New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1880-04-28

Letter frsn tho East.
i For the Review by o. P. C1AAPLIN.
With the coming on Of Spring we iindi
0urself too much worn with the duties
of the winter to do much of anything
and, especially, to write. As we shall
now, in a short time, leave this country
for the westward journey we have
thought it meet to send a short epistle
in advance.
Spring comes on slowly; but it is
here and will work its way into warm,
sun.shiny days. The farmers ara
plougl'ing and making gardens and get
ting ready generally for the springs
works. Within q few days we have
taken several rides in the country near
here; and it has to us y rugged, disc.
late appearance. II is up hill and down
no matter, which way you go; and no
matter. either, where you take your
observations you are certain to face a
deep velley enclosed 10y high wooded
hills. I have been studying the topo-
graph of this region all winter; but are
unable to separate one range of hills
from another, or connect one valley
with another. The hills range in all
directions, north and south. south ind
north; east and west, north least, east.
erly, southeast, southerly, southwest,
westerly and so on. There is one thing
very noticeable, and that is the numer.
Gus brooks and springs which yon con.
stantly meet with. This may be call.
ed hill and a spring country. The
water supply of many families in the
villages and in the country comes from
the springs. Many of the brooks abound
in trout which are now being caught
by the skillful angler. So many springs
and brooks form small streams; and on
these are numerous saw.mills where
the farmers have their pine, oak and
chestnut lumber sawed. Wood cutting
is one of the industries of the farmer
here, and the timber is fast disappear.
ing. Some Of it is cut into logs and
worked into lumber; some of it is made
into ties for railroads, and the balance
goes into cord. wood. There is a home
market for all the wood at good prices,
cord being worth from three to four
dollars according to the kind. The
factories consume a good deal, and
formerly the railroads did. But coal,
which is cheaper for families, even, is
coming more and more into use every.
where so that the wood market is not
quite 80 brisk.
With his wood and potatoes and but.
ter, all of which fetch him good prices,
the farmer here gets comfortable liv.
ing and can save little besides. But
what q contrast between one of these
hill.farns and prairie.farm. It must
be seen to be app eciated.
AS 1 desire to say word abont
-. .'. sORGCM
IN this letter 1 must give no further
space to these other things. The pro.
duction of sugar from sorgum and
maize is receiving considerable atten.
ton from the citizens of this State.
Sometime during tie winter lee.
tire was delivered in Hartford by DR..
Peter Collier who gave some facts
which may be Of interest to western
readers. l would sent you the report
of the lecture, but fear you would find
it to extensive for your use. It ap-c
pears from an examination of the re.
turns from 1852 to 1877 that there was
a decrease of over 20 per cent. in the
average acreage yield of corn in the
western States; and but nine. tenths of
one per cent. in the eastern. Wheat
has fallen off also, though not so much.
Through the use of commercial fertil.
izers the east is raising more corn and
wheat to the acre to-day than the west.
Corn, our great crop, yields annually
1870, OOC COO bushels and takes from
the soil $99,oO0,OOO worth of potash
and phosphoric acid. Now how is it
with sugar! Sugar comes from the at.
'nosphere. We could export $l,OOo,.
1000 worth and not reduce the fer.
tility Of our lands at all, for the press.
ed stalks contain everything of value
taken from the soil and the return to
1t makes I'D loss good. Testing corn
stalks has proven them TO contain 1917
and IL per cent. of sugar. Many writer's
prefer them to beets. Fine syrup was
made of them as long ago rs the Revo.
luton. BY experiment it has been
shown that sugar can be made from
stalks that have yielded 4 fully ripen.
ed crop. Thus 4 piece of ordinary
Dent corn, not grown for sugar pur.
poses, produced at the rate Of 900 lbs.
to the acre. Moreover the stalks arc
nearly, if not quite as valuable, for fod-
der after passing through the mill rs
before. ....- ...~..
DR.. Collier has experimental with
four different varieties of sorgum; the
goose neck of Librian, the sumac or
Chinese, the Honduras or mastodon,
which grows to height of seventeen
feet in the Carolinas, and the Mime.
sofa early amber. by far the earliest of
the four in reaching maturity, which
1t gains in about ninety days from
planting. Rows of each of these two