Back From West Branch

"I was more than ever pleased with the country about West Branch, Ogemaw county, " said Leonhard Gruner, who retnrned home from a visit to that connty recently. "It is looking up won derf ully. The.people have had au excellent winter for lum bering. There are not big piles of logs along the railroad tracks, but mountains of logs. For weeks four log trains a day have been sent out of West Branch, and this will be continued for a long time to come. I 'saw birch logs two and onehalf feet in diameter. Thei-e are all kinds of timber there, bnt not mnch piue. Large quantities of telephone and telegraph poles are being gotten out. These are always cash, and the trees are worth standing in the woods form $4 to $7. They are paid for as soon as hauled to the railroad station. All this nioney has helped the farmers and they are geting into better financial shape. Most of the mortgages on these farms do not run over $200 to $400, and as the land is appreciating in value you can see that they are gilt-edged. There is as good land in Ogemaw county as in Washtenaw county. There is also some very poor land. Seventy-five new families have moved into West Branch duriug the winter. There was still snow in the fence corners when I left on Friday. The people were much worried about their apples they were not sure whether the frost had done anyharm or not."