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VOL. XXVI.
.•'•/
INDIANAPOLIS, IND.. NOV .7, 1891.
NO. 45
Brown County Letter No. Q.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
—[We beg pardon of writor and  readers
for our delay ln printing this letter ',—Ki>-,
Kqulpped with a camera and pack*, containing the ewenttal fir several days
traiup, weontered Hrown couuty at tho
northwest corner, jiercbeel on the lumber
wagon of Mr. Scott Morgan, who llv«s
near the po_ otlh*e of Hlchards, about
live ml lea Inland. He sounded Un ai lo
our mission, ami learning that wo were on
a tour of inspection and enquiry, gavo ua
such an interesting report of his neighborhood, that we de_lded to atop there. Mr.
Morgan volunteered to aceo.imr.ate us,
but when wo got there found tbat the
thrt-bei. would bo at his house over
night, »o wo wero banded over to the
hospitality of old Mr. Richards, for whom
tbe post (.file- la named. Wo could not
have found a moro entertaining character
Mr. Richards la tho oldest living pioneer
of tho county, being olghty-threo yoars
old, and a resident there slneo the year
ISM). He owns over a thousand aertw In
that region, and ha* given to his children
and sold nearly twice that much. Ho
waa one of tbo leading spirits in the or
gaulzitlon of the county and was onco
Bent to thoti oglslaturo. Physically, he
Is getting feeble now, but mentally, ho Is
bright as over, and talks over the past
with great reli-ih. He has vanquished
many a bear that vontured to trespass on
his lands, and recalls tho time when deer
could be aeon any morning In the meadows
about his bouse. The early settlers, he
■ays, came here because of tbe abundance
of game that lurked among these hills
Old Mra Richards, still active, loves to
weave at her loom, doing fancy work that
would be well worth exhibiting at tho
State fair. She took much pride in show-
ing us bed spreads, clothing, toweling and
other specimens of her handiwork, wove
for ns, and answered our thousand and
one questions with tbe utmost cheerfulness.
This is the heart of tho "gold region."
Along Bear creek and adj»c*>nt hranches,
the precious metal has baen found and
even elaborate attempts have been
made to secure it in p»ying quantities.
A method that has beon frequently employed is to build a long trough on an Incline, with cleats nailed across tho bottom
at intervals. Into the upper end of thla
the sand and gravel Is shoveled and
washed down with a stream of water, the
finer ma'.tir settling to tho bottom is
caught against the cleats and sorted over
for the gold; or, the trough has what is
called a "tow" at the lower end—a box
containing quick silver—and the finer
sediment being washed down Into thi«
tho quick silver by affinity, gathers the
g>ld from the sand. A simpler method
is to take the sand in an ordinary pan,
sha .e it 'til the gold settles to the bottom
and •_» pick it out. A number of yean-
ago .un parti*, erected a very long
trough and "tow" on Mr. Richards' place,
but just ai they completed it a freshet
came and washed it all away. Not only
gold but a few precious stone*, also b»Te
been found. Dr. Ralphy, of R.leville,
showed us an opal and what they thought
was a diamond, both large enough for
■rema. He also showed us some black
sand which nnder the magnifying glass
showed many brilliant red grains, which
were said to be ruble, and gamete. At
present a company from Franklin bare
organ*:*:id and by tbe aid of drill ami dynamite aro going straight down through
bed rock in search of gold veins. We
■walked three or four miles to Tl.it the
scene of their operations and found them
just starting a shaft eight or ten feet
square and prvgrwwlng at the rats of
abont a foot a da*.
From Richards wo took our way  south
to the lltUe  town  of  Needmore, thence
eaat toward Nashville, in search of ■oine'
of Ihe famous llroi.ii county fruit. In the
valleys, this year, tho trees aro barren,
owing to a lata frost which, strangely
enough, it m .*m_! to us, atlecled only the
low land,*-. On tbo high rlil**"*. the troe"
aro fairly breaking with their burdens,
and up there, they told us, the crop could
always Im relied upon. Few fruits at.
ralsed but apples and peaches, and the
latter are uniformly Hinall, and seem all
of a kind. At what is known a* the
Itsughman fruit farm where we spent the
second night, the orchard i eonslalof about
300 |>each and ]'■*. apple trees, all laden
down. Peaches wero selling on the ground
at In cents per bushel. Tney de* ood on
selling many of the latter to visitors from
other counties who como and bay Ihem
by tho wagon load. When thoso fall to
como their main recourse is to dry the
fruit, or make tho apples Into elder. This
Is not very profitable, however, as good
elder vinegar brings only ten cents per
gallon, and tho dried product ls proportionately low.
