Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1870-08-26
Correspo,dence Of the Kcopec. Courier.
A Letter from Texas.
AcroN, HOOD CnuNTy, TEXAS, ]
July 25th, 1870. {

ries about this country, I have concluded tc
write you letter, which will show only q
faint outline Of Northwest Texas, as it ap
pears to me. ln the course of this letter
shall answer some questions in regard to eli.
mate, soil, water, hoalth, agriculture stock
raising and SO on, without much respect fol
any system, order or rules of rhetoric.
A glance at the map will show that Acton,
or Commanche Peak, near tho centre of Hood
County, is nearly on the same degree of lati,
tude with Pooataigo, S. G., or tracing west
ward the 80 parallel, it will be found a little
further South than Montgomery. Ala, Jack.
son, Miss, and Shreveport, La. AS for its
longitude West it is far cnough--say 1000
miles from Waihalla. measuring the wago.,
route by Helena, on the Mississippi river.
This country is different in climate, soil,
60, from the points above mentioned, and
this difference is not easily shown on paper.
Suffice it to say the soil is generally richer.
climate more variable, the spring aud we'll
water as good, and the health, generally
speaking, better. Last week we had heat of
the sun sufficient to scorch the grass, vines in
the gardens, and the corn blades in some
fields bhathad,not been well cultivated. Yes.
torday and to day the wind has beon from the
North, tho Dir cool, the weather rainy
enough to insure full crop of corn and in.
crease the nunlber of squares on the cotton
stalk. The prairie grass has already revived,
and looks as fresh and green as it did in May.
It is q remarkable fact that the mesquite
grass, during the hottest days of summer,
will wilt and turn yellow as ripe wheat, and
then if rain falls sufficient to wet the roots
twill soon revive, and look green aud fresh
again 1t is thought to be better grazing in
this cured condition than when green. In
the spring, say from the 18th of March till
the middle of June, the weather is truly de-.
lightful. A gentle breeze from the South oil
the time, just cool enough to be pleasant,
with the prairie covered with its grasses and
flowers, stock shedding their winter coats
and growing fat and plump around the
wheat fields, is almost enough to make man
20 wild as we'll rs beast. A "grcony from
the States'' might mistake stock man for a
wild;one, if he were to meet him suddenly in
tic prairie and see his lop., beard, perhaps
grey, his raw hide saddle, raw hide bride,
Mexican hat bell spurs and brace of Colts
heavy pistols. lie is not after "lawlcssncss
he is only gathering his stock
with hot sunshine, occasionally rainy day,
from the South, which enables the prairie
farmers to labor in comfort
AS autumn approaches the picture begins to
fade. A torch put to the prairie grass would
destroy it all till road or creek stops the
progress of the fire. Prairie stock remains fat
until about tho last of Dcccmbcr, when
winter begins in earnest. Perhaps without a
quarter of an hours notice, tho clements
northward appears cloudy, and fresh, bra
cling breeze strikes you from the direction
of the cloud, presently another puff little
stronger, and so on until ono continuous
stream Of cold air passes you with ull the
regularity of rapid stream Of water This
wind continues for IL, ~, or sc hours, and
sometimes brings little rain, snow or slect
This wind ceases more gradually than it be
gins, requiring usually half day to subside.
1t is bracing and healthful to man. but soon
changes the lively appearance of prairie stock,
especially if the winds come more than once
week, and includes rain, snow or slcct.-
These North winds rccur with variable sever
ity until towards the middle or last of March.
}y this time horses and cattle have gotdown
on the other cxtreme from what they were in
May. Some old mares and COWS, some late
colts and calves, die about "thc rising of
grass A protractcd north or cast. rain OF
several days. towards the last Of March, is too
severe for the poorest of the stock-rathcr
gloomy season for the stock man to ride in
tho prairie and sec his old mare down, con
the lift" her poor calf rccling about her-an
old COW in tho bog, her yearling with its spine
bowed up and scarcely able to blait "Well, .
he'll say, 81 cant do anything for you, you
never cracked grain Of corn in your life
and if could keep you up you would get
down again and die, just as old blaze or old
pide did, last winter"
Farn,iag received but little attention this
far West, until the close of the war. Up tc
that time the country had been subject tc
drouths after the middle of May, and the SOW
ing and harvesting of wheat was all that was
fisked in the way Of farming. The wheat
crops paid we'll during those dry years, bet
tor than they have since, unloss except the
past two years, but the yield per acre com
pares favorably with the dry years of 1860 tt
1864 The yield per acre, last year and this
spring, ranges from y to 81 bushels pc,
acre. This variation depends principally up
on the manner in which the seed is put in
Some men having interest, perhaps, in stock
put their wheaton the ground carelessly, and
scratch it in wet or dry, woody or not, as they
find the land at seeding time It might ap
proximate the real truth nearer, to put thu
minimum yield per acre, in this. county, fo
the last two crops at 8or 10 bushels, Whea
isworth $125 per bushel; flour, $500 pei
hundred pounds, at home. Ten years agt