The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1895-12-13
HE LIKES TENNESSEE.

Elder Sage Writes an Entertaining Let
ter About His Tennessee Home
The following letter was received bv
A. H. Bayley of Plano township from
Rey. E. w. Sage, formerly of this Vi
cinity, but who recently moved to
Greenfield, Tenn, and believing Mr..
Sage's many friends would be glad to
hear from him we publish the letter:
DEAR Strive have been here a
little more than three weeks and YOU
will perhaps by this time expect to
hear from us. The trip down was a
pleasant one, but nothing of special
interest occurred by the way. We
found Iowa full of everything produced
in that latitude. The weather here
has been beautiful ever since we came.
The first TWO weeks were mostly sun
shine, there being two or three nice
rains. Last Saturday morning it com
menced to rain about 3 o'clock and
ralned until about noon of that day,
Sometime Saturday night it started in
again and has not stopped yet, Mouday
p. M, and most of the time it has fairly
poured down, and no sign of stopping
are apparent. We cei tainly will not
go into the winter dry. The rain comes
SO easy, no wind, just comes straight
down. What grand thing it would
be for South Dakota to have such a
drenchlng. The past season has not
been wet one-rather dry, in fact,
but it has been very fruitful The
fruit crop was large and the corn above
the average. | never before saw such
corn as is to be seen here-the stalks
are like tish-poles and the ears like
sticks OF stove wood. Of course not
all fields produced this Poor land and
poor tillage yield poor results always.
Some Of the land here is worn out and
some of the farming is very slovenly,
but most of the land is good, some of it
excellent, and very little of it poor.
Even the poorest part will make ex-
celleut returns if set to fruit. Both
climate and soil are adapted to straw
berries, ackberries, grapes. peaches,
pears, apples, plums, vegetables of ali
kinds, corn, clover, cotton, tobacco,
COW peas, wheat oats, in fact most
everything. AS crops do net fail l do
not see how people can have any good
excuse for not making living. Some
times some particular kind OF crops
does not do we'll. This year the Irish
potato crop is short, but sweet potatoes
are abundant.
The forests here are fine some OF
the trees are just immense. There are
some mills, planeing mills, stave mills,
box factories, ect. So the timber is
being worked up, but promises to last
long time yet. 1t is source of con-
oil lnr Ia nd
to large number of people. The
country is quite thickly settled and the
farms are small compared to Dakota
farms. There is great deal of land
which will be brought under cultiva-
ton soon, for the timber on it is being
cut away. There are many evidences
of improvement. Better houses are
being built, better farming is being
done, better schools are being opened
indeed, northern people who have been
here few years say there is progress
along all lines. and so say the southern
people too. There are a good many
northern people here and they keep
coming. | like the southern people
that | have become acquainted with.
They are intelligent and friendly
The churches are we'll attended
Northern people here say it is healthy.
This fall there have been more cases
of fever than for many years past.
But that is true also of the whole
northwest country. But two northern
ers have had the fever this season and
both of them have been careless in the
matter OF drinking water, and there
is much Of such carelessness il this
country. Land is all prices. Is from
$40 up and goes a little higher each
year, so they say. Probably in five
years it will be nearly double what it
now is.
SO far we are all satisfied with the
change we have made aud nothing
would induce us to go back to Dakota,
though Of course we like the people
there. Give my kindest regards to all
who may inquire concerning US. ]
will be glad to hear from you.