News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-11-15
From Nebraska.

MACON, Neb., Oct. l, 1883.
Editors Ne1CS and Citizen
| Ithas been in my mind for some time to write
you concerning this beautiful country which !
| have been living IN for about two years. AS
! have just received a visit from Cambridge and
Jericho (Vt.) friends this seems to be good
| time to tell you something OF that also. August
IS drive up to door Mr.. Sanford
| Holmes, cone of our Cambridge boys) his sons
wife, his little granddaughter from Burr Oak,
Kan, and Mr.. and Mrs. Henry Field and son,
! from Franklin, Neb., formerly of Jericho, Vt.
After dinner we took drive around my broth
er's farm of $40 acres. First we passed 40 large
stacks of grain-oats, wheat and rye, then we
| came to a field of $50 acres of corn that looked
| like an Eastern Forest" Mr.. Holmes said. One
| of our party mentioned that they would like to
place some VermOnters in the Center of that
| cOrn-feld and see them find their way out, with
| the corn towering from three to seven teet above
| their heads We then passed fields that had
| been cleared of their small grain, and then
found ourselves by fifty acre corn-feld. As
we turned toward the house we saw at the east
and in front of the house 80 acres more Of corn,
| and then just beyond could be seen 100 head of
| fine cattle feeding. All declared 1t to be a fine
| sight. The remainder of the farm is good mead
oW land on which we see the mower, rake and
wagon every day now. Mr.. Holmes has always
ton of farming country says Nebraska is as fine
q country as he After good social
! time Mr.. Holmes returned to Franklin with Mr..
Fields, giving us a KIND invitation to meet with
them and other VermOnters at Mr.. Fields the
next Thursday Accordingly that day found the
following persons there: Mr.. and Mis-. William
MeIlendy, Mr.. and Mrs G, Hebb. Mrs. Mary
Holmes, Mrs. Homer Holmes, Sanford Holmes
and myself and wife. At p. m. MIR. Fields in7
vitcd us to the diningrOOm, where the table was
spread with melons that would weigh over thirty
pounds each and cut in two. The picture was
one that an artist might well feel proud to iml
tate half its beauty. After our melon feast and
a nice supper we left for home, feeling that the
visit was one long to be remembered. AS our
company were all from Cambridge and Jericho
we almost felt as though we had been home.
May we have many more such visits on the shores
of time, and then meet beyond the river where
is n q bpl To ri in
together as one family from our mother State
Vermont, and help and cheer each other as we
build our new homes.
The climate of this country is delightful This
section seems TO be free from those terrible
storms you read about tout west" Last winter
was pleasant and warm except about four weeks.
We had but three or four days that too
stormy to work out of doors. The spring was
not quite early as common, but we had an
abundance of rain through may and June, which |
gave small grain good start, so that the yield !
per acre is large. This climate is better adap'
ted to corn than to wheat raisinE. Oats and |
rye do we'll. All crops this year are exceeding |
" good throughout this section. My brothers |
$50 acres of corn will probably yield him 80 bush
els to the acre, and Will use 1t to latten steers
and hogs. which he has already begun to feed. |
We have had q pleasant summer, with a few |
verv warm days, but the nights are cool. Har- |
VeSting was done by the middle Of August and !
most OF tie grain Is threshed. good deal of the |
threshing Is done hy steam and it Is not an I'M |
common sight to see steam engine crossing the |
prairie at any time. We were surprised at the |
supper table one night to hear engine whistle |
not far from the house and on looking out saw |
an engine putting into the yard, hauling a thresh |
ing apparatus and six men, who called for sup |
per and lodging. My brothers threshing is done,
his wheat not being an average yield, only 10 |
bushels to the acre, oats 30 and rye 42 bushels to
the acre. This is just haying time here. We !
have hayed four weeks without q drop of rain. J
laying here is just like cutting cord wood; you |
can leave it any shape at night without fear of
rain. This is certainly fine country and / |
would advise all young men who are not located |
in the east to take up with Horace Greeley's adj |
vice and go west. But those well located east |
had better stay there, for there is some bitter |
here with the sweet. From a regular reader of |
your paper. J. II. MELENDY. |