The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1888-04-06
OUR ATTRACTIVE GULF
COAST.

The following we clip from the
Grenada Gazette, written by Mr..
r.. L. Payne, the senior editor, who
was on a recent visit to this place.
He says:
The varied resources and attrac-
tons of the Gulf Coast were like an
unread book to me, aud as they
were unfolded before my eyes !
looked upon them with increasing
establishment and admiration. Here
in Grenada county, our exports and
sources of revenue are narrowed
down to one article, viz: cotton.
Nothing but cotton, and cotton or
nothing. The wheels of commerce
roll only to carry cotton and cotton
alone is the motive power that can
turn them. Cotton is undoubtedly
King of this realm, and his subjects
are all our people, of every degree,
condition and color. He has almost
uSurped the dominion of the AL
mighty Dollar, and mans status, if
a farmer, is estimated, not upon the
number of his acres, but upon the
number of bales of cotton he raises.
If he wishes TO borrow money, and
offers his farm as collateral, as too
many of them unfortunately have
to do, the first question asked is not
chow many acres have yOup but
chow many bales did you make
last yearp / have often wondered
what would become of us here
should there be any sort Of mishap,
he a complete, total failure of the
cotton crop. SOne half of the people
would beon starvation and the 9th
er half not able to help them. No
such calamity can ever befall the
people of this coast. The whole
country is not depended upon one
siugle product for the very neces-
sarIes of life. While it may be true
that certain industries are pursued
at certain seasons. still there are a
number of pursuits that have all
seasons for their own. Among
other profitable industries that |
so far failed to mention is wool
growing, Or sheep raising. The
weather is never cold enough to in
iure the early lambs, which are al
ways the best, and the native grass
es furnish food sufficient for the
sheep, the year round. They re
quire no wintering or feeding, and
last but by no means least, the o
kle burr is absolutely an unknown
factor on the coast. There is not
one cookie burr--or as we call it,
"euckle burrn-between New Or
leans and Mobile. We all know
here, at least as many of us as ever
gave the subject a thought, that the
cookie burr is the worst enemy that
"Mary's lamb has to contend with
in this section. 1t is frequently
death to the sheep, and always ru-
inatiOn to the wool. 1t detracts
from the real value of the wool from
so to 70 per cent. The Coast coun.
try sheep know not the deadly en-
brace of the baleful cookie burr, and
live and die burrless and happy.
The wool grown here and in Louis
lana, is known in the markets as
"Lake" wool, and always commands
the very highest price. Cattle do
well during the spring, summer and
fall seasons, but require some at
tentiOn during the winter.
There is an infinite variety Of
pursuits from which to choose. If
you don't banker after one, you can
hook on to another. And then,
above all things else, to IA sick man
at least, is the %gloriously healthy
climate. The city folks for years
past have made this a summer re-
sort, to escape the heat and unheat
thy atmosphere Of the cities, in hot
weather, and the Northern folk are
now seeking the same resort in win
ter, to escape the horrors of their
arctic, blizzard breeding homes. A
delightful and salubrious climate
all the year round.
Why this region has been so long
and so persistently overlooked, it is
not my purpose now to discuss.
People would rush to California one
way, and to Florida another way,
to pay exhOrbitant prices for land,
not one whit better than this and
where the climatic forces and intiu
ences we're almost identical with
those of the Gulf Coast of Mississip-
pi. One other feature that partic-
ularly commends this Coast coun-
try to me, is, hat it is right here
in our State. Under the broad
egis of our own loved common
wealth of Mississippi. The same
laws and liberties, with all the ills
and evils incident thereto, the same
Legislature to make some more
laws with some more ills and evils
and the same Governor Lowry to
preside over the dog goned concern,
in his unique and inimitable style.
All these ills have the uncertain
virtue of being to us not unknown.
II. I. p.