The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1888-01-05
Should A Young Man
Go WestP
Note From Texas.

SnOulu remain AT n0m6 or sell OUT
end seek their fortunes in he New
West. 70 assist them in solving
this is the object of'this letter.
Withthc farmer, the first thing to
be conSidered is the soil; after that
climate and a score OF other things
including schools, chhres, accessi-
bility, &c. To these, l would say
that as 10 soil, after leaving st.
Louis over the Iron Mountain and
Southwestern Route, so far as l
could judge from the train, saw
nothing in fertility to equal the
Blaine Valley until | reached Mar
shall, a distance of over 500 miles,
mostly through Arkansas and Mis-
souri,. The country lies better than
Lawrence county, and is covered
with a growth of oak, pine, cypress,
sassnfras, persimmon, and some
others. The timber business is
largely engaged in along this route.
| was told that better land for farm,
ing purposes lies along the streams.
1t struck me that farming along
this line without literally fortiliz-
ing would not be lucrative. Here
around Marshall the soil is very
thin. Lawrence county lands pro-
duce better for general crop the
first year or two. OF course the
lands lie better here and when one
shall have to resort TO tertilizing,
as all will have TO do'in the no dis
tant future, this country will be lar
ahead of Lawrence" But just sixty
or seventy miles west OF here-Mar-
shall is near the line between Lou
Isiana and Tsxas-we have the cell
ebrated black soil" which for pro-
ductiveness is not surpassed by
any land under the whole canopy
of heaven. The chief crop in this
section is cotton, but | am conviuc-
ed that farmers would make more
money if they would turn their at
tention to fruits, stock and poultry.
In winter here we have more rain
and in summer more dry weather
than in Kentucky. Butt am not
sure that there are more failures in
crops here than there. True, Tex
as suffered greatly from droughts
last summer, bat so did the Sandy
Valley, other parts of Kentucky and
many other States. Inoted on my
way to Texas that many blue grass
fields Of Kentucky were scorched
by the Gun till they were fired from
the locomotive and burned over
large areas, ] have seen nothing
worse in Texas.
The climate here is much milder
than in your place. 1t is nearly
the middle OF November before the
trees are to any considerable extent
decorated with crimson and gold
among the green. The coolest
weather we have experienced here
so far this winter was " degrees
above zero Fab Our people call
that the dead of winter" From
my observations here and elsewhere
| am convinced that energy and
stick -to-it-ness will bring their re.
ward in any country. The man
who was a doless sort of fellow
comes west and gets rich-not 30
much because he has greater advan-
tages as because he is here thrown
ON his own resourceg-he must
| work or die--starve to death. lie
chooses work and does we'll, which
he might have done in his former
home. | know young men in Law
renee county who loaf about from
house to house with no settled pur-
pose. They toll not, neither do
they spin" but rise day after day
from tables furnished by the toll Of
others, and curse the country. Such
young men are the architects Of
their own misfortunes. Ii they
should 90 to work, save their earn
ings and live virtuousiy and eco
nomically, in few years they
would be well-to-do citizens al
home. So it is clearly seen that q
man can do well in Lawrence coun,
ty If he will. When he goes wesl
he finds a restless, adventurous
pushing people, with whose ways
he takes up and does we'll. A
start west is often sign" that 3
man is tired Of his old ways anc
means business TO those who
contemplate leaving Kentucky
would suggest Texas as preferabl,
TO any land east Of the Rockies. Il
has not the asperities of climat,
characteristic ofthe Northwest, anc
its soil is not surpassed, taking il
altogether, by any State iii Che I'm
ION. La the meantime, those who
are resolved to stay in Northeast
I