Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1902-07-03
STUMP PULLING AND FARMING IN
TAYLOR COUNTY.
An Interesting Letter From . Recent
Citizen Of Mineral Point.


received lately, as the date Will show
the following letter from an old
neighbor who left here last April
which ought to prove interesting
and instructive to the general reader
Medford, Wis, June Y, 02.
Friend joint suppose you think
| me negligent as TO my promises, ana
| guess you are about right. should
| have written before, but you know
that always made it Il rule TO never
| do today what could put off until
tomorrow.
| Well, we got here the Saturday
| night after we left there, good and
tired This has been the latest and
and wettest spring they have ever
had here. Our corn is not all up yet.
Have got about II acres Of corn, 5 of
oats, and 3 of barley. Have cleared
only about acres yet, having had so
much other work to do. Built two
houses and two barns since we came
here. Here where we are it is easy
| clearing the land. Hitch one of the
| big teams onto the stump and 1t
comes pretty near uprooting it, If
it doesn't, put on the pulley blocks.
| We never use the stump puller, as
| the clearing isn't hard enough for it.
| The soil is good, but it takes stock
| for it, The big fires in some places
| have almost cooked the life out of it,
yet just as quick as it is worked and
a little manure put on, it is elegant.
OF course it is not all That way. In
spots where tie fire was not SO hot 1t
is all right. ! never saw such nice
soil as the piece we have worked.
A persons first impression Of the
place is not very good, but as soon
as one gets to working the ground
his mind is quickly changed. l do
not believe that the very best land
there is as good as the average land
here. A friend of ours here has been
offered 500 an acre for his farm and
would not take it. Judging from
the clearing we have already done, |
think we can clear and burn "a of an
acre day, and not work very hard
either. The stumps are all dry, and
after they have been piled for three
or four days. burn like kindlIng
wood | tell you what, tins j. the
place for poor man to get n farm,
and the beauty of it is he has Il good
one when he gets it cleared, and that
isn't much of IA job if he has II good
team
Do you remember Walter Perkins,
nephew of John Perkins? He
| worked mt the furnace once, but
probably that was before yon went
| there. He lives in town. We traded
| him the mules the other day, for Il
big team OF horses. The mules make
a good team but | could not keep the
whip going fast enough with my
| game arm. Our cows do only fairly
haven't gotten used to the country
yet. Those heifers we got are al
good ones. Have 30 young pigs and
will soon have more. Sold some OF
these young ones for 50 each.
here it is reported there that We
are about to starye to death, but
have had as good II living since I'v,
been here as | ever had in Minera
Point, and don't know of anything L
keep me from having it right along
and not "run my face" for itieither
The people here are mostly German
and there are some good fellows n
mong them. We have got our roat
and polltax worked and are maxim!
$3.50 day now with our teams oil
the grade, and don't work hard either
There are about 30 acres of cedar OF
the place and we expect to maxi
good money getting out posts mex
winter. Can get from $50 to 500 anC
board per month in winter in tn
logging camps, but think we can d.
better at the cedar and be home al
the time. Haven't had much tim,
for fishing, but think it is all right
| Hunting is fine. The rabbits are bi.
fellows, and pheasants are thick a
chickens around a farm. | some
times feel n little lonesome for IN,
old friends down there, but neve
for the place. Give my regards II
all the boys. Nou don't need TO sout
that ticket yet Let me hear from
you. Truly yours,
CLYDE JACOBS.