Rufus Roddick, who owns Weed Patch
Knob, has about tho finest assortment of
trees wo saw, his orchard consisting of
100 peach, 200 apple and 'JW plum trees
now bearing, besides 400 young tree*
The ground on tho extreme crest of the
"Weed Patch," Mr. Roddick told us, was
unexcelled by *ny in the <*_mty, -">
bushels of wheat and 7"> bushels of corn
per acre having been raised there. Ho
also has a mineral spring up there which
haa been used e.octlvoly for kidney,
stomach and kindred troubles. Ho has
sanguine hopes that if the spot ls over
rendered accessible, it will become a popular resort—and this, indeed, is not improbable. "Weed Patch" Is the hlghost
point in Indiana, being 1147 feet above
tbo sea. An observatory erected for the
geodetic survey adds 80 feet more, and
from this elevation a grand prcspoct unrolls to the view. The surrounding
country, covered with wild forewta, from
which bald knots peep here and there,
spreads away llko a vast saucer. Tho
vision in various directions reaches anywhere from £0 to 00 miles. To the south-
oast tbe hills of tho Mn«calatack are
plainly visible, and other hills which aro
said to bo on the < >bio. When tho atmosphere is tigh', we wero told, smoke from
the boats on the Ohio can be seen.
L*ck of space forbids my using here the
many other notes gathered Inthisinter-
e»tlng region. Mention must bo made,
however, of Dr. Rslphy, of B «1 lovlllo, a
naturalist and taxidermist, of considerable ability, who is making a collection of
all the birds native to the country. ll»
has at present about 125 specimens, some
of which ate all but extinct there-
amor g the*, tbo cure wl and large, pilested
woodpecker. Tbedoetcr Is authority and
tho natural history of those parts, snd one
of tbe most interesting men we met in our
trip.
We bsde adieu Us Rrown county, with
regret and wish to reiterate, in closing,
that never have we been among a moro
bo*pitable, honest. God-fearing and law
abiding _»_. of people tbsn we met there.
C.
This, loo. In spite of   Its   being   a year In | damned a* being very   trouble—mis to tne
which a Presidential campaign  will  lake I farmers.     Tho    sparrows     destroy     tho
Our Kew York Letter.
From Our R.***"ar Orr**r_o_Bt:
At ia«t reports from all directions point
to a general Improvements theindnstrial
situation. We bare long since Inarned
that tbe agricultural s-itnation was one
promising largo returns to the farmer and
now that the manufacturing industries
apron, to bo correspondingly stimulated
there is small excuse for g»T*<*ral business
to fail to expand to fairly satisfactory proportions. In fact it Is more than probable
that 1*5_ will witnem a period of quite
widely dislrtrate. industrial and commercial activity  with  encouraging  returns.
plscs with all the »:<< ndstit dUlra-tlons.
Mr It 11 Parks, one of tho veterans of
the Chicago and New Yolk pre dues
markets and an associate and Intimate of
Mr P.D. Armour and the c*ther magna!***
of the provision tr-de gave the following
expressions as to tho <-ondttlou snd prospects of tho msikets for packing houso
product*, particularly Willi reference to
Inline!.c* of the Increased export demand :
I/.cnl rxiiM>« In Chicago at****ounl fertile
present low prices and tho recent decline
ln hog products. The over production of
tho past two Neawins la evidently at the
bottom of the matter. f)n acoount of tho
high prion of corn, hog* were rushed ln to
an unprecedented extent and packers
over-produced so that now the stock of
pork in barrels at Clilcago on the ;ioih ot
of Keptemlier, IKU, was *iso,_i:» barrels
against 12.'> 7"> barrels at the somo d»U* In
IKiXt, and <-.<"..■ barrels In 1 *■«*.'. When Iho
price of corn was high and when bogs wero
coming in In such quantities, specualatinn
In pork was active and tho packers mado
enormous profits and produced up their to
utmust capacity. The rosull la as slated, so
thstal though tbo lnei.ia.ed export dnn*-and
resulting from the withdrawal of the prohibition sgslnst iho admission of American
hog products by tho f.erman and other
European governments tends without
question to improve tbe market, It still
suffers from tho overproduction. At tho
same time pork in barrels Is not properly
an article of export and tho Kuropean demand is confined to dry salted meals, like
short rilis.
Tbat the trade ls alive to tho advantages presented by tho withdrawal of the
('orman prohibition !s exemplified by a
numl-rof circumstances. Ono of tbo
most **ignlficant of thoso Is tho fact that
tho Now York Produce Kxchango has
mado application to tho Department of
Agriculture for the appointment of government Inspectors at this city. At present, Inspect/*™ are confined to tho leading
western packing points, and without the
government Inspection, moats packed at
New York would not bo available for export.
