The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-05-14
Letter From DR.. zimmerman.
GREENWOOD, Sussex Co Del,
Nav Sth, 1886.

the people of Columbia Co. might be
willing to peruse few lines from the
pen of one of her former citizens and
be anxious to know how the writer and
family reached this their new home, l
take this opportunity of communicating
to them through the columns of your
paper. Myself and family reached
this place on Thursday the first uay of
April, and found car with household
goods horse &c. ",hat had been ship
ped day or two previous" here and
unloaded. Then came the task of fix
ing up house and settling down to bust
ness. For about four days after our
arrival it rained almost necessarily and
of course looked gloomy to the family
being as they were In strange place
and among entire strangers, so far as
previous acquaintance was concerned.
But | wish to state right here that the
people Of this section are most hospitable
and the kind welcome and interest they
manifested in our welfare very soon
dispelled all doubts as to our being at
home here. This place is situated in
the northern part of the lower county
of the state, is within thirteen miles of
steamboat navigation the NapticoSe
river and ON the line of the Delaware
Div. of the Phila. Wilmington and
Baltimore Il. r. This road is owned
by the Penna. Company and is doing
lively business judging from the num-
Der of trains that pass over it daily,
the number being from 20 to 25 every
"a hours. We are just one hundred
miles from Phila. can 90 up in morning
of any day in the week, except Sunday,
and return in afternoon of same day,
having several hours in the City. This
section of the state is grand in every
sense of the word. The natural quality
of the soil cannot be surpassed in
Penna or any other state that l have
ever been in. The land is adapted to
all kinds of fruits, Irish and Sweet
potatoes, peanuts, melons and vege-
tables of all kinds. Is also the finest
kind of grain and grass land, l have
never seen finer wheat and grass than
we have in this vicinity, clover and
timothy grows abundantly wherever
sown, even along the road sides it
grows in profusion and corn and oats
are good crops here. We find some
of the finest farms here and some that
have been neglected. This country
has been kept back by lands being
held in large tracts and not enterprise
enough in the owners to improve it as
Penna. farmers do. But it is now e-
ing divided up into smaller tracts and
men of energy and enterprise are buy
ing it and it is wonderful to see what
grand farms have been made in few
years out of lands that looked like bar
rem deserts. This land is kind, is easily
titled, has good clay subsoil and re-
tains whatever is put on in the shape
of manures and fertilizers. There are
farms here yet that can be bought at
reasonable rates and northern men who
come here with small means can secure
for themselves Independent homes and
living, but these opportunities can not
remain long as men of energy and
means are taking advantage of the
chances very rapidly. Lands that sold
within few miles of this town four
or five years ago have more than trebl-
ed in value and must advance rapidly
in price In the future. What this
country wants is northern enterprise
to make it one of the finest in the
world. This is surely a land OF luxu-
ries. Fruits the whole summer through.
Fresh fish every day of the finest quail
ity, can buy large shad for 10 to 10
cents, catfish Is cents per string of
twenty, fresh herring for l 5 to 20 cents
per doz. bay trout, an excellent fish,
for ID to 20 cents per doz. clans 80
cents per hundred, oysters 80 to 65
cents per bushel prime, and other fish
coming all the season, am told at
coriespondingy low prices. Our small
streams and mill ponds abound with
eels, catfish, perch and pike. l had a
four lb. pike for supper few days a.
go that was caught IN the mill pond by
one Of our townsmen, 1t was delicious,
| sent the head of it to G. p. Stiner
at Orangeville to make him feel bad,
because he cant catch any, and if any
OF your readers want to feel likewise
they can call on him and see it too.
BY the way that is not the largest size
they catch here, am told they have
been caught that weighed seven to
fourteen lbs. We have had warm and
dry for the past two weeks but on
Thursday afternoon and evening we
had fine showers and yesterday and
to-day it has rained nearly all the time
SO the ground is filled with water and
all vegetation looks fresh and beautiful.
We have excellent water, mild climate
healthful, and everything conducive
TO happiness and comfort The peach
crop in the immediate vicinity will be
light, though in some localities there
will be a fair yield, strawberries, black,
berries and raspberries promise boun-
tiful crop. We visited on our way
down Il. w, Conner and family and
John and Wilson Dresher and families.
I. w. Conner was formerly from
Orangeyille having moved near Dover
last February. The Dreshers were
formerly frcm Saltwater Pa. and move
ed near Wyoming in March 1885.
We found them all well and flourish
ing, They have good farms beautifully
locate d aud may well be proud of them,
Il. W. O. and family drove down on
visit TO us two weeks ago to day and
on the following morning we all went
down 10 visit +. s. Kinport and wife