The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1885-12-10
" wAYFARER +"
Takes a BIrds-eye View of Law.
renoo County.
It's Resources and Prominent Fea
lures.


we propose IN take a general birds
eye view OF that old county. We do
this, not with the expectation of af-
fording any thing new to your nu-
me.ous readers in that county and
Lincoln, who are doubtless generally
already familiar with the locality,
bat for the benefit Of your more dis.
tant subscribers in Mississippi and
other States.
Lawrence is one of the oldest
counties in the State, having been
formed out of Marion in the year
1914, and constituted one Of the
original fourteen counties which
framed the Constitution under
which Mississippi was admitted to
the Union in 1917.
An impression prevails abroad
that the lands in that county, and
indeed nearly all the Southern por-
tion of the State, owing to want of
fertility, are not well adapted to ag-
ricultural purposes. This is par
TALLY true when applied to the pine
hills and the level land near the sea-
board; but even these lands are not
altogether unproductive, and they
afford excellent grazing for cattle
and sheep almost throughout the
year The lands, however, in the
valleys Of the rivers and creeks are
exceedingly productive and as well
adapted to the culture of sugar cane
and rice as Of cotton and corn. Here
also is the home Of the sweet potato
"a never-failing crop, and a luxury
which is just. as abundant in the
poor mans log house as in the pal
ace of the merchant prince. Here
also all kinds of semi-tropical
fruits and vines flourish in luxuriant
perfection. Pearl River, one of the
most beautiful streams in the South,
runs from north to south almost
centrally through the county. The
valley Of the river is from three to
six miles In width, and few better or
more attractive agricultural regions
can be found in the State The bot
toms are heavily timbered with
sweet and black gum, white and red
oak, hickory, beach, magnolia and
cypress, interspersed with a smaller
growth of sassafras, dogwood, lau.
rel, sumac, etc. The soil is usually
a black alluvial deposit, very rich,
free from standing water and quite
easy to cultivate. Further back
from the river are hammock lands,
also very fertile. Still further back
rise the pine hills affording unlimit-
ed summer range, while for winter
pasturage the bottoms afford large
quantities of cane.
These hills are densely covered
with forests of yellow pine, the trees
growing to a great size, much larger
than those near the seaboard.
Through these green hills pour down
to the river over gravelly beds
many sparkling rivulets, clear and
beautiful as the crystal springs from
whence they emanate. These rapid
running creeks are equal in purity
and GOODNESS to those of the noun
tains of Virginia. Many of them
afford magnificent water power, ca
pable of running not only ordinary
mills and gins, but also extensive
wooden and cotton factories; and we
here indulge the reasonable predic-
tion that many Of your present read
ers will live to hear the music of
thousands of spindles along these
charming water courses, where now
is only heard the sad miHstrelsy OF
the moaning pines. Among the
more important OF these streams,
emptying into the central river on
the esst side, are Crooked Creek,
Silver Greek, White Sand and Green's
Creek; and on the west side, BAHIA
la, Bear Creek, Fair River, Halls
Greek, Topisaw and Tilton.
The valleys of these streams are
similar to that of the Pearl, though
of less extent-rich bottom lands,
back of which rise the undulating
hills, with their perennial emerald
crowns of pines. l will add, for the
benefit OF disciples of Walton, that
these streams afford abundant sup
plies of delicious fish, while those
hardly so good but OF larger size, can
he caught from the lakes and the
waters of the Pearl. In the pine
hills the wild turkey and deer
abound.
1t might be inferred from the fore