The Worthington advance., 1882-03-02
LETTER FROM Mr.. SYKES

We are in receipt Of our annual let
ter from MIR. John Sykes, Of Beverly,
ILL.,, who owns the beautiful place on
West Okabena. Mr.. Sykes always
writes something worth publishing
and we again take the liberty OF copy
ing his letter, and call attention to
what he says about his splendid crops
here in 1877 and his recent crops in ILL.,
inols:
Enclosed find 50 for which continue
me Oh the list us q subscriber to the
ADVANCE. Having interests in your
part Of the country and some friends
and acqnaintances, and having taken
the ADVANCE for so many years, it
seems like meeting All Old friend every
Tuesday night after our mail comes III.
Can't do without the ADVANCE.
From all 1 can learn, / Judge that
Worthington is still improving not
withstanding the many drawbacks it
has had to contend with the past four
years i'll the way OF poor seasons Tor
some crops and the unusually hard
winter of a year ago. AS you know,
my experience in farming in y ohles
county is but little, the season Of 1877
only, but for good crops they come up
to anything ever saw in my farming
experience. The beauty Of it was they
were all good; wheat, corn, oats. grass
and vegetables. And the season was
such that nothing need to have been
lost, the weather for harvesting being
SO fine. I sometimes think that it
would not he best to have such SEASONS
always. People would go wild over
success.
1t seems the railroad racket still
continues in your section of the North
west.. Spirit Lake seems to he the at
traction for quite number of new
roads, but the lakes certainly will hot
be the terminus for all Of them. It is
contrary to the nature and disposition
Of the Iron Charger, particularly in a
new country, rapidly filling up with an
energetic, wide-aw,ke and gO-alltad
people. And for these reasons | see
nothing in the way Of Worthington
having southeastern outlet by rail. it
being Oh direct line with the general
course Of one at least, ihe b. &. Il. Il
N, and nearly SO OF the DesMoines
Northwestern. Whenever WOrthing-
ton gets such an outlet. then there W i'll
be such a boom as it never had before.
Here in Suckerdom things are going
on about III the usual way. The past
season WAS not Il prosperous one for
farmers. Wheat came near being a to-
tai failure. Corn ! of crop, grass
poor, oats fair crop, vegetables scarce.
Fruit, never saw such failure be-
fore. The drought list summer was
extreme, killed out most OF the grass
on meadows. Rains set III about Octo-
Der first. Since then has been unusu-
ally wet. Roads, most Of the time, i'm
passable. Winter has been mild, no
! snow to speak of, but little ice put ur
yet, the ground being 50 wet. With
slight freezing. then thawing, the +le-
merits have managed to pull out nearly
half OF The wheat crop already, and it
still has IT,: worst part of the season to
contend wit:.. Has been quite warm
for Il week or tN'o and the wheat has
started to grow. -" the 2oth inst. had
a heavy rain. freezing on the trees and
breaking them down IDLY. Never
knew trees so badly injr.el before.
Now it is clear and pleasant, :,,lt cold,
13 above zero this morning, had on
the wheat.
With good wishes to the ADVANCE
senior and the little ADVANCES, I re-
main, yours truly. JOHN SYKES.