The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-05-05

Smltn county. lnere a'e man, h'o o"s
ness blocks, neat, tasteful dweillngs-mtM
none to rent On every side, churches 10
suit the faith of almost any one, commodl-
Gus school houses, electric light, teie'
phone exchange, water works, mn iH,eln'
gent, educated and refined people, beau
tiful site and in all respects an attractive
town where one could easily and soon feel
at home.
General prosperity seems TO be the rule,
and yet there we're very few manufacturers
or producer of any kind, The anomaly Is
perhaps explained by quoting a few items
from the crop report OF Smith Co, Tor
1887: 100000 bushels OF corn. 2OO,OOo
bushels of oats, $4,000 bales OF cotton,
5000 barrels of molasses and syrup, 20O,oOo
bushels Of fruit, &c, &c. The value OF
merchandise sold and handled last year
was estimated at 81 100000. The popula.
ton of the city Is estimated at 6,3oO-that
OF the county al 3O,OOO,
The only INN graf on! ,ssocia'ionl' hat the
writer found was the Weekly R,cord, and
Mr.. villa Waldert. The newspaper, an
excellent one by the way, Is doing good
work for Tyler. The gentleman named
believes Ia printers ink, uses II freely,
" keeps on his taps aud while he will not
entirely talk your arm Off be will give
one a vast amount OF Information as 10
smith county, in u short time, and, best OF
all IL will be reliable | con essed 10 some
doubts on this latter poin' when he men
toned sale while was there OF twenty
acres of land within mile and hall OF
the court house at $500 per acre! and /
enquired where the lunatic asylums were,
but "A Lending banker endorsed the state
ment and apologies were accepted,
While real estate within or very near To
the city, Is remarkably high, lanis In the
country can be had at from 50 10 SD per
acre, but are rapidly advancing. These
lands, EXCEPT the improved farms, are GOV.
cred with timber tie concentrated craps If
NUM- years-a crop tnat will in many in
stances yield net profit equal to the price
of the land, which when cleared becomes
rs fine fruit land MS can be found any
where, California not excepted. The land
requires no irrigation, the lruit Is richer in
sacharne matter than the California fruits,
and the market Is from two To three thOus
and miles nearer. The people are enthus
iastic on the subject Of fruit growing
ThOusands-some say five hundred thous-
and-Of fruittrees were planted here this
year and the fruit industry Is certain 10
become leading one.
Your correspondent visited the orchards
and strawberry field, thirty acres, Of Mr.
VIM. Palmer who four years ago came
here from Cenralia, Iii, AT that time, as
he stated TO the writer, he had but SIS in
his pocket, yet 10 day his farm would sell
for $4,000! This is an exceptional case,
but many others claim to have made from
500 TO $500 per acre last year from their
orchards and believing that what man
has done, man may do, many new orchards
have been planted and many others will
be each year for some time 10 come,
had the pleasure of meeting Mr.. and
Mr.. A. }, Mitchel,-,he lady is the daugh-
ter Of Mrs }. q, Cay; also Mrs. Holster,
and Marston, pho o 5raphers. formerly OF
Ottawa MIR, Michel, merchant tailor is
crowded with work aud appears to be
prosperng finely. The other gentlemen
appeared to be well pleased with their
new location, but | did not have time 10
visit their stud os.
Twenty six miles north west from Tyler
| Is Miue0la, in Woo Co, which adjyins
| smith on the north.
Nearly all that can be snid of Smith Co.
AS "A fruit growing country Is equally true
OF Wood county, though the number OF
acres in orchards in the latter is not prob
ably Cne-tenth the number In the former.
But the people here are waking up on that
subject and while admitting that Iy Ter
has the lead, propose to follow her rapidly.
| There are numer Us orchards In and about
the town and thousands of trees have been
planted this year. Here, as in Smith Co.,
the orchard trees are loaded with fruit, the
crop of which will be very large. A can
ming factory will be erected In time for
the coming crop, 30 that producers this
year may expect fair prices for their fruit.
The town has no bank; one Is greatly
needed, and business men are confident
that, say, $4,000 could be used In that way
very profitably. If any of your ret ders
desire further Information on that sui ject
| will cheerfully give II.
The Monitor, published by Messrs Cate
Il Teagenden, two thoroughly competent
and accomplished gentlemen, Is doing
much tor the town and county and furnish
es vast amount of reliable information.
The writer remained but one day In
Dallas, and presuming that your read ers
will care little for descriptions of cities,
will say briefly, that Dallas has grown
amazingly since my last visit, and now has
at least 4O,O00-sOme say 45,0U0-peOple.
New business houses, manufactures and
dwellings are being erected In every di.
rection and real estate Is amazingly high.
For example, your correspondent was
shown q lot 225x250 feet on which was n
dwelling worth perhaps $4,000, fully one
mile from the court house, that recently
sold for $4,000! and this is but one of
many sales at similar high prices
Both the nurseries have sold immense
quantities Of trees this year and are pre-
pairing to fill the large orders anticipated
from the awakened interest taken In the
fruit industry.
The trees vines and bushes In bearing
were all laden with young fruit, which
here. as In other sections visited will be
abundant
| Fort Worth, 81 miles west of Dallas, and
Its woud'be rival, Is busy, busting, brag
ging city of from $4,000 to 10000 people
who are sadly afflicted with mania for
railroads, having given 1892 600 cash, and
land valued at $5O0,00O more, in aid of
these corporations of which they claim to
have eleven, but after careful study OF
their railroad maps | was unable to find SO
many; but possibly some Of them may have
got away"