The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-06-25
For the Farmer and Mechanic.
Pop-caIls Among our Country
Friends.

"a We leave behind Us business and poll
tics and view the substantial farms o.
Swift Creek. a great happiness fills oul
heart, and the relaxed brain ieels the
melowing influence Of summer sur
rise. Tie birds are enjoying their wild
freedom and a chorus Of delightful songs
fills the air. Ningling with all we hear
the reapers chorus 10 the wheat field OF
Billy Edwards, and we catch sight OF that
old soldier whose dutitul attention to hi.
farm will Weld him this season 300 bushel,
of wheat, and quite that amount of oats,
with splendid stand of cotton and corn.
And now We reach Mrs. Hint Franklin ;,
and that geutlewomau, the eye witness OF
more horse racing and chicken fighting il
the days of yore, calls our attention to
pretty designed bedquilt she has on 8
frame, and informs us that the Yankees
took i3 superior ones from her. leaving
nothing but an old white mule and brok
en- down wagon; but as soon as she heard
! Gen. Cox had come back from the war,
she mounted the old mule and went to
him, and that-"God bless him, though
the war had served him badly, he gave
me a ten dollar bill and told me as long
as he had anything he would divide With
his people
Bread cast upon the waters, ETC., etc.
Forests Of original growth OF pine and
oak cover the hills in Middle Greek town
ship, narrowing the view of the rich val
lie. lying on Black Creek. On every side
are extensive fields of grain, and the
scythe is gathering the harvest all the
way to the farm of Maj. j. Madison
Jones where we rest our weary steed and
partake of his mid day meal, seasoned by
talk of crops, and proud is he of his farm
and of his son Wes. From "a bushels
Of wheat the yield was 5S bushels, and
from gallon sent him by our Congress
man, he make three bushels of the finest
grain wheat we have ever seen.
We bend our course past preacher
Olives on to the Smithfeld road, and
across the old Fayetteville road to W..
). Turner, and now we are IN the land OF
improvements. Neat, substantial and
painted residences catch the eye every half
mile or SO. The fences and fields are In
splendid condition, and such crops have
not been raised in many years. Young
blood has infused new growth in these
parts, and hourishing families of pretty
children are seen at every house. AT
| friend Hobbys we counted | 3 but on
enquiry, Mrs. Hobby kindly informed US
she was only thirty years of age and that
they were mostly neighbors children. Any
way they were handsome, neatly dressed
children, and jeff Gully, in his shaded
porch, told US that they mo longer belied
the children and turned them loose in
the swamps to Craze on the huckleberry
crop" In a neighborhood where every
thing is so thriving and pleasant it is diff
| ticult TO discriminate. Nearer to Black
Creek the nice farms and buildings of Mr..
Crowder are worthy of special notice.
| And now we are close to Rands mill. Up
dence of Billy Rand, apd in front Of a
grove OF magnificent water oaks and the
old bridge is passed over in the way. Maj
Rand constructed it after his return from
the Indian war. Leaving the Raleigh
road here, we zig gag across to shake
hands with handsome Rom Sturdivant,
and the old squire his father, and then as
the shadows of evening are falling fast we
strike bee line for Dave Lewis's where
we meet with hearty welcome from that
honest, jolly, true hearted old gentleman,
and an hour after supper, talk extended
far into the night, while peals of laugh
ter from the senatorial lungs as he told
US Of the barbecue and blackberry candi-
dates for Republican nomination. Every
thing is fat at Dawes, the negroes. mules,
cabbage, beets, cotton, hogs, chickens, vie
with their owner in the possession of the
most avolrdupois. After breakfast we
ride over to Auburn and chat John An
drews the P. NJ; find out from him that
the place contains about IS inhabitants,
and as we converse, Billy Watts, one of
two English gentlemen, brothers, who set
tied here about ten years ago joins us and
points out the stores of his brother Sam
Watts, Poole Bros. and Moscow Poole, all
doing a good trade. Mr.. Watts has rare
grapes in his home garden, and as truck
farmer Mr. Sam Watts has no superior.
Just this side of Battles bridge we notice
nice store, and back in fine grove of
old oaks a hand some residence. En-
quiry at the store brings to light the
clever sons Coy and Hardy of our old
friend Coy Poole, Esq, and here as in
many other places we hear the Farmer
and Mechanic fills mission. Over the
Neuse oD Battles bridge, and we are in
the mo fence" law territory of which law
wethave always been an advocate. To
our LETT We see the perfection of South
ern gentleman's residence and know we
are nearing the home of Squire A. T..
Mlal, whom to know is to appreciate.
We are sure of kind welcome and as
we wish to hobnob with Tommy Mial we
leave our buggy at the gate ard sauntered
up the avenue of elms, maple, etc. boun-
ded by terraced slopes covered with shrub
berry and flowers and enter the wide vine
covered veranda where we at once COM
mence enjoying the essence of refreshing
GOODNESS after our hot ride. As we shake
hands with some half dozen young gen.
tlemen and children We feel rather at sea,
not knowing that our old friend had so
numerous growing family, but Bailey
Williamson, Jr., sets us right by count
ing three of them for his father. As we
light our cigar the spirit Of contentment
takes possession and memory tunes its
fork to happy recollections of boyhood
days passed at this section; and now from
inspecting his harvest field enters the
Squire. A little grayer, but as hale and
hearty a. he was twenty years ago.
\ Mr. Mlal possesses a mind of rare
culture and as determined a character
as ''Nerxes" of old. and the general in
formation we derived from our pleasant
conversation with him while we were
waiting for Tommy (we must tell you
we had particular reason for wishing to
get away before the dinner hour helped
to strengthen many opinions which we
had heretofore entertained. We have
hobnobed with Tommy, and rise to
leave, thinking Squire Mial will let us
+ off. as he knows the Importance OF our
mission, when, horror OF horrors, We
find be has ordered our boy to the
stables with our tired steed, and know
that our secret must be tod. We COM
mence to partake of his always excel
| lent Iusine. As we seat ourself at the
j dinner table We racnllact the old nrn.