Wheat continues to react elosplte tho
tho very h<?avy outflow to foreign ports,
which can only bo explained on tbo
ground that 4,<**\V» bushels of
wheat exported each week are promptly
offset by 4,ok'.,000 bushels or more addwl
to available stocks at homo. Thus
far during tbo cereal year, beginning
July 1, IK'l, the United (-"tates havo been
exporting wheat at a rate which if maintained for tbe whole year (one-third of
which has gone) would mean an export of
more than 20Ci,<*t*0,(*"*' bushels, fully 1?.,-
0/.,(«- bushels or more in exce*. of the
heaviest year's export cf wh<_t In our
history, and tbat in tho infiite. boom
period ten years ago. Hut tbo average
trader refuse, to acknowlelg*) tbo foregoing a snl.cient basis for an ad van co In
prices, having in mind the tremendous
outpour of wheat overy day from farmer's
bands. Just what would happen should
tbo movement to primary markets slacken
while tho export movement kept well up
may bo Imagined. Kngland has got to
buy bore with some freedom In the near
future, as tho e*ontinent of Kurope has
been getting tho lion's sharerif thst which
has already gone abroad. Our farmers
cannot keep up, or probably will not, tbo
heavy shipments of wheat to market.
When tbo change comes tho wboat markets will gather interpst.
Albert C. Htxvjki.
worms In the buds of fruit trews, which
tho farmer* have, and also destroy Injurious lnswts. The sparrow, like the woik-
hand, helps lo make the crops, but lt
doe* not gel paid for it.
Tbo wrlier would think lt very cruel
for the <.unity lo pay a lioutity on Iho
heads of wild CKtiaty birds. Tho sparrow la a* harmless a bird as Iho canary
bird. The tlllterene. is that Ihe sparrow
eats IhnccIs, and the canary bird sings
and Is moro Imauttfi-I. A man who
would caich a bird ln a trap certainly
iiiust I . very cruel. 1 hope this county
will not pay a bounty on the head of aa
harmless a cinatuni as tho Knglish sparrow.
From whst tho writer ssys, I suppose
somo persons mako their living by killing
thoso poor creatures, snd in aeime Instance, kill tho mothers of young birds, and
thus starving ll o »*oor Utile harm I em*
creatures to death, for money. Tho • i«r-
sons who on trap theso birds must havo a
stony heart, with no feelings for anybody
or anything but themselves—not for themselves but for their desires for the "dust."
1 ho* . that this will bo Iho last oounty to
p»V a bounty for tho heads of poor barm-
loss dumb rroaturea.
(*. H., A Nov RttAimn.
—When C. JL, learns rnoio about tho
Knglish sparrow, ho will find that bo oaU
Insects <»nly when ho can got no grain, or
buds.    His natural food is se*-S.—Kns.
K.tor. Indi.tis Fsrm.r*
1 Inclose a sample of my growing wboat
and a midge that is working on 11 just below tho surface, and seems to bo mostly In
tho black ground. A. A. ().
Hsnoock <t>.
—Tho Insocts had mado their escape beforo tbo latter reiached us, but from tbe
work they had don© wo presume tbey
wero tho larvo of tbo H< *<lan fly. A oold
snsp of a few days would stop their work
for tho winter.—l_i**
A Young friend to the English Sparrow.
Baiter*. In .ana Farmer:
In glancing over the colums of tbo
In MA-a Fa__i-_ I notice a piece in
which   the  English    sparrow   was  con-
Ai.i. Ai'oi:t tii** I-kam-t.—TJm oon-
sumpti m of peanuts In this country
amounted lo .■$,'«*• **VI"0 bushels last season,
and this year it promises to exceed that
number. It is surprising how that product of the soil has obtained such a firm
foothold on the palato of tho American
citizen,. ir,ao<_rdlng to an exchange,then-
are hundreds of farmers In Virginia, North
Carolina and Tennessee, In which Stales
m'**st of tho peanuts are grown, who this
season havo planted nothing but oorn and
peanuts.
Tbo peanut singly Is a light and airy
trifle, but In numbers It ls a vast resource
of agriculture and oommerw. Its food
properties! aro great, and a rich, precious
oil is In e*very kernel. During tho peanut
harvest the people, the pickaninnies, the
dogs, pigs and nearly everything that eats,
gets fat In tho land of tho f*eanut. Peanuts aro planted at corn planting time;
e»ch kernel produces a running vine like
crab gras*, and e.ch root deve-1* pes about
twenty pods. When ripe tho plow is run
through tbe loamy soil on a day just before frost. Tho nuts are dried and shocked
u plikecorn to keep dry day before housing.
When marketed they go to a cleano*",
where tbey aro put through ilearn power
machines and polished, after which thoy
are graded according Io sisse and variety.
P.altlmoro distributes .ViO.ooo bushels, or
a littlo less than one-futirth of tho entire
crop,controlllngthego< .sthat go to Pennsylvania, Weist Virginia, e)hio, Michigan
and Minnesota. New York gets her peanut* from Norfolk. Tbe crop begin* to
como Into market aoout Sept. 1. The Virginia nut is the largest and finest. The
Wilmington is a smaller sort, and the
Spanish nut ls a still smaller variety, some
whose kernels peel perfectly clean, thus
making a valuable article for confectionery.