The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-07-04
Letter from Texas.

EDITORS INTELLIGENCER: Perhaps
few dots from Graysun County, Texas,
which is called by some "the Eden of The
best State in the Union,' may be OF In
terest to some of your readers. Ifyou
could see the growing crop, have no
doubt but you would acknowledge 1t to
be the Eden for farmers. Wheat and
oats are already harvested, and will yield
from 25 to 80 bushels Of wheat per acre,
and oats from IS to 100 bushels per acre.
This is not on little pet patches, but on
40 and so acre fields, without any fertili-
zers whatever, being applied.
The harvesting Is all done by reapers
and mowers, combined with q bundle
carrier that tthrows off ten or twelve bun
dies In place ready to be shocked. So
that not much hand labor has to be en-
ployed in harvesting these heavy crops.
As these crops are threshed great deal
ofitis sacked and hauled off fimmediately
to the nearest railroad town where 1t Is
sold. Every town of any size has grain
buyers just IS we have cotton buyers IN
South Carolina, and farmer can sell any
cash. Nearly every town has fine Roller
Mills. where the wheat Is ground
into the best of flour before being
shipped. OIL
At the present writing, June 25th, the
corr crop promises to be tho heaviest 1t
has been for years-or about IS bushels
:per acre. You could not wonder at the
immense yield expected If you could see
how thick 1t stands on this rich soil, and
how CLASSY and green 1t looks. The rows
are only 81 feet apart; with stalks stand
ing in the drill from l8 to M inches apart,
and nearly every stalk contains two
shoots and some three. They do not
strip the fodder here as they say 1t Injuries
the corn. Cotton looks fine, and ls now
blooming. The yield here is from half
to one 500 pound bale per acre. Last
wear with drouth from the 18th June
TILL October they made 80 bushels OF corn
per acre and half bale Of cotton. What
5fmpresses me most ia the ease, or the
little labor with which these crops are
mads. The land Is black, waxy loan,
and mostly rolling prairie, and the culti-
yatipg is done with improved farming
implements, such as the cultivator and
disk harrow. The hoe Is used but'little
except to thin the crops, as they have no
crab grass to contend with. One man
with the improved farming 1mpiemenS
used here cen cultivate from ~ 70 5O
acres by having 8 little extra help IN
hoeing and thinning his cropthe first thine.
ANYTHING that can be grown In upper
.Sonth Carolina can be grown here In
perfection, such as barley, rye, miliet,
sweet and Irish potatoes, field peas, and
all garden vegetables, and all kind OF
fruit except apples, which do not attain
the size and perfection they do further
sNorth. This rich land rates high, all the
way from SIS. .G0 to $50. 90 per acre for Inn
proved land, and there 10 not. much here
now that Sis not -iHaPpraEed. There was
some large cattle OK stock ranches con-
Etainine from 20 to 80, 600 acres Of land,
but this rich soil is In 80 much demand
for agricultural purposes thst the owners
are selling some Of their pasture lands
now at S15.0 to 900 per acre.
Mr.. John Bowen with his good lady
came round one afternoon with his nice
phaeton and gentle span Of horses and
carried Us ont ten miles west OF here TO
ssee those ranches with their thousands
head OF horses and al many cattle, we
rode through the loveliest country mine
ewes ever beheld. The timber here is all
on the streams or in the valleys, and
when on the crest Of ono Of those high
rolling prairies we could see for miles
great fields of golden grain then standing,
and forests Of dark and glossy corn toss
ling its green lances in the breeze. and
acres upon acres Of cotton beginning TO
form lts squares: while flowers OF al
shapes and coloys grew along the road
side and In the pastures. Flowers whose
beauty and fragrance would put 70
shame many hot house plants. Mr.. John
Bowen. one Of our best neigh and
most substantial citizens, came here with
his father from Pickens County, south
+ Carolina, in 1843, when tEis great County
of 96S square miles only contained three
houses. Now 1t is more thickly settled
than Anderson County. 1t has TWO
cities, Denison and Sherman, which are
as large as Greenville, 8. G., besides q
iIcors of other smaller towns, and has for y
Zines OF railroad within her borders.
Thsre Ia $plenty Of timber hero for all
PURPOSES except building. Lumber for
that purpose IS shipped here in great
Quantities from eastern Texasa and Arkan-
sxs. and must be cheap from the number
Of nice framed dwellings with all neces-
sary outbuildings. The County is well
watered with streams aud wells, but In
proEraoted droughts (Which seldom occur
now) some Of the smaller streams and
wells 20 dry-then some Of them have to
I haul water and put In their wells, where
it keeps pure and as cool as in our wells
at home. The water is mostly limestone,
/ sbutswhan one gets accustomed to 1t they
like it as we'll as they do tie freestone
water. x - s.. :,
The health OF this country will COM
pare favorably with any place, as the
robust looks Of the people, and the many
old persons living here will attest. Yet
some do get sick and die here as they do
elsewhere. You will hear occasionally
OF some one chilling, bpt they donot
seem to mind.it no more than we do 9
bad cold. viii have aehill one day and
work the next and go TO party that
night. The people here certainly enjoy
life as we'll or better than any place l
ever knew, for this reason, they do not
have to work so hard and Increasingly
to make o sliving. Ny lot has never been
cast with more intelligent, cultered
people. nor more kind and generous
neighbors. They have made my sojourn
among them so pleasant. ] shall always
remem Der them gratefully. j. M. B.