The Chickasaw messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1880-1900, 1881-05-19
a uinncsotra glnn's opinion Of
she sllssis-irri tsrairics-
<tzefrllrd On file Cars from
ohacrNuaiou and Eulor-
rnuflnu.


Maori. Miss May a, ISL
To NJ Nmonnons AND Fnlrsps "a
rur NoRru-Wrsr.-You request
ad tbai / should note what could
see aud hear in reference 90 the eollh-
orn country and give you my honest
concerning Che people.
soil and productions, and ]
faithfully promised 90 comply. Lcav
ing St. Louis on my way South. ]
came by the Iron Mountain roal TO
Columbus. XIV, where I boardCd @
Mobile a Ohio railroad train bound
for The Gulf coast ] saw no country
In Missouri, Kentucky. Tennessee or
North Mississippi, along the route
/ travelled ,hat impressed me FAVOR
ably. until 7 reached the Mississippi
Prairies which skirt the Mobile &
Ohio railroad from Shannon TO
Macon a distance Of about sixty
miles. These prairies are, ! am in
formed, about twenty miles wide
on an average, and embrace parts Of
Tie counties Of Chickasaw, Monroe,
Clay, Lowndes, Oktibbeha and Noxu
bee, and a FINER country my eyes
never beheld. All il needs is a little
Of the thrift and push Of the hardy
pioneers OF the Great North West to
make Il the garden spot OF the
American continent. By this !
do not mean to cast any rehec-
lion upon the white people Of this
section, for a more polite, genial,
hospitable people / have never seen.
But ] mean to say the country Is
too sparsely populated, for is appar
ent beauty ana healthfulness, and too
poorly cultivated BY the freedmen,
fWhO constitute most Of the labor, J
to half-way display It's extraordinary
fertility. Ii needs Northern capital,
white emigration aud improved agri-
cultural implements 20 diversity its
crops and develops its wonderful
resources
The climate to q Western man, +
delightful Garden vegetables grow
here eight months in the year The
thermometer rarely ever gets within
ten degrees of zero IN the winter aul
aboss ninety aye in the summer
The average temperature iu winter f.
estimated bY one o. the most inie.li-
gent gentlemen have met, al G.y
degrees and in the summer at eighty
Tie average temperature the ical
round he places at about sixty 90
sixty Eve Three fOurlbs OF The tire
from the LIST q November TO The lsi
Of March, the ihermometerin this
country shows q temperature above
thirty two degrecs-the freezing
point In these prairies the heat oil
the summer Is tempered By breez
which blows almost continuously
Such a climate cannot be other than
healthy.
The soil is rich, black loan rest.
ing upon a rotten limestone founda-
ton In appearance Il is very similar
to the Illinois prairies It yeries IN
depth, from the surface 10 The rock
from two to ten feet; is susceptible
Of improvement by the use Of fertil.
izsrs, and is easily cultivated. Tht
productions are numerous varied
Corn grows well and with such cult
walton as we have in the North West
| do not see any reason why Oh,
yield cannot be made as great her,
as there Rye and oats grow to grea
perfection, but wheat I am told vii
not do well on the prairies PotaiCe.
ofall kinds grow in great abundance
Fruits ana vegetables are amos
endless in variety and quantity
unless ] should except apples Auf
what 10 more remarkable etlll, clover
aud the grasses grow as lnxursntls
here as IN tue famous efass-groWinz
region Of Kentucky. But cotton is
king, and the natives are so subser-
Went to his autocratic will, that thel
neglect grain, grasses and stock
raising, in order that this tyrant
dominion may be enlarged And
herein ] End q satisfactory solution
Of the problem, that an intelligent,
energetic people living in the finest
agricultural country, Everything con.
sideFed) ! ever saw, are not pros.
porous.
Lands are remarkably cheap A
gentleman residing in Chickasau
county showed me a magnificent
Prairie farm near Egypt station.
which he says can be bought for IS
per acre This land cultivated IN
SOUTHERN STYLE will Yield BALI talg
Of cotton. aud from 30 TO 40 bushels
Of corn per acre In my judgment It's
productive capacity under thorough
cultivation can be increased moTa
thsn 8 hundred per cent.
A gehtleman residing Ia Clay
county, owns q farm OF 600acres, ter
miles from the railroad. 600 acres
is IN q good state Of cultivation, Tor
Southern farms. The houses, out
houses, ein house, stables, cribs and
fences will compare tayorably with
our Minnesota farms Timber is
plenty, which is something unusual.
The owner is an old man, whose sons
have married and gone to themselves,
and not being able to manage so large
a place, is DESTROYS of selling it, and
he offers it at a price which is abso-
lulely less than the improvements
could be put upon the land, Il you
had Government deed toit Ia the
little city Of Okolona, q gentleman has
sixty acres OF land, on which Is q
frame residence Of 5 rooms a splcn.
did barn Tor horses and cattle. III
necessary ont houses, twg good els
terms Of water good garden, line
young orchard ofapples, peaches ana
pears, aud the remainder az the land
vel set 10 clover and The grasses
This would be q dne location Tor one
Of our thrifty Northern dhrgmen.
(for / am told no snch business 3
done ct or near this town containiae
hesveen 1000 and 5000. lnhabilanisl
and i can be purchased or $3.50
Caah.
by friends viii note non the
above that an capiivaged by the
country and peop.e. hut | ~ -