Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1892-09-15

tinue bearing for three years, when
they are cut down and the field
replanted, as picking cotton from
step ladders is not considered profita-
BILE; also the bolls deteriorate in size
after the third year. AS to yield |
viii leave the reader to imagine. A
Mississippian might believe it, butno
South Carolinian ever could until he
saw the stalks. The cotton sells for
from fifteen to twenty cents per
pound generally; but the great draw
back to this region is drouth, to
which it is subject. But the plant
ers say if they eau get one crop in
three years that it is good business;
that they can we'll afford to spicnic
it" the remaining two, and even then
make more money than farmers make
anywhere else working every year.
Their fields, like Oconee apple
orchards, are not cultivated; only
plant and gather, and the cotton
never dies from drouth, but remains
green and commences blooming when
rain comes.
After some fifteen hours run
through sterile and thinly settled
country, with an occasional thrifty
mining town, We commenced to pass
crowds of country people on foot, in
carts and driving droves of donkeys,
all loaded with coal, wood, silver ore,
meat, fruit, etc, all bound for the
reat mining city of Zacatecas, which
ge reached after ascending long
a3 very steep grade full Of very
.brupt curves. The city of Zaca-
ecas, capital of the State of that
name, has $4,000 inhabitants, nearly
II OF whom are engaged in mining,
nd she is one of Mexico's silver
ties, producing annually more sill
Yer bullion than any other city South
of the Rio Grande. The city and
country around IS literally honey
combed with tunnels and shafts, and
the hundreds of large windlesses at
the mouths of the Stats give spot
ted appearance. After leaving the
station we have pretty view of the
city, 9ne hundred feet below, and
# reminds one OF some old Bible
city, with its fat-topped houses and
high-steepled synagogues, and we
notice great many round yards
with aroves of horses, driven round
aud round knee deep in stiff mud
ae Iexican pateo process Of treat
ing silver ore. The quicksilver and
gic1ion in the ore soon rot the hoofs
off Ire horses, when they have to be
Alled. This would be an expensive
process in South Carolina, but horses
ale not worth much in Zacatecas. /.
The next place of interest is Aguas
Calientes, 8 clearly looking city, in
large level agricultural valley, with
green groves OF trees and having a
stream OF hot water flowing through
the streets, along the bank OF which
are seen hundreds Of people bathing,
washing elo.nes, leiling in the shade
smoking, chatting and taking life
easy. Mexico is a country of ease
nobody ever gets in hurry, and, as
general thing, everybody is always
taking holiday.
The trip to San Luis Potosi from
Aguas Calientes was through very
fertile agricultural valley, for most
of the way, and is strewn with nice
villages, farms, forests covered with
enormous cacti and beautiful grass
covered plains, spotted with herds OF
stock which live all year fat without
extra feed on the range.
Arriving at San Luis bills were
already posted announcing "a grand
bull-fght" on the following Sunday
evening. sFour brave bulls to be
fought to death by six renowned
stars of the profession. Entrance
fee, one dollar and fifty cents, in the
shade So my companion, having
never seen abulI6ght,' suggested
that we tstake if in" which we did