The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1897-04-02
LIFE IN THE SOUTHERN PINE WOODS.
Editor DeiuOcrat-Star

| am told by sailors that all rivers
north and south have the
deepest channel at their mouths
curving around to the westward,
caused by the motion Of the earth
eastward.
The second verse OF the eleventh
chapter OF Gencsls, and all other his
tory, tell us that the human family
has ever travelled westward, and our
own observation and experience show
US that Westward the tide Of EN-
pire rolls Perhaps this is also caus-
ed by the motion OF the earth toward
the east. When | was about seven
years old and about the year 1862 my
parents moved from where Pollard
Ala, now is to the neighborhood
where Grand Bay, Ala, now Is. At
that time that region was Inhabited
by the Roberts, Hamiltons. Dickens
Bakers, Rolls, Dcaklcs, Forts and
other families who like my parents
family, were OF old Georgia and Caro-
lima stock. All these people were stock
raiscrs, and were comfortable and in
dependent, many OF them living on
public lands and never thought OF or
cared for the great wealth in the pine
trees around them.
This innocent, easy life lasted until
about the time Of the civil war, by
which time the annual burning OF the
grass or woods ruined their cattle
ranges, and their stock dwindled to
small herds Of poor cattle. Soon after
the war the railroad was built from
New Orleans to Mobile and many saw
mills were built up on the road and
on our rivers, and most OF these peo-
pie became log and timber men. The
cutting and selling Of the timber from
their lands, which they had now pre-
cmptcd or bought, gave them some
money, and some bread and bacon.
This second dispensation or era lasted
about twenty years, at the end OF
which time they had neither COWS,
timber or money, and their lands
alone were left. Toward the end Of
thi, era many persons from the North
moved in and began to truck garden
and farm. Several Danes and Swedes
also moved in, and as Dutchman al
ways "gets there, Eli" these good
people succeeded from the first. These
good and worthy Northern people
learned our people many new ideas,
and our people proved very apt schol-
ars, and while not many OF the north.
ern people have succeeded, most OF
our old Rake Straws" or Razor
Backs" have forged forward and now
have good farms, with painted houses
good, fine horses and ride to church in
carriages, and cove not any man.
The Yankees land l use the word with
respect) are noted for their shrewd
ness, but Il race has yet to be found
who can get away with pine woods
man on a trade. Let a Yankee start
from the headwatcrs OF the Pasca
voula river with a raft OF timber. anC
hire piney woods boy to help raft il
down, ard before they have reached
our mills the pncy woods boy will have
learned all the tricks OF the Yankee
and own the whole raft. A pine tree
. is endowed by nature with the faculty
2 Of self.protection and thriving or
door land, and so it is with the people
A pine seed or mast will fall IRON
E the cone in September and be taker
by the wind and its own featheret
tail a great distance and fall TO th'
ground, perhaps in high broom seq
= grass, which is sure to burn on Deior
the next March. AS soon as the PIN
mast comes up it will throw aroun'
= it's little bud a thick bark, and al
. though it is only from one inch TO tw
inches high, and the burning grass S
. hot as to set on fire and kill all othe
=. small trees and bushes, the little pin
y. is only warmed up for an early sprin
y growth. II this mast or seed shoul
. happen to fall on pile OF red clay
sand, dug from the bottom OF a twer
" ty feet railroad cut, and in whlc
there is not a grain OF soil or oth'
visible fertilizer, it will spring up ar
in grow even better than il planted
n. the best soil.
n. While on a weeks ride throul
to these pine woods recently saw maj
Id nice. comfortable farms and home
~ and learned that at Grand Bay (Ali
o. station alone there was received eat
he wear about two hundred thousaI
n: hounds OF fertilizers. or course t
shipments OF products must be We
=, large. These people live we'll and a
u" %s the most hospitable OF any people
y. w earth. 1t may be that 1t is because
~ ~ am piney woods boy myself, but son
'N'I ~ how when l travel up there | eat mi
." than at any other time These p
VI pic have caught onto all our Nor
ern peoples labor.saving tools, a
500 have learned much from them as
nts the best ways TO make farming M
use pleasant and agreeable.
rd' Now, II our Northern friends wo
at only be as apt to learn from our "
time, folks the many necessary
,ry. sons that could be learned from tn
an. then they, too, would succeed. In
ms, is one great drawback to the farm
ted OF our people IN the pine woods th'
wish could be rcmcdicd. l flnd I