Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-06-15
NUMBER 4S
From Farmer,

| From ''k'armefs
A GLOOMY VIEW. OF AGRICULTURE
| IN ILLINoIs--RAINs, FLOODS, THE
| ARMY WORM, AND SHORT HELP.
MURRAYvILLE, ILL, June 4, 1882.
Ed. Registcr--It is very unpleas-
ant task to have to be continually
croaking, or writing bad news, but it
does seem as though the Fates were
against us here. Not a year has passed
since 1 was constantly singing = re-
frain of drought and scorching heat,
and now am forced to the other ex-
ttreme, and compelled to record sue
cession of cold rains and destructive
floods. Surely we have not the right
kind of politics here, or Heaven would
! not be so hard on US. Without such
weather, however, the chinch bugs
could not be held in check, and, as it
is, there are millions Of them yet alive.
But, while passing Sylla, ChaFybdis
looms ahead, and the army worm, fus-
tered by the same weather that de-
stroys the chinch, Is making It's ap-
pearance here and there, and in some
places is doing much damage
Lately we have had to import from
Europe the commonest articles of food,
such as cabbages, beans, potatoes and
| bacon, so that while the country ID al
ready empty, the present prospect is
worse than gloomy. There is certainly
something wrong somewhere, for no
country in the world, taking into ac-
count area and soil, produces as lttle
as we do; and if every man, woman
and child of our fifty millions got all
they ought to have to eat and to wear,
we should have nothing left to export,
even in the best of years. This is not
a very fattering statement of our con-
dition, but it will bear putting ID a
pipe and smoking, and I can give the
reason why it is true.
Our public roads have been sadly out
lot repair ever since last autumn, and
now are worse than ever. Your CORE
spondent is a road supervisor, and
knows too we'll whereof he affirms.
There has not beentime between show
ers to get crops in, and farmers could
not be gotten, out, even ii the roads
had been fit to work., The little that
could be done has been lost, for the
most part, and on Friday night, June
II. bridges that had stood many q food
Iaxere carried away. Crops in bottom
fields were swept away with the loose
ground they wers planted in; fences
suffered worse than ever, while corn
fields were turned into lakes, where
flat and undrained.
Some corn has been plowed twice,
but grass aud weeds are getting il
down badly. Most has not been plowed
at all, much plowed up, and good
deal not planted yet. Underdrained
prairie seems to be doing best, as clay
lands have washed or been beaten
down so that corn can scarcely get
through.
Harvest is nearly here, and in the
press and crowd Of work, with 80 few
hands, farmers are nearly denoraIized.
Yesterday morning meta neighbor,
who, in quitting work the evening be-
fore, had left wagon, pair of double
harrows, marker and . log-chain too
near stream, and all but the wagoo-
bed, which was landed in q field mile
or so down stream, were non est.
To any of my old neighboSs. and
friends in Missouri who may be look
ing this way with view Of bettsring
their circumstances l would say, don't
come here unless you have plenty OF
money to buy and improve with.
say improve, because, while most Of
the land here is in cultivation few
farms have proper or even decent ac-
Communications for raising, saving and
feeding the crops. The price labor has
to pay to get at the soil here is all that
can be made off Of it except q hard
living, one Year with another. So
poor men had better stay away or go
elsewhere. FARMER.