Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-04-11
From the "Sst7lslv SOutb.'


EDITOR Since wrote
/ you last find that quite chapter has
been added to my Southern experience.
First in interest, always, is the weather.
Every word we receive from the north
leads me to appreciate, all the more, the
beautiful days we have here. We are
now about in the middle of June for
northern season. In some things we are
even beyond that, as we have had straw
berries for more than 2 weeks and are
now having green pease and new potatoes.
This is just the time for one to come south
for real enjoyment, especially if he can
stay only for few weeks Nature il
simply magnificent with us now. The
foliage of the trees is most beautiful and
nearly every one is loaded with fragrant
blossoms. But the roses surpass every
thing else. The extravaganza and luxur-
iousness of southern life is, nowhere, bet
ter illustrated than in the overwhelming
abundance and fragrance Of the roses.
After shower we are, literally, sick WITH
their odor. Their variety, in appearance,
and their delicacy, in color, are really
wonderful, Some of the bushes are not
more than foot high, others, like vines,
climb to the top of tall tree and throw
all their beautiful blossoms hundred
feet in the air, others form great arbors,
with dense shade, and still others have
the branches of forest tree. Please do
not question my veracity when l tell you
that the blossoms vary in size, all the
way from the little button rose, no larger
than pink, to the mammoth blossoms
IL inches in circumference. | have o
splendid swarm of pure Italian bees that
l bought of my old college mate, Curtis,
IF Selma, Ala. They are now happy in
the abundance OF honey. Mr.. Curtis 10
quite an expert in raising queens for
shipment to the north. Should any of
your readers desire queens, the offspring
of an imported Italian queen, they can
do no better than by writing to Rev. G. B.
Curtis, of Selma, Ala. He is Wiscon-
sin boy and was born at Emerald Grove,
near GAINESVILLE. His father was q
preacher there as early as the territorial
days of Wisconsin. He is dead now and
yet he still lives in the lives of three grand
boys, two of whom are my neighbors, pi-
oneers in this southern work, and one
missionary in Japan. Iwish could put
that hooking bird into my letter It sits
in magnolia tree near by and its song is
borne in through the open window and
all is so beautiful that, for the mo-
ment, it is difficult for me to realize
whether am in the body or out Of it. /
have just returned from a ride of Is
miles into the country, with a friend.
| We went North into Elmore county,
among the fruit and vegetable farms,
along the line of the Louisville & Nash.
vile r. R. A more beautiful country I
never saw. We crossed the Alabama
river on Jacksen's Ferry, the very same
oldssboat on which the Union army crossed
on its way from Selma to Montgomery in
'65. The novelty of everything ON the
way made the ride exceedingly interest
ing, but it was made all the more 30 by
the conversation ofythe friend who was
with me- We were to pass the planta-
tiOn on which, 81 years before, he was
bern slave and every foot of the dis
lance We travelled, that day, he had been
over Thousands of times before, but rarely
without heavy heart. He had not been
in that direction before for 20 years and
yet so yividly had those hard times i'm
pressed all on his mind, that in the midst
of the dense woods, he could point out
many by-path, now almost hidden by
the growth of years, through which he
had been able to escape from his pursu-
ers. The large plantation houses along
the way proved most fsrcibly the old time
wealth and luxury of the country. Such
beautiful building spots, such luxurious
shade, such sparkling brooks and such
sagacity in bringing SO many comfortable
things together in one place l think can
rarely be found out of tropical climate.
And yet many of these beautiful spots
are entirely deserted except as some poor
colored families find a temporary home
in them among the old slave quarters or
in the back kitchen of the planters man
sion. What grand opportunities for
northern capital and enterprise in these
old plantations. | wish some of our old