The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-08-02
FOREIGN LETTER.
s~TAEDEN. Kent England

'i WITTY lily III
"r. Mr. Edwin Often. busy in his hop
yard AMI caused him no little surprise
as You may suppose.
After the usual greetings cOnse-
qurat upon 30 long IN absence. fair
IN settled down: and. upon looking
around. found great alterations and
All FIR the better. fhe land il well till
ed. and the grain in most eases good.
except some thin wheat which had
been eaten by the wire-worln
may say lost no time in finding
my only uncle now living. Mr.. Thos.
Gifen who uses some 5eO acres adioin-
ing Marley farm called Monk Farm.
lie il n very hale. hearty man q
years Of age. and would we'll pass for
30 1t il n surprising thing that
| wherever We went together, he seems
To be known by every one as ..old
| Tom" II 30 miles from home it is Just
| the same.
We made a trip to Ashford Cattle
Market. where expected to see some
| finer cattle than in the states. but
was disappointed. There were many
! american cattle which looked quite
~ well IA the English fed cattle, but
the sheep We're some OF the finest
ever have seen.
Taking the South Eastern Railway
Cars. we passed through Romney
Marsh. Il tract of land which has no
doubt been overlooked by the sea.
bat il now II very rich grazing part
Here you ride for miles and see every
field on both sides of the line full of
sheep or cattle. The fields are part
ed by bitches. % that you may see
across country n far as the eve can
reach. az il is very level
We now leave the Marsh and enter
upon the border of the County of
Sussex. Here they claim to breed
tile finest cattle in England. and
have never seen better Uncle Tom
has very iine herd Of Sussex cattle.
| bur they are not general III Kent.
We now reach the town OF Hast
| ines OH the south coa>; of Sussex. ii
! fine Town which seem, to be full of
visitors from london and other i'll
/ land towns. who come here 70 spend
time ut the seaside. Even i'm this
town we meet many who greeted Tn
rie Tom with. We'll here's old Tom. >
| saw here uo,h the largest and the
smallest horses have ever rean: ore
hein: 30 inches high and full grown.
ana the other nearly 50 and weighing
over 20 cwt. Al .irh shop we saw
what think to be the largest woman
4 | hive eyer seen. | ncle Tom tells
M. il II i,is; three feet around her
waist. There seems TO he ayowd at
the shop all day to see her.
Leaving Hastings We travel by ears
! through the heart of Sussex. where il
| l. ,efs lilly - ut times we are unon
\ Ii. L. i,
times many yards below The sarfaee.
through tunnels. We now arrive al
| Tunbridge wells a Very fashionable
watering place. owing no doubt te
its -piei.u.a mineral springs. 1t seems
70 be occupied bs no'ot'. but tie
higher class Of which there seems Il
be no lack. must now give you 4
description of my travel through
what j. eailed Eaa, + Ont.
Taking the cars ffo.n Ashford VI
run in TIL easternly direction through
what is called the ssrour Valley which
takes its name from the river Stoul
flowing through here. and through
Chiiham Inar,iia..,, and arriving a
Canterbury. These places are eaa
siderea the best hop-growjng d!>trict
in the world. There are no hops con
sidered SO good by those who have
used iii sorts and growths. Ib,
East Kent .Iosu,nl mop j. tho hop
and no other can touch 1t. Leaving
Canterbury with it lofty cathedra
spire rearing its head i'll the distance
which is said to have been built 80,
years. We .foss hy ears into the Isl,
of Thanet. This Is Tie siLat grain
growing district Of Kent. and from
all see it il looking well. Here i
grown the best barley for lnalt;n.
purposes that Kent easl produce. w
now arrive III Marsase, !. .a3hionabi,
seaside place on the northeastern
coast of Kent. whore. as lit Hastings
il seems 10 he iull Of visitors. Here
when .i,e tide j. high. the sen low
close up to the houses, and when i
goes down il leaves IL beautiful az,
sand for, in some places, half a mil
ont to sea. where there are all sort
. of amus-giaats: boys with donkeys IL
|, two cents u ride. meI with three
wheeled carriages 1T ten cents ride
III 70. feel idle enough to DO il.
: | now visit my b.ofnar-in-law, Nj
Vim. Bean. who lives ut Great Char,
near Ashford, a farmer and catti
dealer who uses. altogether. some =
800 acres of land. and has this seasol
siiorn some J.4G0 sheep and lamb:
! lie uses Loco acres III tie Isle Of siel
by: the journey there was Very intel
esting. Leaving home at six in I'll
: morning. Ee drive across the count
to East well. the residence of the set
ond son of the Queen. and titled Il.
: Duke Of Edinburg. This is Yer
, line mansion and park OF about lao
acres We now mount the Chai
Hills. called the back bone Of Kent
: through Ci,a.iock Raaasesine.e, Is
, lash, &c. which are rather pos
places so far as the land is concerned
It is great place for growing roc
crops sucil dis mangel- wurzel, turnir
cabbage &c. ana upon which Il.
seasons lanlts are psnnea or tolde
in winter. and upon which they sest
: 10 thrive we'll we now reach Fave
sham, a large town, and chang
: horses and drive 70 the out>iu
through large brick fields fer waic
this part seems noted for, and w!iic
are sent in large quantities. to Lai
: don and other places We now Il
. rive 1T rhe creek 10y which Kent It'll
/, the Isle of Sheiys az. separate'
Here Is "A ferry boat kept by IL Ina
: whose work is TO row passengers oyt
i as Jar as lie can, but when the no:
Z gels mad-fast, lie steps cat, takes 20
; on his back and lands seu safe. Her
il some of the best grain grnsta
land that ! have walked over. Til
like Rosnney Marsh. is covered wit
> sheep and cattle. of which Mr.. Rea
+, has H. lack. The land seems "cI
i, stiff to plough, often wanting five {
= six horses TO one plough: but, vine
y you have done that. you can rely u
: 4 good crop: often times wheat I'D b'
y per acre. and other grain in propo
4 ton. Mr.. Bean uses some 1900 acre
t in Shenpy. which lies on the mort
= coast CT England, and is nine mil,
:. long and from four TO six wide.
!. may say ] would rather ~c.k tn
V land 1T shares than own some
= ; passed in going TO II.
! will now leave farming and TAX
ears per Sc. ny. 10 1t! Hill in su
rey. another county Joining Ken
bnt | must say not 50 fertile. Ia e.
ing through Surrey, We find GOO