The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-10-24

lfy once aeighbor and ts'ied friend:
knowing YOU are always glad to hear
from Lake county, Tenn, your home of
prosperity and thrift tor more than 80
years, write to you. Well, how things
have changed since you left; it was
then large, very large fields of corn and
clover. It is now large fields of cotton
there are number of farms that have
200 to 500 and 400 acres in the finest cot
ton ever grown in any part of the State.
We have been picking for more than
two weeks past. Our best hands are
now picking 200 to 300 pounds a day
the staple is fine. Your friend, VIM. A.
Keefe, got the premium for the first
bale OF cotton. 1t was baled and put on
The bank the second Monday in this
month, (September). How will that do
for Lake county? For the last three
wears, or crops, we have averaged bale
to the acre on all well cultivated farms,
with more of a general crop than
any part of the country, and we GER
tainly have more general health, chllls
excepted, than any part of the whole
country; never have hux, cholera or
yellow fever, and very few deaths, and
with all this, we are very. quiet and civ~
il. We have not a man in our county
Jail, and lower taxes than any other
people. The county tax is ten cents on
the 800; State and county together
only amount to so cents on the 500
worth of taxable property, and our
county does not owe bond OF dollar OF
Indebtedness. And with all this, we
have an abundance of farms, tools, pro-
visions. and all cheap, if we could have
had the farm labor. And why is it that
you have so much labor, and even
great surplus of labor, in your county?
How shall we induce part OF your
people to come and possess themselves OF
part of our productive lands while they
are selling SO very cheapP The finest
lands in our county, in the woods, can
be bought at S. to $40 an acre in tracts
OF any size, and pretty we'll improved
places, with Is TO = cleared, can be
bought at SIS to S25 per acre, or rented
at s. to SO an acre. Now this is certain
ly very cheap for lands that will pro-
duce bale of cotton to the acre, and
to II barrels of corn. Jim Jones says
he has corn and clover land that will
make 20 barrels per acre. David s.
Gardner has cut 100 acres of meadow
that has made to 4 tunS Of hay to the
acre. Like many others, he wants to
sell = or % of his fine place on reason
able terms, because he cannot com>
mand labor to cultivate it as he would
wish. There are number OF the larg-
est farms IN the county 10 be divided
into tracts to suit purchasers, and sold
at reasonable prices and on long time,
if part is paid down. This is not done
because farming don't pay, but on ac-
count of the difficulty of procuring and
keeping reliable and efficient farm Ia.
bOr a2d in the end it will be better for
State and county if we can induce
good, thrifty wOrkiLgmen to come and
buy these fine lands at the present low
prices, and settle permanently on them.
Will your young men, who are Just
OF, ,0+ oil fhit,ly Of a
priety and profit of paying $1,000 to
$4,000, aud it mostly on time, too, for 100
acres of this fine land, or more i'll like
proportion, that he can make as much
Of general crop on as any land in the
State or governments, and besides this,
inside OF 20 years it WILDE at least worth
to him, or those that follow him, 500
per acre? Understand me, land-buyer,
there are no hills or pipey clay bottoms
here, 10 swamps and no waste lands it
is all good, and let me tell you, fine inn
provements and dwellings look we'll on
these fine lands.
I would refer those who see this, and
have any doubt of what | have said, to
MessrS. johnson Davis, A. G, Hickey
and Hamp ton TimmOns, who l have had
the privilege to show this country to,
having them on the ground last year,
and | will further promise to show any
lands of my county. Don't come to the
that We are away down in
the swamp and no good or nice worthy
people here. We have the best and |
incest kind of citizens, bat have not |
enough OF them, and if Middle Tennes- !
see would divide her crowded cOmmuni- |
ties with US, it does seem to me it might |
and would be best for both sections |
But some one will say, your country |
overfOws. In part it does. There hays |
been three big oYertlows i'll % years, |
say since 1S44, but there never has been !
any part of our crops lost from that |
cause. and we have never had any rock |
fences washed away, Il thing | saw in |
Maury county in April, 1872, and ar>
are now making 10 levee
the river where the water comes out to |
get OH portion of our county.
Wei, friend ------, you would mOt be-
lieve how we are going ahead in settling
and improving the country. But short
time back, we had bpt two cotton gins
in Tire county,-horse power. Now we
hayo eight new stoam gins, beside other
powers. But we are now i'll need OF
more good steam saw mills and farm
smiths, wagon-In makers and other me-
3hanics. We want good Nursery or
Two. People are beginning to plant out
orchards pretty considerably. Fruit
grows finely, and pays we'll when ship
ped. There are some elegant farms with
improvements, orchards,
etc, etc, on them, that have
% be sold this fall, and il any OF your
friends want to buy, they would do we'll
% look out at once. Say to gentlemen
we never have boil worm or
'ust to eat up cur cotton here. 1t seems
o be settled in the minds of the people
lere that cotton will be our leading
,rOp. We want 800 cottou-pickers to
gather this fine crop, and 1000 good
arm hands for next season. We pay
Dig wages for all farm work. Come
Town soon, and don't fail to bring othe
,rs with you who want to buy and set
lie here. l will be on hand.
| ain yours, respectfully,
X. S. BRADFORD,
TiptonviIle. Lake Co, Tenn.