The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1879-07-31
LETTER FROM SOUTHERN TEN
NESSEE.
What a Former Highlander Thinks 0
the Country

We have been permitted to make the
subioined extracts from private letter re-
ceived by Mr.. Warren johnson, Of Paint
tp., this county, from his brother Harvey,
who moved last year with mis- family from
the neighborhood of New Boston to Law
renee county, Tenn, where he is engaged
in farming.
Lawrence is one of the southern tier Of
counties, adjoining Alabama, and in what
is called middle Tennessee, which includes
the central portion Of the State, lying be-
between East and West Tennessee. The
population of the county in 1870, accord
ing to the Census report, was 1901, most
" whites. In 1860 the population was 9,
800, showing a considerable loss ip ten years
including the rebellion. The surface of
the county is mostly table lands, and the
soil is quite fertile. It is we'll Watered by
several branches of the Tennessee river,
which furnishes good power for cotton
manufactures. There are several iron
mines in the county. In 1870, the county
produced 81 ,32l bushels of wheat, 189,695
bushels of corn, 22O95 bushels of oats, g.
39I bushels Of sweet potatoes, 8,4O3 bush
els Of Irish potatoes, 796 tons hay, 32,47
lbs. tobacco, 49, 1873 lbs. butter. Cash val
ne of farms, S8O3, ,486. Estimated value
of all farm products, s574,8g1; value of
manufactures, SS2O,319. Area, $50 square
miles. Mr.. johnson writes:
''AIay 25, 1879.
sour corn looks well, though not plant
ed till after the lst Of May. Some Of it is
boot top high. cleared up an old ''sedge
field" that HIS not been in cultivation since
some years before the war. It was grown
M with black oak, sassafras, dOg-wOOd,
Dersimmon, anu almost every kind of tim
her. The ncsives told me wouldn't raise
ANYTHING on that grOund-that there was
"a sour pizen nature IN it" that it would
take a wear to kill out. That may be, but
the corn on part of it where the briers
were tbickest, is half knee-high, and the
sssour pizen nature" is easily traceable to
prub-worms, ants and rOOt-iCe.
'sDav before yesterday I sowed my millet,
about 3 acres; paid s. per bushel fgr seed
[ want to try to raise my own feed for an
other year. Hay is selling at $15 per ton
and has to be hauled 8 to y miles.
bought corn in January here on the place
at 40 cts. Saw I was going to run short,
and went to Maury Co. last week and
bought a load at 80 cts, next day bought a
load at So C. and before corn grows again
1 think those who have to buy viii pay 20
to so C. 1 bought 1000 bundles Of fodder
leOrn blades) last winter of the man who
moved away from here; paid i cts. per
bundle. 1t makes splendid feed when
cured and put up right, better than hay, 1
think. but if I can find or make dry feed
anv other way will never strip corn
! blades for 81. so per 100 bundles!
"a week ago yesterday Lawrence Co.
voted by a large majority 10000 towards
building a railroad TO run from Florence,
| Ala, through Lawrence to Columbia, Tenn.
The managers claim they will have the
trains running from Columbia to Mt. Pleas
ant by October and to SummertOwn by
! January next, but we think they will do
we'll if the road is completed to Mt. Pleas
ant in Is months. The President of the
company told the people in a speech at
| Lawrenceburg, the county seat, some time
ago, that the road was located on the last
/ survey; if such is the case, it Will cross
\ the pike north of SummertOwn about i
miles. which will make it miles from our
| place.
"People are still coming here to settle
two or three families from Michigan,
one from Minnesota, two from northeastern
/ Ohio. The latter have bought on the creek
below us. There are four men in Ithe
neighborhOod looking for lOcatiOns-twO
from Michigan, one from northern Ten
nessee and one from DakOtah territory.
| The one from DakOtah told me yesterday
that there were two families on their way
here from there, and that more would
come in the fall. I saw the two Ohio men
next morning after they got to Summer
town. They came by here to ask the way
to where man by the nance Of Webbi lived
who was an old neighbOr of theirs, and
moved down here early in the spring
| They came back in the afternoon, enthusl-
astic in their delight with the country down
the creek; said if they sent back favorable
report, which they couldn't help but do
there would quite a number Of families
follow them in the fall. Two or three
davs afterwards they bought, adjoining
Webb's place.
"Igot a letter a few days ago from a
man named Pierson, a neighbor Of John
Cooper's, making inquiries about the coun--
! try. He expected to come in the fall if
can give him satifactory answers to ms
his questions, which think can do, In
the fore part of April a couple OF children
(thev had been married but mOnths) ar
rived at SummertOwn, on one 9TH day al
ternoon from Indiana. The girl was ia.
ken with home sickness and cried till
1 some time next day, when the hotel keeper
hitched up his wagon and took them
about through the country, calling at the
! house Of 8 Michigan man on their way
! Next day the man bought him home and
went to work, and l haven't heard Of any
trouble since.
"Peaehes and apples will be scarce IL
this section, owing to a hard frost we hao
when apples were in bloom. There viii
be some wild plims and plenty OF wilcc
grapes. Blaekberries will be plentiful
also huckleberries.
GsYOu seem To be anxious to know how