Year: 1873

1t will not take very great mathematician
to ascertain that he made enough to paw for
the land, fencing and the work of raising
the crop. This is an exceptional case, for
poor men usually buy l60 acres and while
they can cultivate only small part, the re-
malnder is source of expense without
bringing any income, and the ordinary ex-
penses of the family must be Iaid besides
and lot untrequently at the close the
year the balance is on the wrong side o the
account. To get good bargain the purchas-
er 'nuse have some knowledge of the differe MT
kinds of soil. During the dry weather of
summer a stranger would not hesitate to buy
land which is so wet in the spring as to rem
der it unfit for the plow. The cost Of fenc-
ing is an item which the newcomer must
not overlook. When thousand feet of
lumber is worth $40 and posts Is cents each,
$500 would be a low estimate for fencing
quarter section. Rails are some cheaper, and
wire has been used extensively, but has been
found to be poor substitute for dog fence, as
cattle learn with difficulty for what purpose
it is made


viii the land ever become exhausted by the
present system Of farming? Yes, much OF
it is already exhausted. The first crop of
wheat may, under favorable circumstances, be
estimated at twenty-five bushels, the second
at twenty, and after that the falling off is
about busheI each year, and when the
average goes down to ten bushels, it is time
to try some other crop. Oats and corn do
pretty well after wheat has been raised for
several years, but as neither will bring more
than twenty five cents bushel, people do
not care to raise more than is needed for


home consumption. Unless a change is
made to stock raising, and trees are planted
twenty years than now. The practice of
moving '' west - as fast as the la nd became
exhausted has hitherto prevented any atten-
tion to improvements.


How about those rough western phrases ?


You may hear rough talk in any part of the
country, tut the difference between Vermont
and Iowa is not worth noticing. True, some
words seem lit tie strange for instance, as
you move west = harrow becomes a
= drag "a drag" becomes stone
boat "a i" sleigh" " "cutter "a
& ninepence " a shilling " brook - a
'' creek, - and 1" bushes become ' timber.
A Western man g hooks up his team and
when you come here you must do '' like he
does.


What kind of schools do they have? The
graded school is the rage, and in the larger
towns are seminares and colleges. Many of


these do not prosper very well, as few of our


western youth spend three or four years


to take a course in the higher branches


Boys are in hurry to 60 into $ business >


and girls are in great demand for Z" housekeep-


ers.' New countries are in many respects
} unfavorabe to the highest intellectual devel-
opment.


Do the people know anything about style?
F. Not when they come here. They are often
obliged to 90 to church looking rather rough
but as a town increases in size, style increases
in d ten fold ratio, and poor people are not
; much better situated than in the older States


a young lady sees hat nicer than hers, an(
gees home and teases her folks for new one
short time style " is introduced into the
unfortunate town, to 90 no more out forever