The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1884-07-05
SATURDAY, JULY ), 1854.
LETTER FROM TEXAS.
Editor Exchanges:

write through the columns of your
p per, aud will confine myself strictly
t. personal observation, which ems
braces Milan, Williamson and Bell,
the latter in particular.
Bolton, the county site, is on the
same parallel of latitude as Baton
Rouge, La, aud is consequently a
hot country; but the heat is not SO
oppressive as in the states, being a
prairie country and famed by the
gentle, balmy, heathful breeze frem
the Gulf of Mexico. When the mer.
curry reaches go it is pleasant in the
shade.
This county is well watered. Lit
tie River, which is formed by the
Leon, Salow aud Lampasas and unite
few miles from Bolton, runs the
year round. Besides these there are
several Sun aller streams; some of them
are made Of springs unfailing. The
water is pure nut not so cold as the
water in West tennessee. On the
prairies any amount of good water
can be obtained by little labor, as
there are no rocks to contend with.
There are portions of this state where
water fails in dry weather, but that
part | have not seen. The timber is
confined to the creeks and river
bottoms, and occasionally belts of
post oak, which furnish fuel and
posts for fences. Building material
is all shipped here by rail and is very
costly, rough lumber $3.50 per hun,
dred.
The Mo. Pac. Il. Il. crosses the
county from north to south and the
Gulf, Colorado and Sante Fe from
southeast to northwest. Their juno
ton is Temple. which three years ago
was barren prairie, over which vast
herds of cattle roamed, and the prai-
RE rabbit undisturbed went her way,
is now quite little city, containing
1000 inhabitants. Bolton is also
city, being about the size of jackson,
Tenn, containing three banking es-
Establishments, water works, comp press,
oil mills, planning and Touring mills
and everything pertaining to city.
Every business house and nearly all
dwellings have telephone communi>
cations. and also have the same with
Temple, which is eight miles off. l
might also mention that two newspa,
papers, the Reporter and Journal,
are published in Bolton Ten years
ago, Just before the railroads were
built, any of the prairies could be
bought for So so per acre; now it can
net be bought for less than $1,000; in
fact, very little is offered for sale. All
these prairies now contain beautiful
farms and the cottages, which can be
seen as far as the naked eye can
reach, form one of the most enchant-
lug views the writer ever beheld.
1t is all a humbug about this not
being an agriculturalco country. There
are thousands upon thousands of
bushels of corn now being shipped
from all railroad towns 10 st. Louis,
New Orleans and Mexico. There is
at this writing the finest crop of corn,
wheat aud oats that the writer has
ever had the fortune of seeing. The
wheat and oats are now being thresh-
ed, which is averaging Is bushels for
wheat and 80 for oats. Cotton is late,
on account of SO much rain in April
and May. There are places in the
state in which the papers report crops
as failures, being drowned out.
The latest and most approved farm.
ing machinery is used here, consisting
of cultivators, sulky plows, self binds
ing harvesters. threshers of the latest
style, besides any amount of cotton
gins, all of them using The condensers,
fine Touring mills, &c; in fact, the
farmers Of Texas are.Ef far ahead of
some of the Sister states in their mode
of farming
Now then, VIC are curtailed in re-
gard to fruit. Apples are not grown
in this part of the state at all, but
peaches, plums, pears and the grape
are grown to perfection, The small
fruits, such as are grown around Mi