The Russellville Democrat., 1879-05-15
POpE COUNTY,

county we find in the Spirit of Ar Kansas. It was written for that paper by one of our old and we'll known citizens, Hon. c. E. Tobey:
 "As will be seen by glance at the map, this county lies just about half way from Little Rock to Ft. Smith, on the north side of the Arkansas river, and running well up to the spurs of the Ozark tor Boston noun tain, as it is called here, the streams rising in the northern portion of the county xii running in a course near ly south into the Arkansas river.
 Of course there is considerable di- versity of soil, scenery, and even of climate, in . distance of over half Q degree of latitude, and several hun dred feet in altitude.
 One-third of the county may be said to be mountainous, the central portions broken and hilly, and only the alluvial or bottom lands really rich. Although there is a consider able portion of rock and waste land, there is not half as much as one would suspect, from birds eye view of the map, or of the country in passing rapidly through it. Nearly all of the low mountains or hills, showing abrupt rocky sides, are level or gently rolling on their tops, ard Hundreds of farms have been open ed, and fair crops of corn, wheat, oats, sorghum, and even cotton are raised. These elevated plateaus are better adapted to orchards and yine- yards than the valleys, and occa- sionally, when the peach crop is in- jured or killed by late frosts in other parts, plentiful supply is raised there. Even the SUITS of the north ern Ozark, or Boston mountain, are gently undulating, and are being set tied everywhere, soil, climate. range, and water being good. l have said this much in defense of our moun- tains, because many have the i'm pression that they are only the haunts of bears and wolves. But this is by no means the case; good crops, fat cattle and hogs, and splen- did orchards can all be had there. Lands are very cheap, water very pure and plenty, and timber mex haustible. The oaks of various kinds oredominate, and their ripen- cd mast is the main dependence with many for fattening swine. The grass Tn the open woods, and the pea-vine on the mountain sides and "benches" seldom fail to make the cattle "hog fat" in the fall. So It will be seen that the mountainous parts of this and adjoining county are not to be despised or counted out, for there are thousands of peo- pie who prefer the mountain air and mountain springs of pure water, to the crowded city or crowded farms of the valleys.
 The smaller mountains, such as the Crow, Buck, Lac and others, are isolated, not being connected as con tinuous ranges, for one may drive entirely round any of them in . buggy or wagon. The Crow noun. tain, near whose base the Little Rock x Fort Smith railway runs foi ten or twelve miles, has probably g hundred or more farms on its top and one would not be aware that he was on a mountain at all if he were suddenly dropped down there.
 These lands, though not having as deep a soil as the lower lands, and not to be compared with the bottoms are in many respects very desirable bening far better for apples, peaches and grapes, and also fine for wheat. The common uplands," between the elevations described, constitute the larger portion of this and other valley counties, between the ' Rock x Ft. Smith railway.
 soil is good, far better and IT able th.r any one would bf
 had not spent so many yssAs--.-..... the writer has. We can point te fields which have been cultivated al most continuously thirty and forty years without manure, shallow n'nw. ing, and but littl Sj o~~~>~ . of crops, and yesAas
 ing crops. An
 the poorer fiels
 turned out soon recu,
 year or two of IT
 cultivation again.
 daanar vlowinu and.