Wilmington journal., 1871-04-21


trees are now covered with green leaves.
the apple trees in bloom and the beeches
and poplars wearing the loyeliest crowns
of living green, the dogwoods locking as
if some of the winters snow still cluDg
among their green leaves; the red bud,
arrayed N its purplish pink, eea-bud
shaped inforescences, while under loot,
all among the withered leaves and SPRING
ing grass, are blueycd violets and purple
dianthae. somewhat resembling and quite
as pretty as the cultivated garden phlaxes.
The little branches look clearer ard rip
pie more musically for their verdant acces-
sories, and the soft cooling of doves sounds
like low secc nd to the sweet outgushings
of the many soDgstecs, evoked by the ad-
vent of the pet child CT the year. The
woods in tbis< country are beautiful now,
beautiful in their variegation of green
hues, and the absence of the pine seems
no longer sad void il the landscape.
Within the last six weeks We have had
FOODS Of rain, few days of sunshine and
then two or three days and nights of con-
iinuous rain. The streams have been tre-
mendously sWelled ''Co!d Water" river
in this county has been out of its banks
since the first of February. The Missis-
sIppi has, of course, been up. For week
or so it was the oniy source OF communi-
cation with the outside world enjoyed by
Memphis. The floods converted railroad
tracks into canals, swept away culverts
and bridges, and stopped travel and postal
facilities
Helena, Arkansas, has had tempest,
and Memphis ghost. The AraJdnche
sersatlonalized the ghost, the Appeal ]"
acaunted it the whole to do, originating III
the phantasies Of q nervous eyllcptic llttlo
girl. 1t answered the purpose though OF
creating sensation In tho dearth Of news,
aud also as new style OF advertisement
for " Scnitual medium" The city also
suffered u huge sell in all anticipated Orni
theological exhibition by Car. Vegelheimer
of London. This wonderful aorial nnviGa-I
tor was to fly from the roof of the ''Oven
ton House " to the top of Cochran Iial. on
Thursday evening, and gaping crowd as
sembled, but eventually dispersed without
having their curiosity gratltled.
1t is said to be = very tight " time 1n
money matters IN this country, the farm
ers are not I" advancing" So lb, rally to
rentOrs as they did last year, and they IRE
'' pushing tue IL farming operations ns
stt adj y as the frequent rains will admit.
The people about here are very enterprls
lng and go -lltadetive Ihel e are gr. at
many firm n, rth Caro- ina, and all We nave
seen from that State are clever, enerSt t.
ic }iAs." Most of the farmer It, idenct $
are iatgr, double log CABINS, thai have
been improved and added to with the in
creased means OF The pros rletOr Some
Of them, with thelr deep slantlng roofs and
enclrcllng pIuZz4s, Surrounded With shrubs
and TIRE es. are quite picturesque, and the
interiors furnished with comfort and ee
ganco. TIE people are quite sociablc and
seem disposed to 81 cultivate " Strangers.
In q country SO superbly adapted to
farming as this. by the claw OF compen-
sation," there must be some drawbacks |
and one Of the nuisances here is the ''Buf- |
falo gnat." It is an insect so named |
from its suggestive conformation, gen
e.aly appears about the first of April, and
attacks horses and COWS with great voracity;
horses particularly suffer from its attacks, |
as it swarms into the nostris and covers
the breast of the animal, sometimes bleed
ing him TO death in a night The appear
ance of this mDiature buffalo creates quite
a sensation. The COWS come up from the
bottoms, the horses break out of bounds, |
if possible, and owners, with panic-stricken |
faces, hasten TO muster up pans Of grease
and tar, or coal oil, the only preventive |
or nullitier to the incursions of the gnats. |
The "buffalO'' seems to have no taste for
human blood, but before we have time to |
congratulate ourselves on our exemption |
from his attacks We hear the mosquitoes |
singing, and looking forward to their
swarmIDg, deafening, overpowerlng visi-
tations- Visitations that will vocal1ze the
summer nights and drive sleep from our
pillows, we stop short, only hesitating
what sort of a dash to make !
Coldwater, April 4th, 1871.