The daily gazette., 1881-08-09
LETTER FROM NEBR RAsKA.
Come West Young Man, Cor ne West.
correspondence OF the GAZETTE .

We are said to be within The great
wheat growing region OF the United
States, but If the present crop ID an in
dex, the great wheat growing region is
a great fraud, or the assertion of statisti-
clans is false. II there is field of wheat
in Cedar county that will yield over tif
teen bushels per acre have never seen
1t nor heard tell of it. The aver age yield
will be about ten bushels per acre. But
ordinarily fifteen bushels is considered
but fair crop and twenty is expected.
The early autumn prevent led fall
plowing and the lateness of the
spring timely seeding, and this may
account for the short crop to some ex-
tent. But it is not the whole cause of
failure-the great idea which Nebras-
kans have of the great productive capac-
ity of their soil is one of the most potent
reasons. The productive capacity of the
soil is great. At some places you can
penetrate the earth to the depth Of twenty
feet and find q rich, black loan. The
high lands or bluffs are superior to your
best, so far as the natural ca pacity is
concerned. And for these reasons no
manure has been applied for the last
twenty years. Wherever you may 60
You will find great piles Of stable refuse
lyirg about in waT- .'laces. Most far
mers think themselves fortunate If there
is living stream near by into W hich they
eau dump their refuse and see 1t no
more. They have not yet found cut that
wheat, especially when set in the
spring, needs wa m soil in order to
start off we'll. There are few excep-
tions to the rule, but the hurry of the
short seed time prevented even these
from spreading manure upon the land.
The wheat consequently is short and the
heads not well hlIed near where l am
now writing. There is field which was
planted just two months ago. 1t is now
being harvested. estimate The yield at
three and one half bushels per acre. The
"chinch bug" known in Della ware and
Maryland as the ety." has dan aged the
wheat in Nebraska aud particl llarly the
wheat of Kansas. A gentleman from
that State informed me that the grain in
the wheat growing belt would not aver
age more than two thirds as many
bushels as was anticipated. In point Of
fact all spring wheat will be below the
average wherever it may be. The sea-
SOD, saving its lateness, has been pecu-
lIarly fitted for corn. Tine frequent rains
aud hot suns, which were detrimental to
wheat and rye have pushed lhe corn and
oats far 60 the front. ] was In b gentle
mans field of oats to- day which had not
been in the ground more than dix weeks,
| and which am sure will yield forty
bushels per acre. Tue gentle man was
shocking up what he had cut yesterday.
| just here will mention that we have
not as sanctimonious regard for the Sew
enth day as our Eastern fathers and uD.
der such circumstances as "quick har-
vest" you will find men working without
any qualms of conscience.
But the great future is an idea worth
adverting to. AS people on the peninsula
annually croak about peaches or no
] peaches ; as Greenbackers howl about
the national debt as Republicans damn
| Conklipg as the press crucifies in efigy
the assassin Guiteau SO does the w est.
ern man preach the great future. Nc
one can indulge the latitude OF his imag.
inati0n or be transported into the bliss
full realms of future greatness unless hi
trails after him the Missouri rivers ovel
two thousand miles. This str cam, with
its mud, silt and sediment, is the only
thing which holds a genuine enthusiast
to earth and at the same time the wins
wherewith he flies TO heaven. "WheI
we get the barge line in operation w
can send our corn and ship our cattle t,
foreign markets at one-third the presen
rate of transportation" is the gush,
boast. Every "pot-house politician
and "gew-gag" favors the project ant
l fh,.o IA IN 20 ar.i
office. People are nearly as wild ovel
this craze as Robert Ingersol II is ovel
hell, and not half as certain to see 1t
They do not seem to realize that 1t Will
take Congress at least one year to make
up Its mind to have the river surveyed
that 1t will take the engineers at leas
two years to go over the two Thousand
miles that Congress will the ~ institute
two or three more surveys aud detail |
squad of men to watch its course ab0v,
Fort Randall, aud give weekly notice o
its vicinity that Congress will consume
five years in discussing the feasibility o
the route that IL will take at least ter
years anda sum greater thar the ma
tional debt to perfect the desired OBJ.
ject-no, some that in 1882 We cal
ship our stuff upon the "barge line
with as much facility and a. far les'
cost that we do now over the grea
trunk lines running East.
There are few sincere and genuine
men who treat the matter philosophi-
cally, and have at heart tho good o.
the people. But in its present status
it holds about the same relation to thu
people of Nebraska and Iowa, as the
Dover, Frederick and Milford Rail
road did during the session ol the last
Legislature to the people of Delaware.
It is the underhand fight Of monopo.
lists to secure favorable legislation
But although it is now used to throt-
tie the free voice of the people, it is
force which in course of time will break
down the money power of the railroad
which hangs over the people and par
alyzes their powers like some dread
incubus. 1t is force put in motion
which will not down at cor poration'i
bidding. For short time their agri
cultural interest will be blinded ant
their darkness be led by unmercifu
stock waterers to the meat flock, bu
the day of reckoning will come. Pri-
vate enterprise will do the work, as
they are to q very limited extent now
and it will be fight between railroad
and railroad and corporation and peo'
pie. The decrease OF grain received
J at Chicago and the increase of re
. | oo;,+. ~ " Tn,,;o aud tho ronseuuau