Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 September 1914 — Matt and Louie Moosmiller Return From Michigan. [ARTICLE]

Matt and Louie Moosmiller Return From Michigan.

Matt and Louie Moosmiller, who went to Wellston, Mich., last spring to improve the farms they had purchased there and look after the farms bought by their brother, John, and father, John Moosmiller, Sr., returned home Sunday night, having driven through by wagon from Wellston. They left there on Friday, Sept. 18, and found fine roads all the way, the worst they encountered any place, they say, being north of Demotte on the south side of the Kankakee river in Jasper county, which is very rough because of'the too coarse rock used in building said road. They followed the road along the south side of Lake Michigan and found it in a fine condition.

They are not very favorably impressed with, the section of country where they purchased lands. It is cut-over pine lands, principally, and the soil is a coarse sand that will not hold moisture, and one cannot use fertilizer on it. One can raise scarcely nothing on this ground, and after one season’s attempt most everybody gets out of there who can. There are patches where hardwood grew, that isvery good land and fair crops are grown upon this, but the cut-over pine lands are extremely poor and they think never can be made to amount to anything. It is too subject to frost' to grow fruit, and although they have had lots of rains through there the past season no crops have been raised to speak of. After the heaviest of rains no water is left standing on the ground a few minutes after the rain ceases, all having passed down through the coarse sand.

They had a very pleasant trip in driving home and passed through some splendid sections of country. They say they are done with ever expecting to go back onto their own lands, and while their plans are not matured as yet, they expect to farm here next season.