Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1892-09-22
Our Correspondent from Texa
Writes of Some Edgefield
People He Met Out There,
And Gives Other Inter-
esting and Valuable
Information.

Mr.. EDITOR: During my stay3in
Kosse, Texas, I was very much
gratiied to meet several Edgefeld
men with whom I was acquainted
before they moved to this place to
seek their fortunes in the lone star
State. 1t makes a man feel good
when he is in strange land, away
from home, kindred, and friends,
to meet such men as Newton Will
liams, 20. Brooks, Prof. Hall,
and Mr.. Martin, brother of the
late Doc Martin. The friends of
the three first named will be glad
to learn they are doing we'll and
making money. Mr.. Williams, and
his partner, Mr.. Robertson of
Alabama, are running a large
hardware store in connection with
buggies and wagons; Mr.. Brooks
Is lending money and discounting
notes; Prof. Hall has charge of
the high school in this place, and
is getting a good salary for his SER
vices, and has also made several
investments in real estate. Mr..
Martin, too, l suppose, is doing
we'll. I have never heard anything
in regard to his financial status.
I travelled not long since from
this place to Galveston, Texas, and
distance of 200 miles on the
coast of Mexico. Along this line
of road there are some fine farm
ing lands on the creeks and rivers,
which produce very fine crops, and
then In other places the land is
seemingly poor and sparsely set
tied. There is a gre deal of bald
prairie lands on this road, where
for miles you cannot see a tree.
These lands are utilized to some
extent for raising cattle, several
stock men have thousands of acres
enclosed; with wire fences, where
they raise thousands of cattle
every year. I.saw number of
ranches along the road, and q great
many herds of cattle, groups of
fifteen and twenty dotting the
landscape as far as the eye could
discern them. I also saw wind
mills in these pastures that pump
water from the wells to supply the
stock; cowboys, too, can be seen
charging over the prairies on Texas
ponies looking after the COWS.
Some of these ranch owners are
very wealthy; they have made
large fortunes raising stock for
beef, shipping it to-the different
markets. Some being even ex-
ported to the foreign countries.
I never saw sheep while in
Texas. I suppose they cannot
stand the sun and heat of summer,
as there are few trees in the pas
lures to protect them from the hot
rays of summers scorching sun.
The cattle in these pastures nev-
er get anything, winter or summer,
to eat but grass. The frosts of
winter kill the top of the grass,
which falls over and covers up
that which is underneath and
keeps it green all the winter. Cat
tie feed on this and do we'll all
through the winter months. So it
Is very plain to see why they can
raise SO many beeves and make SO
much money.
The owners of these ranches
lease these lands from the govern
ment for 8 cents per acre, the lease
holding good until the government
makes sales of the land. Some
men buy these pasture lands to
farm upon, the ranchmen, men
who have these lands leased, make
times hot for them, and throw
every obstacle in their way they
can, to keep people from settling
up the lands they have leased
Some times the COW boys go SC
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