Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-07-12
Random Notes.

The general tone OF an tut l'lhlvl9
through the west. Ohio, Indiana, Illinois
and the great corn state, Iowa, Is never
saw corn so small at this time of year
The crop is not moro forward than in Yer
mont. One farmer in Sheffield, ILL.,, said
his corn was planted the 10Th of May and
was now about six inches high, and the
weeds about the same.
There has been on unusual amount oil
rain, almost continuous, and the crop
could neither crow or be cultivated. The
Inst week of June was marked by very
heavy rains which did much damage on
The rail roads, the Chicago and Rock
Island sustaining such damage as to be
impossible for week.
One thing which looks queer to an east
ern man is the quantities of hogs one sees
in the pastures running with the cattle and
sheep as well as having separate pastures
it not being uncommon TO see from 10 to
80, and ninety-nine out of every hundred
are black. At one station we stopped
where man WAS unloading fifteen, which
were nine months old Poland-Chinas,
estimated to weigh 26j lbs, each, and sold
at 61-2 cents. We asked the buyer what
breed he preferred. He replied "the
Berkshires they have more m1scle, will
stand up better, and | can sell them in
Chicago at 10 cents per hundred more
than any other breed. The Polands are
not breed only mixture; they have not
been bred long enough to have fixed
type." All we can say is western people
should be authority on hogs, they have
enough. l asked the seller how many he
had, be replied that he had not many, per-
haps a hundred and twenty-five or fifty,
big and little.
The cattle one sees in Illinois and Iowa,
considered as beef cattle, are better than
those one sees in New England, and are
mostly we'll graded short horns. In Iowa
especially the pasturage was of remarkable
excellence, which perhaps the wet season
Helped greatly; but such fields of white
clover we have never seen before, almost
as white as;daisy fields in the east, and
with the plentitude Of pasturage it is MOI
strange Iowa can send fine cattle to mar
knt
One thing which would make an eastern
man sick are the highways In the we
weather the mud is of n depth and sticky
ness he can have no conception of If he ha
not seen them, and driving cuts them int
ruts and throws up ridges, which in DIR,
weather become almost as hard as sun
dried bricks, and driving on them in cithe
condition could hardly be classcd as pleas
urc riding.
At another station they had Just starte
a power corn shiller, and the power unlk
New England powers where tho horse
ret into a tread mill, this was horilonta
geared wheel, having long wooden arm
to which the power..is attached, which il
this instance was two spans of horses an
une span of mules, which seemed to b
considerable power for Il corn shller, an
we questioned in orr mind whether >uc'
amachine was an economic application c
power.
Once in the west, one can rea'iH1 Wha
becomes of the thousands of emigrant
which yearly seek home in America, fl
here are settlements of various national
lies, Germans, Dutch Sweedts, NorNt
gians predominant, and retain Their lar
guage and many of their oil worI
customs. They are, as role, induStrou
thrifty and economical, and III Ike qni,
and peaceful citizens in the main, thoug
some of them get quite merry on the
wine and beer on holidays, OF when tht
visit town" together, In aecorlan'
with old world custom the women {
more out door work than American bon
women do, and are accordingly hcnlthi'
and coarscr than they. The west is n gre
country, and in part realize the Old hym
sweet fields arrsyeI ia lyms 1rcoU."
But they lack
And rivers of delight"
Vcrmonters oughtto be thankful eve
day for the pure sparkling water viii
makes their home so lovely in " bubbi
BROOKS" besides tho great convenience
house and farmyard. Old New Englar
rough and rugged though she be, sh
still be our chosen home,