The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1875-12-01
LETTER EROM TEXAS.
FIRST LNPRSSTONS-PRTCE or La
BOR-THE COUNTRY

FIRST RSSIONS-PhICE or Id
BOR-THE COUNTRY.
PLANO, Texas, Nov. Il, 1875.
To the Editor of the Morristown Gazette:
AS many of my former friends in
East Tennessee may be interested
in hearing from the Great Southwest
l drop Won a few lines for their edi-
fication. / am located in Colin coun-
ty, near the old Military road, over
which our forefathers marched in de-
Tense OF THIS country. | live eight
miles from Plano, a beautiful town
on the Texas Central railroad. The
town has four handsome churches,
two good schools all the time, and
an honest, enterprising set of bust
hess men. the largest number of
whom are from Tennessee. l live
within fifteen miles of the county
site, which in dry weather is an at.
iractive little town, but very muddy
in wet weather Dallas, twenty
miles from us, is place Of more bu-
biness than any town I ever saw Of
its population.
We have had 3ne crops of all kinds
of grain this year, and an abundance
Of vegetables. Wheat was very fine,
from Is to 30 bushels TO the acre !;
oats. 40 to 60; corn 20 TO 80; cotton,
an average of three quarters of a
bale to the acre, though many plant
ers made more than a bale to the
acre. Good farm labor commands
$50 per month common, $15; good
herders, 500 to $40; common, $25 to
$50: good carpenters $3.50 and COM
mon, $3.50 per month work cattle.
$40 to $50 a yoke milk cows SIS
10 $50 head beef steers. years
old. SIP; 8 years old $40; l year
old $25 per head -four, So % corn,
so cents; oats. 80 cents; eggs zoe;
butler, 2jc.
The country is mostly prairie land
and very rich. soil from three to IF.
teen feet deep, and stands a (frouth
very well. Tie d;rt is black and
sticky but very mellow, and will
grow nearly everything grown in the
South. 1t is the prettiest country |
ever saw and the richest. 1t is as
healthy as other new countries. All
new countries are more subject to
lrouths and tue people more apt to
have cLills and fever; but / never
saw a country where so few persons
died. j live in one mile of grave
yard and there have only been three
persons buried there in three years,
and there is not another graveyard
in five miles. If some OF those old
fOgies in East Tennessee conld see 1
our huge prairies covered with fine
grass and beautiful flowers, with the
thousands OF stock feeding on them,
and the rich fields of black corn and
yellow wheat and oats and rye and
barley, they would want TO get out
of their hills and holIows. We have
as fine peaches and plums here as
ever saw, but / cannot recommend
this as an apple country. Our apples
are inferior in quality. We have in
this county good water, but it is not |
the case in all the counties. The |
people are very kind and sociable,
and are prepared for good living.
The ladies dress finer than in the old |
States. / speak of Colin county.
Out west of us they dress palmer.
A friend from out there says he put
up for the night with family who
had no cups and saucers for the COT.
fee but what had been manufactured
ont of COW horns. | could name a
man wLo has lived not more than
six miles from here for twenty years
and has q large family, among them
several handsome daughters, who