Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1874-11-19
Letter. From

Dallas, L have been told, Is the best
altered and best timbcred county in
jorthern Texas. | was surprised to see
much timber, but not much Of 1t is
pod for anything except fire wood
housh the farmers here put to use TIM
,er that would be cast aside as useless in
,ctter timbered countries. Rail fences
ire rare ; plank fences and bois d arc
hedges protect the fa'ms,though hedges are
few and l have never seen a good one they
would be good aud far better than any
other fences if they we're taken care OF
nod attended to, which they are not, SC
far as l have So y Fence posts, en- &C.
count Of the difficulty of digging in this
soil. are driven in. A stake is first
driven in a little way, pulled out and the
Z hole filed with water to soften it. After
this softening the stake can easily be
driven to the required depth.
The emigraut travelling through Texas
in search Of a home cannot fail to OBJ
servetbe great scarcity Of water, and FREE
quently be will find it difficult to obtain
a 1aekettul for his tired team. | cuE see
nothing I oattribute this scarcity to except
the indifference, and in some instances
the indoieuce Of the people. With a
little labor, and a very little expense, an
abundant supply Of water could be OBJ
tanned. Twenty or twenty-five feet is
the average depth of wells. and as they
are dug through the white rock / lave
mentioned. they never need walling ex>
cept a few feet at the top. At o certain
depth water is found, percolating through
this rock, Below this the digging is con-
tinued far enough to form a basin as deep
AZ is wanted We have such a well in
the yard on this place. When first
came here il had about four feet of water
in I'll. had the same all through the
drouths and has it yet. During the sums
mer We used it economically and NO stock
wcre.watered from il. .uTa ~
The prsiries, are frequently diylded BY
what are known as tho "White Rock
Ravines." These are gulches where
water has washed the the soil away and
worn for itself a channel through the soft
sock. The traveller in Texas can pas;
over but few miles before reaching one Of
these fpvines, and often, where,the road
crosses, the banks are SO long and steer
that it seems almost impossible to cross
them with a loaded wagon. These ra'
vipes have numerous little springs along
them. A small trough dug in the rocl
catches the water as it trickles down ant
keeps . supply on hand for the passers-by
Enough they seldom hold enough for
morse. ! fthese springs were dug six OF
eight feet deep they would keep full al
the time. | know one about q mile from
here that the drought forced the neighboI
10 dig out and it furnished water for al
the neighborhood stock twice a day. l
all we're done so water would be plentiful
know Of but one cistern near here
which is evidence Of the little effort mad
to obtain water. In the town Of Dallas
water Is retailed from wagons at, | think
Eve cents a bucketful the wagons ar
supplied from wells in the town If yo'
ask for a drink Of water at q store, wheth
or you have made purchases or not, 20
will be told, I'VE buy our water and can
not afford to give it %away"-yet there ar
many good wells in Dallas and coul
easily be one on every lot. l know
gentleman, who. on a two acre lot ha
three never failing springs and a vel
These springs, like the ones in tb
r%ayines, yield but slowly, though the
yield constantly. If they were du
twelve or fifteen feet and walled, the
value would be quadrupled.
Four or Eve years ago a gentlemen VII
had been to Texas gave me a de~scriptio
Of the ''hog wallowS' as they are terme,
According to his account these wallov
were dangerous quicksands in which vi
cautious or ignorant travellers were oftc
lost. The tall prairie grass, he SAT-
grew close around the edges and c%onceale
them from view, thus rendering the
'doubly dangerous. If a traveller happel
to be riding a prairie pony, the lit
animals instinct always warned him
danger, as neither persuasion nor violen,
could induce him TO attempt to cross
whereas q horse from one Of the Stat
would spring in and both be and his rid
would sink in black mud to raise no NOR