The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1883-05-29
KANSAS oonREspoNDENoE.
What an Ohio Woman Sees In Kan.
0aS.

KANSAS CORRESPONDENCE.
What an Ohio Woman Sees I'm Han.
saS.
DEAR SPIRIT. II you ever come to
Kansas don't be deluded by the thought
that you will never see any person from
Ohio except those who come with you.
Scarcely day but we meet with Ohioans
somewhere In y tawa, and the small.
er towns near US large per cent of the
professional and business men are na.
tive Buckeyes" as well as goudly
number of farmers from the rural dis
tricts and the ever ubiq ,itous book and
patent right agents. And so far IS we
nave learned they are men who do cred
it to the grand old Safe OF their nativ.
ity. S'me Of them are "gtowing up
with the State 10 substantial way
Shall pa' ticularizs hereafter perhaps.
But you will find, here, people from
every State in the Union, and from ev.
ery Union under the sun. In the little
circle of our acquaintance, we fad men
and women from New York, Conn q,
North Carolina, Ind, Iowa, Miss ourl
and the vlrginias. A few miles north
of us is an elevation containing several
hundred acres, which is called the Nor.
wegisn Mound. This lie visible for
miles and is inhabited by French and
Norwegians.
We find the people here friendly and
we were not permitted TO feel like stran.
gers very long. At first we were in
clined to take this as compliment to
us-thought they had found out they
were "entertaining angels" Whether
bv intention, or especial manifestation, !"
(there Is a community of spirituslists a
little wav of. We dill not know. But
we find the same courtesy is extended
to all who come With apparent good 10
tentions. FfFf
One reason that the people OF the
west are more inclined to hospitality
than In the older States, is found in the
fact that they have all some time been
emfgrants themselves, and hence they
have q kind OF "been there feeling,
which enables them to clearly Understand
the Golden Rule. -t.ts
The roads here are on the section lines
and run east and west or north and
south, and cross each oher at each sec
ton corner. Thus you NAV travel for
miles and miles right Straight in any d.
rections. II you enquire the way snd
are told to 60 so many miles north and
then turn east. You have only to count
the sections and you know just where to
turn. b. keaping count OF the cross
roads too you know just how you are
progressing. And such roads! When
we came mere the first of April they
we're dry and dusty. Since then until
last Saturday there has been an occa-
sional shower or rather sprinkle, just
sufficient to lay the dust on the ,untry
roads, bnt we were in Ottawa the first Of
this month and they were sprinkling the
streets at intervals all day. When we
reflected on the reports Of snow and
rain from Oaio we wondered If il had
been found necessary to sprinkle the
streets OF Woodsield or Beallsville yet
Last SATURDAY. and Sunday there was
good rain, it raiuei yesterday and is
raining to dav. .,,,.i~. ,
We are told that -thi' Is the FIRST
good soaking the & ound has hal since
last Summer There was good
rain in February, but the ground be-
ing frozen and covered with ice or
sleet, the water was carried off by
streams. Notwithstanding this when
the ground was ,plowed this spring it
turned up loose and mellow, corn came
up we'll and is being cultivated. You
could at snv time 6ni moisture two or
three inches from tie surface sufficient
to germinate seeds, and all garden seeds,
except those sown on the surface came
up we'll. The ground does not pack
and bake or crack open In seams during
protracted drouth and there seems 10
be latent reserve of moisture in the
soil to meet such extremes This ia as
far as our observations 60 yet. What
effect the hot suns Of July and August
will have, remains to be seen Al if t.
prove the truth of the saying that "one
extreme follows another" we already
hear misgivings expressed as TO the
probabilities of there bling rain enough
now to Offset the long dry spell. That
seems to be the way it goes In Kansas
No wonder the people are remarkable
for straining every nerve to accomplish
whatever they undertake. Its q trick
they learn from the elements. When the
wind blows here it Just blows and when
it sets In dry, there's no use 10 prsvfor
rain, and when it does commence rain.
ing it makes business Of it, or as the
irishmsn expressed it, "There's niver
much dry weather while the wet spell
houlds." 9ta. sso4
1t surprised rs at first that persons
who had only been here few years
owned larger farms than those who had
been here twenty years and more. The
reason for this seems to be that while
the prairie was mostly open, man only
wanted 80 or 100 acres to farm. He
had all out OF doors for pasture and
could keep all the stock he wanted at m
expense except little looking after -
This open prairie in many instances was
bought up years ago hut suffered to lie
out until recently, when it has been re-
sc Id and enclosed. Nov the eighty acre
farmers are chatting at being hemmed in
and grumbling q, the necessity of send
ing their herds to other Counties where
there is still unenclosed land to pasture
With little forethought they could for
a trile, compared to the price Of land
now, have bought all the land they wan.
ted and enclosed il at their leisure. But
for the present enough.
may come again. Truly yours,
NJ, a. 8.