Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-06-17
Washington Territory Letter.

Nay q, 1850.
It is said that folks never die here.
when they get old they dry up and
blow away. Judging from some of
the winds we have | don't think a
person would have to get very old
or very dry:
1t has been over three years since
left my parental roof In all that
time | have never met any old
friends except the HERALD. 1t comes
to me every week with its store of
news, it tells me of deaths and of
marriages aud l say to myself in or
der to get both We must take the
best first. ] will now tell You some
thing about stock. Thousands of
horses, cattle and sheep may be seen
on the prairies. The sheep are herd.
ed but the others run at will. The
colts and CALVES are branded when
quite young. If the owner don't do
it some one else will. 1t is not OIL
ways the man mat has the most
stock that has the largest increase,
but the best brander. They have
some OF the finest horses here that
ever saw. Horses never go blind
here. The herd-law question is be.
ing agitated. It is TO be decided by
svote OF the people at this falls cleo
ton. The crops look we'll and the
husbandman feels that be will be re-
warded for his labor. This is the
finest wheat country that ever saw.
They sow crop of wheat here In
the fall or spring. After harvest there
is generally wheat enough on the
ground to seed it again. They har-
row this in without blowing and it
makes good crop. The next year
some rslse the third crop but it is
not SO good. Wheat straw is very
strong. 1t will stand up a month
after it is dead ripe. This makes il
very convenient about harvesting as
one header can cut i've or six hun
dred acres. Stock don't need aEy
sailing here. There are alkali spots
in different parts of the country and
the stock 60 there to lick. As
general thing the people are very
energetic. They work hard to inn
prove and beautify their homes; they
take great interest in setting out
fruit trees and berries and in getting
good stock and good seed. Some Of
those that took timber claims set out
their timber last spring and it is
growing nicely. They have to plant
ten acres in rows four feet apart each
way in eight years. IF one.fourth Of
it is alive they get a deed to I60
acres of land. The native grass is
very tender. After it is fed down
close for three or four years it kills
it out, after that it comes up 10 weeds.
Red clover grows well here. limo
thy don't do well except in creek
bottoms. Some of our professional
men make first rate ox-drivers and
rail-splitters. 1t appears that mus
Gle is more profitable out here than
brain. l have gone to but one school
since l left home, that is the school
of experience. / have not learned
very fast but remember mighty well.
Ii any one wants to get their eye
teeth cut come to the Pacific coast.
One of the neighbors has thermon-
eter. He sets down the temperature
morning, noon and evening. The
mean temperature since the first. Of
March is As degrees above zero. The
badgers are busy digging ont ground
squirrels and mice for sustenanee.
The cayotes are lurking about the
farms watching chance to steal
some chickens. They certainly don't
know woman's temper or they
would not dare steal their property.
Eastern oak is worth 80 cents per
foot here. A hickory OK bow or
single whippletree is worth 81. so.
The summers here are delightful.
Warm sunny days, and most always
a cool invigorating breeze. Every
thing sells here by the pound. Bar
ley is / cent per pound. potatoes
cent per pourd, onions 2 cents per
pound and beans 5 cents per pound.
Also, farm is ranch, cowsyard
is q corrall, pony is a cayuse, so
cents is four bits, saddle grit is a
chinch and then they use great
many Chinese and Indian words.
All this sounded odd to me at first,
but now can speak the native lam
guage quite well. l don't think Of
any thing more at present and ] am
getting tired so l will close by say
ing that / never worked harder, felt
better, had better appetite and less
to eat than now.
Respectfully yours. NJ