The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1881-08-10
Notes Of a Traveller.

Between harrisburg and Lancasters
and even down to Chester county, the
farmers have about one-hale of their
lands in tobacco in the towns, even
garden lots have been planted with
the "vile weed" About Mt. Joy,
Thriving town of about 1000 inhabit-
ants by-the-way, every good piece of
land is covered with it. The houses
for drying tobacco are numerous. Mt.
JOY has several manufacturing estab-
lishments machine factories ofvarious
kinds, and other industries. Here too
is located the school for Soldiers Or
phans, one of the best in the State,
where many of the little wards of the
Nation are gathered. At Mt. Joy also
there is one of the largest and best
wagon and coach factories in the
State, the business being carried or
extensively. The same being sent to
every part of the United States.
The famous bank barns OF Lancas-
ter county dot the landscape for miles
in every direction, giving an appear
ance of comfort and prosperity. But
1t is sad to reflect they are wearing out
their lands with that most, destructive of
all crops-tobacco in some fields the
leaves not being larger than plantain
leaves, while on other better lands
large and fourishing. When we con.
slider that an acre of average tobacco
brings about $500 to the farmer, we
do not wonder at the temptation );
though this year the crop in some
parts is cut into ribbons by the hail.
Proceeding along, nothing worthy Of
note, until you strike the famous State
of New Jersey, To the natives this
State is no curiosity of course, but to
the average Western Pennsylvanian it
is. The western part of the State is
the agricultural country. The State
is lust SO miles wide from The Della
ware at Philadelphia to this point,
Banagat Bay. The features ct the
western half of the State are connected
farms in good order, while the Eastern
part, next the coast, is desert, COW
cred with white sand. 1t looks strange
to see one field planted entirely with
asparagus, and another with sweet po-
tatoes; (for these New Jersey can
beat the world,) Then cranberry
: marsh then the peaches. Peaches
+, and sweet potatoes are the main hold.
Jersey is their home-there natural
0 home,-I mean Eastern New Jersey
for Western New Jersey is not the
:, home for anything except wildness
and that the wildness of the desert
: almost, excepting the Sea Side. The
:, Western part Of the State, directly
east of Philadelphia, is covered with a
;. white sand, just like the ocean sand.
covered with a kind Of dwarf pine,
called Jersey pine, which grows at
:. best about % feet high, when the soil
), fails to sustain it, aud it seems to die
:. out, or else degenerate into barrens
} for miles. Many places these scrub
}. pines are killed by fire, and their
4. seorched branches and foliage contras-
C. ted with the white sand gives picture
J., of desolation that can be imagined
better than described. Some of these
C. barrens are in part redeemed by crop
5. ofhuckleberry bushes the berries are as
c. fine (for have tried them) as any thai
5. ever grew in Forest county.
C. l believe l was to write you from
3. the Sea Side according to promise. l
IS really seems like burlesque so far
as have not, in writing, got to the
u sea, yet in point of fact am there
surveyed old ocean been fishing IN th'
e. bay, &c. Rest assured you will have
D., an account in detail Of my Peregrina
tions, whether interesting or not.
r S. d. /.