402 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[September, 
Editorial Notes. 
Beyond the Missouri. 
How to Travel Comfortably.— Do not stint 
yourself travelling. It is better to economize at 
home a little more, and give yourself plenty to eat 
and commodious care while you are on the road. 
The difference between making travel a comfort and 
a discomfort, is the difference between pinching 
yourself and giving yourself good care, and plenty 
to eat and drink. 
Beware of Travelling Doctors.— Travel¬ 
ling doctors circulate to a considerable extent 
through the towns and villages of the Far West. 
One of these lately appeared in Madison, Nebraska, 
who took in several hundred dollars. After his 
departure, the people were anxious to get hold of 
him, in order to apply a coat of tar and feathers. 
Answer no medical advertisements, and employ 
no travelling doctors. 
Scenes on the Platte.—' While the Platte 
River is, as a general thing, a turbid, uninteresting 
stream, it presents very many picturesque views 
for miles before emptying into the Missouri. Lux¬ 
uriant foliage lines both banks of the river, and 
the miniature islands scattered here and there, al¬ 
together present a scene of surpassing loveliness 
and beauty. From the Missouri River to Lincoln, 
the suburbs of Columbus, Neb., there is one of 
these prairie dog villages, in a most flourishing 
condition. The little fellows sit upright on their 
holes as the train of cars passes right through 
their settlement, showing no signs of fear, but 
apparently a deal of curiosity as to who may be on 
board. No one ever thinks of disturbing these 
very attractive animals. It is still a mooted ques¬ 
tion as to how they procure their water. Professor 
Aughey, of the Nebraska State University, once 
informed the writer that he believed the prairie 
ture river winds through the lowlands far away to 
the distant line of hills, through which it cuts its 
course to water still another broad plateau. The 
broad fields of wheat and com in this part of Kan¬ 
sas would delight the eyes of the small Eastern 
farmer, who had never travelled beyond the limits 
of his own diminutive fields. As I stated in my 
correspondence last month, box-elder, soft maple, 
and white-ash, are now considered better trees 
than the cottonwood, at least for low prairie lands. 
Large SSreenSing Randies. *-In Wyoming 
and adjoining parts of the West, cattle ranches 
are being absorbed by stock companies, English 
capitalists as well as our own being interested in 
them. The business, it is claimed, is one that can 
be most profitably carried on upon a large scale, 
as a few competent herders can manage a ranch 
containing thousands as well as one of a few hun¬ 
dreds, and the expense of other subordinates is 
proportion ably diminished. Of late, many fine 
Norman stallions have been imported, to be placed 
on the Western ranches. M. W. Dunham, of 
Oakland Farm, the well known Illinois importer 
and breeder, has become interested in one of these 
enterprises. His large recent importation of Nor¬ 
man Percheron stallions is made with a view to 
placing them upon the extended ranches in the 
northern part of Colorado, where they will be em¬ 
ployed in producing the large work horses, now 
Nebraska, the views from the railroad train in 
every direction are most varied and attractive. 
Railroad Curves Extraordinary.—They 
tell the story that some of the railroads, which 
secured land grants from the General Government, 
made as many miles as possible, by majring as 
many curves as possible—their grants calling for 
so many acres per 
mile built. However 
this may have been, 
the curves made by 
some of the railroads 
west of the Missouri 
are nothing, if not re¬ 
markable. There is 
one place in Wyo¬ 
ming, where the en¬ 
gineer on a long train 
can almost hold con¬ 
versation with the 
brakeman on the last 
car. The engraving 
shows a remarkable 
curve near Black 
Hawk, Colorado, a curve rendered necessary by 
the configuration of the land. 
I’rairle Bogs.-While the Far West has been 
and is being “ rapidly settled ” up, the new comers 
cherish the ancestral rights of the prairie dogs 
with almost as much observance as is felt in South¬ 
ern cities for the buzzards and other birds, which 
feed upon and carry off carrion. A little beyond 
dogs had a circular well in the center of each vil¬ 
lage, running down several hundred feet to water, 
and that this well was connected by subterranean 
passages with the “ homes ” of the prairie dogs. 
If this be the case, it certainly affords a remarkable 
illustration of animal intelligence. 
Prairie Views.—The accompanying picture 
affords our Eastern readers a very good idea of the 
prairie farms beyond the Missouri, as seen from an 
elevated point. The view is taken from a region, 
one hundred and fifty miles west of the Missouri 
River. In place of fences are seen long rows of cot¬ 
tonwood and box-elder trees, which make a dividing 
line between the farms and also the fields. Little 
houses dot the farms in every direction, and a minia- 
largely in demandat the West, and in Eastern cities. 
The Corn Crop. —Corn, which looked so un¬ 
promising in June, has since, under the more favor¬ 
able weather, regained its lost ground, and come 
forward with remarkable rapidity. The prospects 
for this important crop are now everywhere good. 
This is most satisfactory, after the early apprehen¬ 
sions, as an abundant 
crop of corn means a 
full supply of pork 
and all other hog pro¬ 
ducts ; this is of quite 
as much importance 
to the small farmer 
in securing him his 
stock of winter pro¬ 
visions as it is to 
those who raise hogs 
in large numbers for 
the packers. The corn 
crop is of course 
equally important for 
finishing off beef for 
slaughter, and the 
winter dairies of the West depend for their product 
of butter upon this golden grain. Its abundance, 
therefore, really determines the value of a great 
part of our agricultural wealth. Fair as are the 
prospects at the time of writing, it is tco early to 
predict with confidence a great harvest. High 
winds and early frosts may do great injury, and a 
long drouth would decrease the crop. D. W. J. 
