The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-12-25
LITERATURE.
Books,

bOORb.
New COLORADO AND THE SANTA FE TRAIL. BJ
A. A. Hayes, jr, A. NJ Illustrated. New York
Harper Il Bros. Chicago: Jansen, McClurg q
Co. Ottawa Osman IL IIapcman. Price $3.50
This volume, which contains over 200 large
octave pages richly illustrated, and splendidly
printed and bound, with q map, gives in a con
nected and consecutive form a series of sepa
rate papers on Colorado and New Mexico thai
appeared during the past year in the lnterhd
ti0uaI Rerie,o and Harper's Nagazine The
title of New Colorado" is justified by the
fact that within the past few years the mining
excitement and the advent OF railroads have
80 completely changed the aspect OF Colorado
and portions of New Mexico that the books
written about them half u dozen and more
years ago are wholly inapplicable to the pres
ent position of affairs, and to the seeker after
correct information mcasurably worthless
The writer speaks from extended personal OBJ
seryation and experience and so Yields his pen
as to be at the same time entertaining as well
as instructive. Full details are not only given
of the vast mining resources OF the country,
but of the wonderful adaptation of the state to
cattle and sheep raising and gram growing
and the extent to which those industries haye
already been developed. While the author
seems to be studious not to ovcrdraw the pic
ture, he yet gives us such visions of our Amcri-
can Switzerland as must inevitably allure sum.
mer peasure-scekcrs in swarms in that dlrcc-
ton as well as the more practically minded
who dream of going west to grow up with
the county
WHEAT CULTURE. How to Double the Yield and
Increase the Profits. By ID. s. Curtiss, Wash
ton, d. G.. Illustrated. New York; Orange,
Judd * Co, Chicago: Jansen, McClurg IL Co.
Price 80 cts.
An intelligent Englishman, alarmed at the
decline of wheat growing IN England on &C
count Of American competition, came to this
country last summer, and after watching close
ly the mode of raising wheat here, went home
and reported that under our soil exhausting
system the wheat product here must soon be.
gin to decline and that English wheat growers
had nothing to fear from any permanent com
petition in this quarter The Englishman's
conclusion was justified by patent facts The
bulk Of the whea. OF this country Is grown on
"new land" The first crop is heavy; the sec
ond a trhe lighter; the third still lighter, and
the fourth failure The land Is turned ovel
TO other uses and the wheat grower moves for
ward 10 other new lands. But in twenty years
reasons our Englishman, there will be no NOR,
new lands to move on to, and the wheat pro
duct must begin to decline. The wheat pro
duct Of new land averages 80 bushels to til,
acre; OF old land to ~ bushels; so that III,
average of the whole IS about IA bushels
When all is "old land" the average, il the sam,
system OF culture Is pursued, must drop TO
or 10 bushels to the acre.
The little pamphlet before US shows tina
there is no need for such a decline; on tn
contrary, that "old land" with proper till
age and trifilng additional expenditure, ca
be made to yield quite as large crops as tn
best new land, and that wheat culture can
pursued in Illinois, Indiana, or any Of IN
Middle States quite as proftably as in Mime
sofa or Dacotah. His directions, based on sc
entific principles and the deductions of con
mon sense are reasonable, simple and EN-
nently practical. 1t strikes US that lllinoi
farmers can in few ways invest 30 cts 10 grea
er profit than in the purchase OF this littl
work.
A SAILORS SwKETHEART. An account Of q
wreck Of the sailing ship wsidershare. BY v