The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1883-06-28
Texas Tinkllngs.

Editor Of The DEMOCRAT:
find IT impossible to answer half
the inquiries about this country, and
will only ask room at this time for a /
short chapter on things seen in a
week in Brazoria county.
The people appear to make a living
so easy that they have most of the
time to spend IN idleness and plea
sure, and more whole-soulcd set of
people it was never mans fortune
20 be set down among.
Early last week, Mr.. w. Bates, q
son of General Bates, Of Confederate
notoriety, came for me and we start
ed out for Diamonds Mound. This
mound is curious upheaval of abont
three miles in length by one mile
wide, and one hundred and fifty feet
high. From the top Of the mound,
we have view of the surrounding
prairie for many miles, dotted with
mats of live oak and herds OF cattle,
no less than twenty-three immense
herds being in sight, some SO far
away as to look no larger than goats
and others looking to the eye like a
black spot slowly moving over the
prairie, and we watched them NOV
ing up from the lakes of water till
the sun went down.
The mound is famous for its ''sour
eartn,n mineral found in great
abundance and of a very sour taste,
which the natives use for all diseases
from cholera to snake bic, and
swear it cures them all. A Chicago
firm is now shipping it North by the
carload.
The mound il also famous for its
fine quarrles of limestone, and hole
that has no bottom.
The next curiosity we ran onto was
1000 bushels of sweet potatoes of
last years growth, all sound, and,
after eating some for dinner, we de-
cided they were all the better for age.
Sweet potatoes appear to keep all the
year round with little care. We also
saw some last years Irish potatoes,
all sound and nice, which had been
living since last fall in an clubhouse,
with only little shell lime sprinkled
over them. We were then shown
over sthe Walden sugar plantation
and through the sugarhouse. IL IS
a sweet place, but does not look
good. Everything sticks but the
work hands. We next ran onto two
turkey hens with seventy-o one young
turkeys following them, and it did
not look like much of place for tur-
keys either, We saw numerous fat
hogs in the woods and on the prai-
rles. Formerly, the negroes killed
all the hogs here, but since then the
white man feeds his pigs a very little
strycllnia and talks a great deal
about it, and It is found to add great
| IL to the longevity of the hog.
1 Mr.. J. r. Duke, well known to
most of your readers, has IN inn
mense crop. Corn fifteen feet high
and in roasting ear; COTTON with sew.
eral grown bolls to the stalk, and
vegetables in abundance.
[ Mrs. Duke was badly bitten on the
cali Of the leg by a vicious dog, four
days ago, but treated it with ''sour
water from Diamonds Mound, and
is helping do the housework.
There are few immigrants here,
who cultivate the the soil and Inevs
er saw better crops grow in any
country. But the native Texan
plants nothing he cannot cultivate
on horseback, and turns everything
into cattle. Cattle appear to be a
fair crop to raise, for man gave in
testimony before the district court,
held here lest week, that he paid
$1,000 cash Tor the increase from one
heifer calf for seven years, and
thought he made $500 in the trade.
j. f. w.