The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1873-06-20
FROM TEXAS.



PARIS, LAMAR Co., Texas, June 2, '73.
have thought several times since l
reached Texas that would write you
something about the State. for I know
that not only yourselves but many other
Of my friends would like 20 hear what
sort Of country this Is. In what may
write. ! shall not deal in such extrava-
gances rs | have noticed in the letters Of
some Of your correspondents from this
State, but will endsavor TO be correct,
and give an account Of things as they
appear 70 me.
Nearly all the Stats that / have
seen is prairie, some gently undulating,
aud some level and fiat. The soil Of
s1me Is rich aud productive black al
most As powder, Il is called black waxy
land" and i exceedingly sticky when
W1f; the remainder is sandy and not 50
productive, nor does il stand drought so
well as the black land, but the whole Is
covered with grass, which, from early In
the Spring until late in the Fall, affords
excellent pasturage. Cattle, horses, etc,
run at large and graze wherever they
please outside the inclosure. Farmers,
when they want hay, at the proper
season 20 out on the prairies with their
moving machines. sele Ct their grass, cut
itaDd dcureit just Kentuckiansc clre theirs
and then haul Il home-no inquiry is ev-
er made as to whore the hay was cut. or
from whose land Is was taken; although
nearly all the land in these Northeastern
COUNTIES Is owned or claimed by individ-
uals, yet Il seems as II all outside the In
closures Is common property, and one
person exercises as many acts Of owner
ship over Il as another. lam told that the
black land Is better for corn, cotton,
wheat and oats, but that the sandy laHd
Is better for fruit and vegetables, and
the ticks" and 'chiggen are not 50
bad on the latter as on the former.
L have seen very little timber since l
have been in the State, few small
olumPs OF bushes scattered here and
there over the prairies are generally the
nearest approaches to timber that one
SECS unless he goes to the river and
creek bottoms, or to the regions whence
all the lumber Is brought In the tim
berod sections there satalltimes more or
less sickness, principally chills and fever
and bilious attacks, frequently termina-
ting fAtAlly, and even on the prair'es al
Ter continued rains there Is Considerable
sickness Of the same types can not
say whether this State n more hsalthy,
as Is claimed' than Kentucky or not
perhaps It may be ireer from such dis
eases as affect the throat and lungs, but
l believe ehills and fevers are more ne
.quent here have heard some talkt 90
Of spinal meningitis. One would sup
pose, from the number Of storms that 90
cur. that the air ought to be purified, II
there is any virtue in lightning and wind.
1 stayed two weeks in Heney Grove,
and during that time we had five or six
terrific storms. An old lady was killed
in the neighborhood by lightning, and
shortly Afterwards lightning-rod man
came around and every person had from
one to half a dozen rods put on his house.
Only few days before l reached Honey
Grove, there, was hail storm IN Paris
which broke out a great many windows,
and an Irish stage driver showed me his
hat, all bloody inside caused, as he said,
from one Of the hail stones striking and
utting his head. l was told that little
boys in Paris went around Peddling the
hail picked up by them after the storm
for ice and that Immediately afterwards
iced drinks went down from two bits TO
tiitesn cents (this latter statement add
for the benefit OF those who came out
with me and hurried back home so soOn)'
But notwithstanding the met that great
quantities OF rain nall here during the
year. there are times when water be-
comes very scarce and It has 10 be haul
cd sometimes tor miles, at these seasons