A JAUNT IN OHIO.—NO. 3. 
171 
produce of the Catawba grape, of which my host 
grows considerable quantities, accompanied the 
repast. 
Dinner over, and we were up for a ride. A pair 
of tine roan Alleys were attached to a light spring 
wagon, and we set off some half dozen miles in 
a northerly direction, to a grand prairie farm, of 
some 1,100 acres, belonging to Col. J. Passing 
immediately through the town, which is well 
built, containing some 3,000 people, with a spa¬ 
cious court house, several churches, a market, 
and many handsome residences, we took the 
maiii road through a magnificent farming coun¬ 
try of rich lands, broad fields, large crops, and 
occasional herds of choice cattle, grazing by the 
road side, on the rich pastures. Good farm houses 
and out buildings were seen in every direction, 
and the whole view betokened agricultural 
wealth, ease, and comfort. On a fine road, over 
a slightly undulating country, an hour’s time, 
during which we made occosional stops to ex¬ 
amine objects which particularly interested us, 
brought us to a gate, which opened into a grand 
oak park, or forest of “ barrens,”* through which 
we drove at a spanking trot for a mile or two to 
the farm. At the termination of the road, on a 
beautiful elevation, we stopped near the farm 
house, and walked out on a point which jutted 
into the prairie. A richer sight hardly could be 
spread before the eye of one who loves a soft 
and, beautiful scene in nature. Immediately be¬ 
low us, stretching away to the west, under a 
mild October sun, lay the broad prairie, the 
faded grass just tinged by the recent frosts, and 
dotted with cattle. Beyond, stood the magni¬ 
ficent beech, oak and maple forests, their lux¬ 
uriant leaves slightly touched with the “ green 
and yellow melancholy ” of early autumn; while 
in another direction lay broad fields, rich in the 
recently-gathered corn harvests, or a springing 
growth of wheat, and these, too, bounded by 
another forest, shut in all away from the sound, 
and noise, and clatter of the world; so lone, so 
luxuriant, so beautiful, the beau ideal of a scene 
in western agriculture! 
Gazing our fill of this delightful picture, we 
again mounted our seats, and returned by 
another road into the highway, and by other 
fine farms and dwellings to Urbana. Owing to 
the level surface of the country, streams and 
* “Barrens” are broad tracts of gravelly limestone land, 
sparcely timbered, chiefly with white oak, and but little under¬ 
brush, very common in Ohio and other western states. Although 
fertile in the production of corn and wheat, and for general agri¬ 
cultural purposes, they were thus termed by the early settlers 
in coutra-distinction to the many timbered lands, prairies, and 
bottoms, which possess a darker and moister soil. 
springs are not abundant. In many places, the 
farm stock are supplied with water from wells, 
and the water raised by pumps driven by 
windmills. We stopped to examine some of 
these, which are frequently seen by the road 
side. They are exceedingly simple in their 
structure, and built at an expense of fifteen or 
twenty dollars. The shaft, or piston, of the pump 
is attached to a crank on the axle of the wings. 
It is seldom out of order, and driven by the 
lightest breezes. They lift any required quan¬ 
tity of water when kept steadily at work, and 
when not employed are held at rest by a simple 
hook in the frame work, which is caught in a 
staple in one of the wings. I cannot but com¬ 
mend this simple contrivance to all who have 
not running streams or springs for stock pur¬ 
poses. 
Although a lawyer, and constantly engaged 
in large practice in the higher courts, Col. J. has 
devoted much attention to agricultural pursuits, 
and done much, both by his example and purse, 
to advance the agricultural interests of the state. 
He was a member of the association which 
first imported the shorthorn cattle from Eng¬ 
land into Ohio, in 1834, 5 and 6, several of which 
he kept on his estate. He is now breeding some 
fine Devons for working oxen, and Ayrshires for 
the dairy ; and by his liberality and public 
spirit is accomplishing much good to his imme¬ 
diate neighborhood. Would that such examples 
were more frequent among gentlemen of means 
and intelligence ! While in Madison Valley, 
a region eminently adapted to the breeding, 
grazing, and fattening of cattle, I was anxious 
to inquire the fate of the descendants of the 
shorthorns which Col. James had brought into 
this neighborhood ; as he, with a most commend¬ 
able spirit, had introduced them more for the 
improvement of the herds of his friends and 
neighbors than for his own immediate benefit 
They were distributed in different localities in 
the vicinity, and used for some years with much 
zeal and spirit. But with the novelty of their 
use, the spirit of the cattle breeders flagged, and 
but a few years elapsed before the characteris¬ 
tic supineness of the farmer proper, let them 
gradually pass away with scarce an effort to 
resusitate or renew the blood in its purity, or 
maintain the quality of the herds they then pos¬ 
sessed. And now, although there are some in¬ 
dividual grade animals of good quality and ap¬ 
pearance to be found, a general sinking of value 
in their neat stock is the censequence of such 
neglect. This, in a country so prolific in forage, 
and congenial in climate, is inexcusable. An. 
