, 1880-05-10
Nebraska Impressions.

No later than last week I met skeptics
of this class on the train, but net
more such west of Plattsmouth. A re-
cent visit to that State, extending
through more or less of eleven counties,
enables me to speak from personal eb-
servation, which will admit was hasty,
but it was made 10y one who" grew up p"
on farm.
While we. here, are too far removed
from the club" to have that notion,
so general farther east. that when you
once get in Nebraska you must sleep in
the grass with your scalp in your hand
and one eye on the lookout for prairie
fires and herds of buffalo, yet even here
in Iowa think the idea is quite preva-
lent that when you get beyond Lincoln,
the vast plain of the " Great American
Desert is broken only by an occasional
farm house, sod house, dug-out, jack
rabbit, buffalo and Indian. At least 1
had very much such an idea, and con-
fess l was not prepared to see the al
most unbroken line of cultivated fields
extending to Hastings, where we turned
south to go over the new road up the
Republican valley. The poorest land l
saw on the road was between Lincoln
and Crete where it is quite broken, and
there seems to be too much gravel in
the soil. But, aside from this, saw
no land between Lincoln and Hastings
which was not tillable and productive.
and nearly all of it is being titled. The
soil has light sandy appearance which
has caused general impression that it
is very sandy, but this is not correct.
1t is simply the peculiar color. Accus-
toned as we are to the very black soil
of Iowa and Illinois, We are apt, at
once, to condemn Nebraska soil on its
color, but eighty bushels of corn to the
acre is pretty good answer to all sug
gestions of this kind, and SO is twenty
bushels of wheat.
One-third of 3 crop of corn can be
raised Oh the sod the first year, and
after that the ground is in shape for al
most any crop. Such land is to be had
at from three to ten dollars per acre,
and yet corn there is worth eighteen to
twenty five cents per bushel, and hogs
and cattle nearly, or quite, as high as
here. This is Nebraska as l saw it, and
I have no land there for sale.
OF course it requires good stock of
courage and determination-and a man
ought to have at least few hundred
dollars in money, for one to go to new
country. settle upon piece of "wild "
land and begin to make farm. It re-
auired as much of our fathers when
they settled in Iowa forty years ago.
Nebraska is not vast level plain,
but succession of gently undulating
hills, very few of which are so abrupt
as to interfere with convenient cultiva-
ton, but which present a very pleasing
variety to the landscape, instead of the
tiresome "dead level expected to
see. And l was also very agreeably
surprised at the number of very good
farm houses you will pass, many being
two-story, well-painted and very cheer
full and comfortable in appearance. 1t
is only occasionally that you will see
sod house, or the remains of one. l
speak of this side of Hastings. After
you start up the Republican river you
will see many of them, and you will be
surprised to see how comfortable some
of them are made. With regular win
dows, doors and shingle roofs, they
make warm and comfortable dwelling
places. Yet as far up as the railroad
now runs-Orleans, in Harlan county
you will find nice two-story farm
houses we'll painted, and giving you
the impression that the country has
been settled for ten years, at least, in
stead of two or three.
immigration was pouring in, but the
most of the people were pushing on
west where they can find government
land, and am not able to say how
much farther they will have to go, but
probably to Red Willow county at least,
to the county seat ef which-Indianola
the B. & M. railroad is now under
contract. There is no government
land to be had in Harlan county, and
think none in Furnas. How much fur
ther it is till they reach that barren
waste said to exist in western Nebraska
I can not say, but the people out there
say as soon as the settlers come in and
begin to stir the ground it begins to
produce, and where it wouldn't grow
buffalo grass it thus raises good corn,
but don't vouch for this.
doubt if the land up the Republi-
can valley is any better than that of
Nebraska generally, but it is better
watered and timbered, and I suppose
the climate is little more mild.
You can buy wood in Harlan county
for about three dollars per cord. Yet
there is not great deal of it, and
what there is grows right along the wa
ter line so close as to impress you that
in the years gone by there was no rain
fall, and trees could only live near the
water courses. I have not the data at
hand, but I believe it is true that the
rainfall in Nebraska has increased won
derfully since the cultivation of the
soil began.
Nebraska has great future before