Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1897-11-10
LETTER FROM TEXAS.

CYCLONE RANCH, Ten, Oct. 80, 'V7
l started to market this morning be
fore day with two bales of cotton and
had gone about five miles when | heard
a curious nose. | said woa, mule. and
such a concert | never heard before:
five miles from anywhere or anybody,
it sounded like all the wolves in Texas
were about 200 yards ahead of me try.
ing to see who could sing the loudest;
they had all the band music except
the drum, and from the lowest bass
note up about to the seventh octave.
| thought of all the wolf tales | ave-
read in about three seconds; and Just
laid my hat down on q bale of cotton
as my hair wouldn't be quiet, and
listened. l happened 10 think | had
no fresh meat along and the varmints
wouldn't eat cotton and drove ahead.
| didn't see any wolves, but | smelled
a skunk out about where they were.
| don't know whether the wolves had
turned over his smell bottle or not. /
guess there were at least two of them.
Well, the cotton crop is about gathered,
that is near enough that we a guess
tuub ~ huo bdhCu uOOuO hNO hOICb vi
ground to make a bale of cotton. There
is certainly a good many long faces
here now, but we are not alone. The
cotton crop is a great deal below the
average all over the State, and what is
still worse the price has gone down
until it won't pay to raise it unless
one could count one bale to every
acre. l have picked nine bales and
perhaps there is two more to pick yet,
it cost about So 80 per bale to pick aud
the seed paid for the ginning. In my
letter of August 9Th | stated that the
blacksmith bill and mule feed was
$50 4S which was a mistakei it was only
S42 70. Su aiming up the whole thing
in O pile the cost of ~cultivating, pick
ing, &c amounts to $428 80; eleven
bales of cotton say seven cents, which
| believe will be a little more than il
will average, makes 1866 for the elton
which leaves the farm in debt 1858 so,
cotton opened at eight cents; if it had
held up it would just about have paiC
out; it is now worth only five and 6
half cents per pound; a great many
farmers are holding their cotton, buI
bO idI ~ 10 " bhCll 1885, az
arranging in several places in south
Texas and will endeavor to get thu
railroads to give them cheaper trans.
portation to northern markets, anC
will try raising early vegetables anC
quit so much cotton and nothing else
Some of your readers perhaps may b,
interested in these figures. Some lose
in the farming business but it is no
me, as l work for wages. Counting
all they first rented the farm, there i
still $3.50 rent to pay, which would
leave the farm in debt 1913 80; cottol
looked we'll and every one was expect
ing a fair crop, but the lint was shor
and the yield far below the average
The President of the B. A. d. S. toll
me he was expecting at least $500 rem
from his land this year but will no
get $500; but ne is not d%isheartened
he wants about four good men TO farm
for him for wages next year; he want
to cultivate 1850 acres himself and rem
the balance OF his land out. He ha
100 acres he wants to ditch and plan
an orchard, and build up a home; h
already has the best house and barn il
this section, Horses are dying fast i
Brazoria County, forty miles south O
here, with a new and fatal disease
The State Veterinarian has visited th
locality and says it is a kind of menin
i. getis caused by eating grass which ha
ergot in it. He has made some pos
' mortem examinations in which he say
the brain is the only part affected, b
is at a loss to find a remedy; the di'
ease is in Galveston, and veterinarian
are making q study of it and tryin
to find a remedy. We have had n
} frost yet and fall gardens are lookin
well. A norther has been blowing
, day or two and it is a little chilly, bu
no frost has made its appearance.
belive the yellow fever scare is abor
over, but the man don't live that ca
accurately tell the damage it has don
, south Texas. JACK RABBIT.