The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1895-12-28
"NiGgers ana chiggers."
w II Crno, Kiuho1l

Friend CrOss:-l think 1t is about
time that l was making my promise
good; that Of writing to you. I have
written several of the boys at Kimball.
but aside from one or two business let
ters have never had bit OF Kimball
news since left, and some OF them have
never answered at all.
Well, stayed in Iowa until Septem-
Der, then went on to Chicago and re-
mained there three weeks. getting to
this place October 3. Since that time
have been absorbing climate and trying
to get strong. but have not accomplished
much yet, as am not much better than
when ! left Kimball.
Hammond is town of about 1000
inhabitant, and located 50 miles north
of New Orleans on the Illinois Central.
The inhabitants are mostly from the
north. and it is quite a lively place for
southern town, but it would not amount
to much in the north. The country is
low ani fiat, though well drained. The
soil is gray clay and worthless until
fertilized. Then on account of the warm
temperature and abundant rainfall it
becomes very productive. But clearing
and fertilizlng costs so much this coun-
try will never be very productive nor
thlckly populated away from the rail
road. They raise little of most every
thing, but the principal source OF re,e-
nue. are Strawberries and timber. Truck
farming pays at times times, but very
few seem tt understand it, though once
in while one runs across a man max
ing big money at it. Dairying pays
pretty well, but very little is done in
that line. Milk brings from IS to 20
cents per gallon at the depot for the
New Orleans market. man of family
with small means can get home here
and make living easier than in the
north think. Ten acres improved here
makes a good-sized farm, and more than
one man can tend unless he has cows
So, while improved land is high by the
acre, 1t does not cost great deal to get
farm. 1t costs very little to build, as
lumber Is cheap, and houses do not Ii ave
to be built as they are in the north.
Flowers bloom every month in the year,
and they have the most beautiful shrubs
and shade trees ever saw. Ali vegeta-
tion grows with very little care and ex-
pense. giving man of limited means
an opportunity of acquiring a home at
little expense. One can have fresh vege-
tables any time Of the year.
Yet, for all this, the inhabitants (or
natives should say live miserable
life. They have no ambition, and the
same lethargy seems to permeate the
whole country. You can ride for days
and never see a school house, and Ham
mond, which boasts Of being the most
enterprising town in the state, has only
five months school iii the year. The,
saw mills are closed down half the time
for lack Of energy to push them. Many
cultivated fields are allowed to go back
and come up to pine, though it costs
about $50 an acre to clear and fertllize
the land.
think the prime cause of this shift
lessness is the niger. He has n slim
show for himself and does not knew a
gcod thing when he gets it. He will do
twice the work for d southerner who
makes him work for nothing that he
will do for northern man who will pay
him wages and use him we'll Whatever
his condition he is happy il his body is
warm ald his stomach is filled. Very
few of them ever accumulate any prop
erty.
This is the last country in the world
to come to looking for work. Wages are
too low and work to uncertain for a
iaboring man. | believe, however, that
IL the country Was populated with
good class OF laborers in place of the
niggers 1t would be far more prosperous.
No country ever became great without
intelligent labor. This is healthy
location, and think 1t is the niger
instead of the climate that makes the
people lazy. Idon't know which is the
worst feature Of the South; niggers or
chiggers
L.W. RuNYoN.
Hammond, Louisiana.
[lf Lou will send the GRAPHIC S1,5a
we will guarantee that he will not tsuffer
longer from pauslty of Kimball news.
-Ed,l