The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-05-10
IN THE SUNNY SOUTH.

| IN THE SUNNY SOUTH.
A Northern Mans Interesting Letter About
His Trip In Dixle-A Tribute to the
Mule.
MOBILE, ALA, April 1.-THE quaint
melodies of the negroes, the numberless
splashes of rich color that the deep pink
blossoms of the wild.plum is throwing
against the dark foliage of the forests of
Mississippi, the slender light green
shafts of the young sugar cane which are
rising from the soil, dark with exhausted
fertility, the sparkling waters and soft
breezes of the Gulf, the courtly, generous
hospitality of the people Of Mobile-all
these I shall recall regretfully when I
return North, but more than all else l
shall miss the patient, long-eared mule.
I have been thrown into the society Of
the mule good deal during the past
week, and there is, on my part at least, a
feeling of comradeship which has ripen.
into admiration.
There are doubtless people who will
say that such an affinity was to have
been expected, but such remarks only be.
tray their authors ignorance of the mules
traits of probity and sterling honesty of
purpose. The South could worry along
without its negroes, it could even do
without the tourists from the North if
the crop of other green things proves
fairly good, but if the mule should hand
in his resignation it would mean financial
ruin. You can ride for day sometimes
without seeing horse. Everywhere It's
the soil. the sun aud the gentle, benign,
reflective mule that do what work is done
in the South.
Yesterday came up to Egypt, Missis.
sippi. 1t lacks the mummy scented
atmosphere mysticism possessed by Cleo
patra's original Egypt. But there are
more mules and physical calm. From
Okolona to West Point along the line Of
the Mobile & Ohio railroad is the richest
stretch of prairie land in Mississippi, and
the most superb section of farming coun-
try have ever seen.
Here myrisds of ages ago the sea left
a broad deposit of alluvial soil so dark
and rich that its very appearance
enchants the eye. A pure prairie breeze
sweeps constantly over the gently rolling
country, and here the face of nature is
disfgured by just about the slouchiest
agricultural system on earth. The sys.
tenn of blowing employed is unique and
transformations. One mule and light
plow scratch out shallow rows in the soil
something over foot apart, and into
these rows the seed is dumped and
covered up. That is all there is to
Southern plowing. One instinctly longs
to dump down hundred, sturdy, active
young Michigan farmers say at Prairie
the eliminating point Of the district in
richness and elevation-and open the
eyes of those Southern agriculturists.
Over the magnificent acres hangs the
blight of shiftlessness, inferior labor, dis.
like of innovation, a vast system of
landlordism and settled aversion to
fertilizers in any form.
But the day is about to come when the
infinite possibilities of this wonderful
prairie stretch will be realized. A hum
dred industries might be entered into
with profit. Every variety ofgrass, fruit,
vegetable and grain grows in unstinted
profusion. The indigo plant reaches
perfection there, and the wonderful
growth of flowers would make their cul.
ture for the distilling of perfumes highly
profitable. Everywhere are great oppor.
tuni,ies for canning factories, paper and
cotton mills, and varied distilleries. The
mean annual temperature is about 60
degrees, and land ranges from 81 to $40
per acre. The Mobile & Ohio carry
settlers for one cent a mile, and refuse
this if land is purchased.
Travelling through the heart of the ex.
Confederacy has convinced me that Ice
berg Sherman's bloody shirt is 8
superauous as we'll as an exceedingly
frayed garment. 1t may be that every
Southern man carriesa revolver. / don't
know; I haven't had occasion to borrow
one yet. But certainly it is that the
Southerners are the most hospitable peo.
pie on earth, are amiable as well as brave,
and every man of intelligence regards
the issues of the war as dead issues. They
honor their ex leaders, they tell you of
the hardships endured during the great
struggle simply as an inevitable circum-
stance that has now passed by, but I have
not conversed with single man who does
not tell me that he is glad the war
accomplished what it did and that the
new order of things will be infinitely
better for the South. Then, too, the
young men are reaching out for the helm,
and the Southern youngster is precisely
the same sort of a cherry, level headed
hustler as is his. running mate in the
North.-H. B. s., in Lansing Michigc's
Journal.
She Married Him to Reform Him.
knew young lady who had every
thing which usually constitutes the hap.