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Show ACROSS 1HE CONTINENT. The European Missionary Party Their Trip to New York. St. Nicholas Hotel, 2sew Yurk, July 10, 1S77. Editors Il:ralJ: Our very pluasant little parly, composed com-posed of Messrs. S. H. Hill, NeUon A. Enipoy, W.J. Beatte, A. B. Dun-lord, Dun-lord, Joseph M. tt'rttnon aud myself, left our homes in S.ilt Lake city on the 9th instant lor Europe. As we have just concluded the laud porliou of our jouruMy, I thought before entering en-tering upon the Atlantic to pay homage lo ita water and make our , several contributions to thy little fishes, that it might be interesting to at least some of your readers to have a brief account of our travels, etc. In the firjt place, through the courtesy court-esy ol a member of our party, Mr. S. H, Hill, a special aomplimeulary car was furnished us and some of our friends from Salt Lake city lo a paint well up in Morgan couuty, where wh left the our aud our friends aud headed our way through the mountains. moun-tains. Tbe obnerver, in traveliug over the line of the Union Pacific railroad, rail-road, will uatura'ly divide the lauds on that mad iulo three classes, each class having its peculiar advantages, and receiving its designation Irum what seems likely to form its pre-dominaui pre-dominaui business, 7iz : Tbe miueral lands, comprising the territory between be-tween the black hills and our Wasatch Wa-satch mountains; grazing lauds, extending ex-tending from the lorkB ot the TUtte through the Laramie plains in Wyoming, Wy-oming, and the agricultural lands, embracing the itate i Netiraaka wiihin the first ooO miles west of the Midsouri river. Our Pullman slaephjii car conductor, conduc-tor, Mr. W. M. McCaudlish ol Ouiaha, who is a very genial and pleasant weutlemau, lo whom our party feeU iudthttd for many com-loris com-loris and hospitalities extended, aud wh it interested iu farming aud stock raising in Nebraska, as well ai Hie lailroad, gave ub some reliable informal in-formal ou in regard to the re-suurco re-suurco of the state. In the spring ot 1867 Nebraska wn admitted into tbe Union as the thirly-seveulh Late. Since its admission, its pro-trtss pro-trtss in population and material prosperity has been rapid and sub" tunnel. Twelve hundred miles of r.i.mad are already iu operation, aud many iu progress ot construction or projected. The eflect has been to reuily euhauce valuer, and stimulate stimu-late growth, enterprise, productions, immigration, commerce, trade, aud bueinufrs ot every kind. Nebraska is prt eminently an agricultural state. ! Tne average yield of tsneat throughout through-out the whole state for a period of ten ye ita is not less than twenty bushels per acre, while there are many instances, in-stances, each year, where with thorough tillage the yield has been from thirty to forty bushels. The ottier graius are also very successfully raised. At tbe annual an-nual meeting of the American Pumological society convened at Richmoud, Va., in t'eplember, 1871, Nebraska exhibited 140 varieties oi aprles, fifteen ol peaehen, thirteen of pears, ouo of plums aud one ol grapes, aud was awaidid the first premium ol $U0 lor the bust collection of ditler-tnt ditler-tnt kpecics of fruits. This state met witli a similar success at the annual nutting of the same socitty at Bos Ion in 1873, and in Chicago in 1875. This is also un exiellent state for the raisiiig of stuck. The nras?es ol the j bottom ai.d table InniJs are extremely j uulntk us. They cou? iBt of the vane-, vane-, lies kiiOMi as the hlue-joiul, red-etem, bunco and OufUlo grasses, aod are luliy i-qual for hay uud grazing purposes, pur-poses, lo the timothy, clover aud other cultivated grasses that grow in the cast. The wild grasses cut from one and a half to three tons per acre. I lie prices already ellered lor their wool aggregated au amount equal to $1.50 pr fiead, aud they expect it to rise to $1.75. Tbe crops are excellent tnroughout the stale, exct pl that section sec-tion ot country commencing about the Lone Trio and reaching lo within about ihirty miles ot Omaha, being abuut 100 miles in length and from ten to twenty-five miles in width, that was last yc-ar entirely eaten up by the gtnfshoppers, this year has had so much rain that the crops are very poor, and I he hojipers have been entirely destroy d. The schools are tho pridw ol the people peo-ple and tho glory ot the 6tie, aod ample means have been provided to place them on a firm and enduring basis. A vast landed estate, consisting consist-ing of two sections 1.2SU acres in each township, or oue-eigblh part of the eutire area has been donated to the stale by the genor.il government, govern-ment, and set apart as a permanent j endowment of the public schools. Ttieee lauds, it is wstimated will , amount to mure than 2,500,000 acres. J The lowest price at wbich they can he sold is fixed by the constitution at ( $7 per acre. The school lands s.ild ' thus far have invariably brought a -higher price than could be obtained for other lands adjacent to them, 1 yielding on an average $7.50 per i acre. The p iucipal thus accruing is i guarded by constitutional guarantee uainst diminution, and forms an irreducible school luud. Tne income derived from this source is already considerable, and will soon, it is ex- peeled, be almost sufficient to maintain main-tain the public schools, and render taxation for school purposes couipara tively light. Wearriveu at Chicago on Thurs day evening, and put up at the Grand Pacific lo remain lor one day. Through the politeness of Messrs. Shepherd A Adams ot the firm of i Cr-rar, Adams A Co., manulaeturerH-ol manulaeturerH-ol railroad car hi lures Ac-, we were Bhown most of the lions of Chicago. Amoi g them wero their exleunive manufactory, Line, In Park, and the immense water works, which by nuaus of three largo engines of 4,000 hoise power, 0,000,000 gallouB of water every tweuly-four hours is thrown into the cily. We arrived m this ureal city of New York on Sunday morning, July 15th, where Messrs. A. Miner and W. S. Burton have joined us for our sea voyage, eo there are eight of us uow to eat, sleep atxl be sick together on the turbulent waters. Mr. Joseph M. Watson baa been giving particular attention lo the style of urehirecture in Chicago and New Yoik, and is much pleased with the solidily aud strength of their principal buildings. Me-srs. D. C.t F. L. and Lieulen ant W. Young are here with us, and whoso company we have enjoyed in our vitjit to Central park and Green wood. They are well and happy iu the thought that they are not going to heave with us in the rolling billuwa, on which voyage wo expect lo start on the 17th instant. Yours Truly. O. II. KIG03. |