Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1895-08-08
Correspondence.
A Word from the West.
GAINESVILLE, MINI, July, 1895.


of your readers would be glad to hear of
how matters are going with us sin the
| West, !" j am at your service.
First, and most important to many, is
the fact that not for many years has
there been such good prospect for
good crop of everything, as there is at
the present time in this section of Mime
sofa We have had an abundance of rain
ever since the middle of May, and wheat,
oats, barley and flax are all looking
finely. Corn and potatoes are looking
well, but in this locality there are but
very few farmers that plant much corn;
more potatoes have been planted this
year than ever before. In fact many
farmers that have before this year con-
fined their crop almost entirely to wheat,
have struck out for diversity Of crops
an action that Will, | doubt not, prove
greatly to their advantage in the long
run, however it may turn out the present
/ season.
People are busy now cutting hay, and
| wit hin week or ten days the most of
them will be cutting barley, and then for
several weeks "harvesting' will be in
full progress, and busy time it will be.
On the weather, frem this time till the
wheat, etc, is threshed, depends the
question of ruin to many a man in this
vicinity. Tie thing more dreaded by the
farmer at this time Of the year than any
other is a hard hail storm, which will
sometimes come with such violence that
wheat and other grain, after it has been
cut and stacked, VII be ruined, having
the grain "pouudee.- ut" by the hail and
scattered over the ground, and utterly
spelling in an hour tie labor of an entire
season. Debt hangs over a ma jority of
the farmers here, aud last year did very
/ little to enable them to get out, as the
| crop was not good and wheat was low.
/ This is he season Of the year for those
who can do so to take an "outing, and
many of the people in this place go for
week or more to some OF the lakes in this
vicinity for fishing, boating and bathing.
The fish usually found in the lakes
about here are black bass, rock bass, pike
and pickerel. OF these the black bass is
! by far the most gamey, and the better
pan fish. When you have one weighing
I five or six pounds hooked you do not
want to stop to chew gum, if you want to
land him; he will make II gallant fight
for liberty, and no novice is at all sure
whether he has the fish or not until he
has him by the gills, and then it has
been known for the fish to make a break,
and get over,.the side of the boat into
the lake; when songs of triumph We're
changed to the vail Of despair. That
sort of thing, however, is not confined
to the lakes of Minnesota).
The greatest trouble with such an out
ing is the fact that there is no lake with
in twenty miles of us where there is any
fishing worth going across the street for
Brook trout are unknown in the streams
here and they never are seen in the lakes,
nor are lake trout found in any lakes
about here except in Lake Superior, SO
/ far as l have any knowledge,
wonder what he farmers of Hancock
county would think if they hauled wood
twenty five miles, and then had to sell it
| for - 25 cord? That has been done here
this summer, and | have sonie of tie
wood. True it was Lass, but there is not
much money in ii at that price.
The trains are nuW Iuadtd with men en-
routeffor the wheat fields of Dakota, and
very many of them are without money,
and depend upon getting their fare for
not hing. riding upon freight trains tn
discovered. then waiting for another
chance; and securing the city for grub,
rule, keeping away from the place
where there is Il woodllle that Is to be
SAW ed, and thinking hat the best is none
too good for them. Sometimes half
dozen will call at one house before din
ner-time, and ii soon gets TO be rather
monotonous to say the least.
The weather has not been very mot yet,
Tut We hope it Will, for the crops need
hot Weat her very much; so far We have
not been week at a time without ram
for he lsst two months, and the ground
is most thoroughly soaked, more so than
it has been for many years.
There has recently been "A separator
creamery put i'll operation here which
promises to make much business, and to
enable the farmer to get money from his
cows, and furnish good butter that can
be sold at fair price. An experiment is
also being made in the manufacture of
bricks here, but the wet weather has been
very unfavorable for that business, and it
will be some time before a kiln will be
ready to burn. starch factory has been
discussed considerably, but so far " ii h no
very good prospects OF Undertaking the
present season, though it seems clear that
If one was built, and farmers went to
growing potatoes instead Of wheat, they
would get out of debt much more quick
ly than if they confined themselves en-
tirely to wheat
There is considerable activity at the
present time for getting chances to file
homestead claims upon vacant govern
ment land, of which there yet remains
some about here, and what there is is