able and square in their dealings, neigh
borly, benevolent and hospitable and
possess that unselfishness and frank
ness of nature so rare in older settled
i may describe the older
settlers by the following conversation
Mr.. - came with oxen and cart for
me to visit his wife. AS we slowly
plodded our weary way inquired in
what manner Mrs. - was affected.
He said: "Wal, yer see, nigh onto
three year ago she had the ager pow
erful; nothin' seemed to do her no
good. I dung at her and dung at 'er
to let me fetch a doctor, but no, she al
low'd she'd stick it out little longer
and maybe she'd fetch through. got
her bottle of Indian Pedagogue that
did her purity we'll, but 1 allow she
never got shut of it, fact is she's been
givin' out fur long spell, and now
what I want of you is, to 'zamin her
and give her the best you've got in
your noddle and pill-bags. Do yer
han'somest and I'n foot the bill" Af-
ter 1 had made my examination and
I told the venerable couple
that it was my opinion that mrs.
was affected with Bright's Di-
sease of the kidneys, or a destruction
of their parenchyma; yet had con-
fidence that could relieve her suffer-
ings materially" On our way home
again kind neighbor came out to the
gate and inquired How's Bets ?" Mr..
replied Wal, she's sore 'fiict-
I'd. This yer new Doctor says she's
got a bright disease in her kidneys and
! construction in her panorama, but he
lllows he's got conference that'u be-
eaye her right smart. DIR. TuDE. :