The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-06-21
LEE COUNTY,
Former North Carolinian Writes Civ
ing Description.

Nu4hnAOAB A1AD ~ -
Mr. EDITOR;-When I left the ola
'"Tar-heel" State I promised many OF
friends that I would give them a ue-
~scription of this region-Southeastern
Kentucky-through your widely eau
columns. Aware, however, OF the ia
bility of first impressions to incorrect
ness. l have delayed writing until a
years experience should enable me 10
Judge more correctly of the advantages
pertaining to it.
This region, prior to the last few
years, was a terra GncOgnIt1G TO Ih9
outside world. Shut off by rugged
mountains, which to a great eXCenC
barred both egress and ingress, the IN
habitants retain many OF the charac-
teristics, manners and customs OF Che
past century. Their
methods are primitive in their SIM
plicity. An enclosure OF two or three
acres for raising bread corn, another
of perhaps half an acre for a truck
patch; these, with a log cabin, and
may be, a log barn, are all that are
necessary TO entitle q man to style him
self a farmer. Their agricultural i'm
plements are on a par with these i'm
provements. The old bull-tongue pillow
holds a high place in their estimation,
and the hoe is mainly depended upon
in cultivating the crop. The farmer,
assisted by his women folks, work a
little during two or three months Of the
spring and early summer, and spends
the remainder of the year in fishing,
loafing, hunting or swapping lies with
his 2eighbOrs.
They toll like a galley. slave when
the waters afford an abundant supply
of the finest fish-trOut that would
H. -.1,,4I &c ~ @-S0,,-o -~0A1V,
and bass, perch and other varieties too
numerous to mention. Does he tire of
a Lentin diet? He has only to take his
gun and seek the neighb0ring forest,
and his ear soon catches the gobble,
gobble Of the wild turkey, or the crash
of the underbruSh as the deer pushes
his way through. Does he desire ONE
thing with which to sustain his daily
pone or Johnnie cake?" Every hOl
low tree in the forest swarms with
bees, busy storing up honey ready for
his use. Does he banker for pork?
Let him seek some hillside where the
chestnut grows, and for three or four
months of the year he will find hogs, |
fattened upon the chestnut mast, and
which afford such bacon and hams as
the denizens of other parts know moth
ing of.
Lie llULuIdL CA NdlUdSCS d1O hOU O. |
stimulus to industry, and energy IS not
one Of the characteristics of the PEP
pie of this section.
Since the Kentucky Union Railway
penetrated this region, two years ago.
a change for the better is slowly taking
place. Emigrants from other States
are coming in, attracted by the cheap
lands and nearness to market. The
surface is generally much broken and
worn by the action of the water
through a long succession of ages, but
sIfbA valleys are very fertile, and pro
7da1Se large crops of orr, wheat and
other crops. The hillsides, while fer
tile upon first clearing up. will not
stand steady chopping, as their fertility
is soon exhausted by the wash Of water,
but for grass meadows and fruit or
chards they cannot be surpassed. This
is par excellence the region of the stock
raiser and fruit grower.
Here but little attention has been
given to fruit-growing, The average !
farmer was generally content with a
few apple trees of an inferior sort,
which would give him an occasional
green apple pie during the summer,
with, perhaps, a few dried apples for
winter use, but a feWsWho tried the
OOUOCI Vol lCIISS SQA4# GldGl
fruit grown here, possessed a quality
and flavor far superior to that grown
in most localities. The soil and eli
mate, together, producing that per-
lection both in appearance and flavor,
which IS the delight Of the horticul-
turlst, and fruit grown in this region
brings the highest prices in the mar
kets of Cincinnati and Louisville which
are only six hours distant by rail.
At present less than one sixth of the
land Is under fence, the remainder be-
ing covered with virgin forest, which
afford valuable timber, consisting
mostly of oak, postoak, chestnut oak,
chestnut pine, poplar, hickory, beech,
maple, sugar, and some walnut. The
Kentucky river affords a fine water
way for rafting logs to the markets of
Frankfort, KY, and Madison, Ind, and
IN fact, to all points on the lower Ohio.
The farmer generally depends upon his
logs for money with which to buy his
groceries and pay his taxes. He cuts !
q few logs, drags them to the river, |
rats them together, and taking his
place upon them with a steering oar in
his hand, cuts loose and is o borne
by the rapid currents of Ford and
Frankfort, where his timber finds
ready sale at fairly remunerative
prices.
The climate of this region is superb.
The heat of summer is tempered by
cool breezes from the surrounding
mountains, and the winters are short
and mild. Snow seldom falls, and
when it does, disappears soon after fall
ing. The entire region is spIendidly
watered by never failing mountain
streams. Mineral springs, chalybeate,
SulDhur. etc. are found every where