The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1886-07-23

markable relief and benefit.
As a fruit region the natural advantages
of Morgan county are not excelled any
where. The more clearly defined and
shorter season-resulting from the eleva-
tion-give to fruits flavor far superior to
any grown in the valleys of the South
Apples. pears, peaches, plums, ounces,
cherries, all the small fruits, grapes, par
ticularly the Concord and White Martha,
grow to perfection and in great abundance.
This county will, in the near future, be
the most noted fruit region in America,
and become as noted for pears as Florida
is for oranges.
The surface of the country is generally
level in the western portion. In the east
ern part it is mere broken. 1t is generally
well timbered; the timber consists of white
oak, chestnut, ash, all the varieties of oak,
hickory, white and yellow poplar, some
black walnut in the coves, and white end
yellow pine on the ridges, in fact of all
the hard and soft woods found between
Michigan and Florida.
The soil, is in some parts sandy, in
in others a clay loan, and produces fair
| crops of corn, wheat and oats. Fifty
bushels Of corn being fair yield per acre.
This county never suffers from drouih.
The tableland and its everything mountain
range is the first obstruction 10 the mosture
laden clouds that during the summer,
blow up from the Gulf of Mexico, and FIRE.
quent and seasonable rains are the result.
Throughout the whole county, every
where under the timber--whch is open
and free from underbrush-on the uplands,
in the hollows and on the mountains
springs up, during the spring and summer.
very luXuriant growth Of wild grasses Of
half dozen varieties, atfordng the finest
grazing for cattle or sheep, and good for
eight or nine months in the year. These
grasses are blue joint, knot grass, sedge
grass, nmblewill, wild peas and beggar
lice, the last two coming on in the autumn
and preferred by the cattle then to any
other. They are considered equal TO any
| loi AllOnS lNlitt
grasses, clover, and timothy, do we'll The
soil lacks lime for bluegrass. One of tie
most valuable forage crops that could he
grown here would be COW peas, both the
vine and peas making food much relishcd
by cattle, and very nutritious and fattening.
This crop grows finely here
Practically, TO say copper cent of Morgan
county is free range. Branding will pro.
tect stock, and all that is needed during
the eight or nine months grazing season
is an occasional looking up and salllpc.
With provision OF shelter from winter
storms, and forage for three or four
months winter feeding, there is no place
in America where the finest of fat cattle
can be more protltably raised than in Nor.
gan county. This applies equally TO rais-
ing mules and sheep. In no country can
beets aud like vegetables be grown in
greater abundance and of finer quality
than here, and they would greatly add TO
the value of the long feed for fattening
cattle and producing tender and juicy beef.
The Cincinnati Southern r. r.. which
runs north and south through the center
of the county, affords excellent shipping
facilities.
There are special and great advantages
for hog raising. The mast from the forest
Is of immense value as food for hogs and
useless for any other purpose. The stock
and hog interests of the county are insig-
nificant simply because of the great ad-
vantages. Stock and hogs run wild on
the range the year round. Nobody pre-.
tends to feed hogs They run the lange.
The rule that governs them is, ''roet, hog,
or die" For six months in the year the
mast is abundant, and the hogs fat. This
food becomes scarce, and for three months
the hog lives principally on the memory of
last years mast; then for three months
more, he lives almost wholly on the hope
OF the mast TO come, and of course gains
little in weight, and his growth is peyAaps
restricted. With a few stack of peas for
spring feed-and there is no better food
for a hog-with a clover field for sum-
mer range, and then turned out on the
mast, Boob hog could be raised whose
pork would be equal to that of the famed
Westphalian hog, and at nominal cost.
The fact is, the stock business, here,
will come just near enough to running
itself to delude the people into the belief
that it will quite do so. They have not
yet heard that the Garden of Eden was
long since closed and decree pronounced
that man must earn his bread; that the dc.
cree of the Almighty is still in force, and
that since it was pronounced. no business
has quite run itself. Some work Is neces :
sary. AS little will do here, in the stock
business. as anywhere in the world. but
that little is essential to success.
Land, in this county, is as yet abundant
and cheap, but rapidly advancing in price.