Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1866-03-30
Texas Correspondence.
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full upon u.s. What few Peach trees are
found here, are covered with bloom. The
few husbandmen who do anything are also en-
gagged in puttingyin their crops The busiest
of all are the feathered songsters, whose joy
GUS carols greet us everywhere. In fact it is
such day as we like to stroll by brook sides,
in groces, or in fact any place, but to remain
in doors. However, as have not given you
all had to say from this point, viii attempt
to do so now. As to the staples of the coun-
try think have informed you that they are
cotton and cattle, particularly the latter The
country is gently undulating, and immense
heards everywhere cover the plains. The
great wonder with me is, how they can exist
at all. In conversation with some of the
first cattle growers here, learn that there
is great danger of the destruction of the bus
mess by overlooking, and that the grass is
fast dying out, owing to the great number of
cattle feeding upon it. In some places it is
entirely tramped out. As to the business
there is none that was more secure, or which
paid better per cent. The growers al
ways (on cattle) are certain of 3S3, as their
gains. Sheep are still better reaching fire.
quently 100 per cent. per annum.
To give you an idea of the business, a Mr..
McFadden, living here, is the heaviest grow
er, although there are number of others
nearly as large. He informs me that he had
branded 5000 calves this Spring. There is
little to do in the business after branding, as
the cattle roam over the prairies until large
enough for beef and bring on the average $15
per head specie. As there is generally the
opinions prevailing in the North, that Texas
cattle are small or scrubby, assure you it is
not so, for larger cattle / have never seen.
One thing is truly surprising here, that no
person has been found with sufficient enter
prise to go into the dairy business. iItis no
use" is the cry here 'sthe COWS wont give q
supply to warrant the trial. Oneiman here
who protested as useless the attempt, assert
ing that Texas COW would not give quart
of milk per day. with almost the same
breath assured me that ''he knew lady of
his acquaintance, who had COW that gave
four gallons of good milk per day but that
the COW was fed with corn. So indolent have
the people become, by the ease with which
they can i've, that they can't think of any
thing so expensive as that of feeding corn to
to cattle. Every pound of butter that is con-
sumed in Texas is of Northern manufacture.
And it is also true of the corn, Irish potatoes
etc. They raise yam, or species of sweet
potatoe, some of which 1 purchased at rs
cents per bushel, specie. Few other vegeta-
bles are raised here. / neglected to say that
hogs are among the staples, as they abound
everywhere, not unfrequently running will in
the immense forests bordering the river
They are of poor breed and It's said the
natives not unfrequently resort to knotting
their tales to keep them from depredating
upon their neighbors gardens, bat as the lat
ter commodity is e scarce article / am inclin-
ed to think the report slanderous.
As to the town, it is much scattered, Gov
ering a large scope. The people seem to
like plenty of elbow room, as the town was
divided into y acre lots. The houses are
small, one story buildings, and the article of
paint entirely unknown. Few lots are fenced,
notwithstanding they have the best timber in
the world. The soil is thin, yc. with pains
produces well. The only gardening one
by the Germans. visited very fine one
two miles below this to-day The motto here
seems to be--that " to work is to be dis
graced." At least, now that Spring is upon
US, I no where see them plan ting, although
surrounded by every facility.
l occasionally call upon some of the 'tF.
F. 81, and am soundly berated for assisting
in freeing their negroes. Ut is mostly by
those who never owned one. One lady (Tll
call her such) asked me why we didn't bring
down a cargo of our servant girls for them,
in exchange for their niggers, if we loved
them so well. / must confess ] was not
little chagrined at this, to think that people
who live on nothing but corn and pork, and
who, if they had all their.goods converted INTO
money, would not purchase six months indie
pendence for them; and yet they talk of using
our tidy, intelligent and well behaved SER
want girls, who labor frequently, not of ne
cessity but of choice, and who, are intimate
ly more capacitated to be independent. The
idea, Messrs. Editors, that our girls should be
used by these highfalutin, gum chewing, and
snuff taking ladies Of creation, who never
perhaps went to school day, and who think
Beaumont the club of the universe" was so
very ridiculous thai [ smiled not little.
Everything looking to the improvement Of
the colored race, is looked upon very unfa-
vorably, or, as intended to equalize them
with the whites. / do not think so, for
hope God viii spare them from stopping at
that point, and win prosper them, thereby
setting an example to the poor, illiterate
t'white trash, which is more prevalent at
this point than any place l have eger seen
occasioned doubtless by the fact that all the
off-scourings Of creation, made for the Neches,
when they could no longer be tolerated by
civilized society. Here Kidd and his pirate
crew fourished, as did John A. Murrill and
his confederates of later day, and many of
the present residents can trace their origin
to these or other equally aattering sources. i.
Is it to be wondered at that such state Of
things should exist upon the Neches. Muir
ders, Linchings, Robberies, and Gambling
seem still to be prevailing passions here.
Should the troops be removed from this
State fear that life and property would be as
insecure as ever it was during the period pre-
ceeding Texian annexation. We are eEdeay-
- II