The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-12-01
BIRD Hill, CARROLL COUNTY, Mp, I
November 25, 1888.

BIRD Hill, CARROLL. COUNTY, MD,
November 25, 1883.
MEssRs. EDITORS OF THE ADVOCATE Il
would like to express my thanks to the large
circle of my relatives and friends, among
whom | have spent several months, receiving
their marked attention and respect, and par
taking of their kind hospitality in such
lavish manner that it makes me feel proud to
know that their warm hearts and open arms
have been expanded to their utmost capacity
to bid me welcome, and make me as comfort
able and happy as possible in this my old
native section of country, where my youthful
feet had tramped upon almost every cow path
a long, long time ago, when briers, sassafras
bushes, whortleberry bushes, sedge grass,
sink field, &C., covered the whole face of this
entire country, which was held by large land
holders, who were so niggardly, and the land
was SO poor, that they could not make enough
to pay the taxes. But how do | find it now?
My language is not adequate to the subject.
Those large farms have been divided and sub
divided into smaller ones, and passed into the
hands of energetic, enterprising citizens, who
have made the whole country bloom like
rose, in the place of tares and brambles /
have this summer seen the whole face of the
earth grooming under the weight of from % to
so bushels of golden wheat, or 50 bushels of
corn to the acre, and other products in pro-
portion; new roads, new houses, fine barns,
good fences number of new schoolhouses,
new churches, good society, intelligent COM
munity, successful merchants; in short, the
old Barrens looks like paradise on earth.
In fact, there have been the most remarkable
changes wrought here that | have ever seen
in any other section of country that | have
visited in my rambling, eventual life, and
have travelled over many states. More than
fifty-fve years ago | was in the dense forest
of the backwoods of Ohio, where squatters
lived in small log cabins with clapboard roofs
and puncheon floors, without window glass
to give them light to see to eat their hog and
hominy, and the whole face of the earth Gov
cred all over with extra large tall timber, as
close together as it could stand. But it is
different now. ! stopped in there last May,
and found nearly all of that timber gone
where the woodbine twineth the log cabins
are no more; the very best improved farms
in the state are there. But that change was
not so surprising as the change here, because
they had the natural soil to work on when
they could get to it.
Forty FIVE years ago | was pioneer in the
far west-as it then was-settled down in
new country, within few miles of the Sac
and Fox Indians, when there where hardly
fifty families in what is now the great state of
Iowa, and hardly a thousand acres OF land III
cultivation; and now that entire state, nearly
300 miles square, is very near all under a high
state of cultivation, with far better improve
ments than any other state in the Union.
But do not consider the change so remark
able as it is here, from the fact that we have
a uniformity of rich soil, from two to four
feet deep, that needs no tertlizing.
ask my friends that ! have not had time
to visit to excuse me. | must start home,
! am attached to the rich prairies Of the lovely
Iowa. | bid you all adieu, and hope God
may bless and prosper you all; and my advice
to old fathers and mothers that are well sit
uated here, and have income sufficient to sup
port you, just quietly stay where you are; and
if you have means to help your children with,
don't try to settle them down here, but send
them west as far as Iowa or Kansas; and ad-
wise all young men, either married or single, to
go west, where the soil needs no ten or twenty
dollars to the acre laid out every year for fer
tilzing That outlay would soon pay for the
best farm in our state. That outlay is mat
ter of necessity here, but is not out there;
we never think of striking a stone with our
plows +. b. OGG.