Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1897-06-16
OUR TEXAS LETTER.
crop Prospects Death of a Former East
Tennessean.

wv NShthb WItulu Lu6 Inn
two weeks, n who was once q resi-
dent OF East Tennessee, w. Fl. Bolir
passed away June ., at II PM, after
an Illness of five days and suffering the
most intense agony from the beginning
till death came to relieve him. He
had many friends here and will be
missed by all: he was nicely inferred
In the German cemetery at Houston,
In a metallic casket. l will answer a
few questions Of your correspondents.
Uncle Fuller's brother asks If l can
tell something of johnson grass and
what ia the seed worth? Yes; the
question here is how to get rid of il
when once started. There is only one
way to get rid of it and that is to die
and leave it. 1t is the worst pest that
the soil of Texas is cursed with; it goes
to seed like cheat or oats and its roots
extend out six or eight feet from the
bunch, half as large as a lead pencil
with joints about every two inches and
next year every joint will send up a
stalk and it is just impossible to get rid
OF it; IT is worse than Grisham and
English Plantin combined, although it
is said to make excellent hay. Lam
told the laws Of Texas forbid it's trans.
portation by rail, so I say don't ever
SOW johnson grass. To Bro. Dhale:
How about johnson CityP The 23rd
OF May heard a young cyclone came
by and l learn an earthquake shook
you up. l would love to own your
little farm, but 1t is not a fair sample
OF East Tennessee farms. Remember
I'm not going back on my raising. I
DO love the old hills and the cool waters
of my dear old home. l remember
how well I enjoyed moving on those
steep hill sides. I'd walk below the
machine and hold it up to the clover
to make it cut one foot, sometimes
more and then less; then how I'd sit
upon the sharp edge of the rake seat
and rake it in beautiful windows then
90 to the top Of the hill and roll it
down to the hollow in rolls as big as a
smokehouse; then how I enjoyed pull.
ing 1t apart with the fork with the sun
coming down like the heat from an
evaporator and loading it onto the
wagon; and when I'd gather my corn
I'D throw 1t to the hollow then load it.
but loved and enjoyed it, and those
old hills are dear to my memory.
where ignorance is bliss 1t is folly to
be wise." One never knows there is
anywhere else but home 80 we'll as
when he experiences it. Here l am
cutting rows 225 rods long l can sit on
a horse at one end and see the rows all
the way through, and how pretty they
look; but 'all is not gold that glltters.
Some years it gets six to ten inches
high, in June there is a wet spell and
1t comes a moderate rain for three or
four days and then the bottom drops
out and about four inches OF rainfall
comes in a few hours, then clears up
nice; you 60 to your cotton field and
you see the tops sticking out and water
enough between the ridges to float a
boat, and sometimes it stands there till
1t turns red and scalds, and you get
homesick and say: o Lord, l wish l
was back in the old red hills of Ten.
nessee rolling clover down those steep
bills and pulling it apart like a dog at
a root. But this country is very
sparsely settled yet, and when it is
more densely settled it will be ditched;
already ditching machines are at work,
they cut a ditch two feet wide and
eighteen inches deep from one half to
mile a day. Yes Texas is larger and
better, but there is a gulf breeze and it
Is not unpleasant to work with the
at 10 and sunstrokes arc
unknown. We have other money crops
cotton, but it is generally the
white mans crop. In visiting the
market l was surprised at not seeing a
whits man there, and only one
negro. The negro had green corr and
irish potatoes. Well you say who had
The rest in all those sixty five wagons.
Well 1t was the Dutch-a great many
them could hardly speak 20 you
'ould understand them. When the
white man comes here he invariably
buys black wake if he can possibly
get it; the Dutch buy sandy land and
he negro goes to the bottoms on tim
Der land. The bottoms are said to be
he best of all; the white man wants
arge farms the Dutch want small
arms and they raise garden truck; the
legro rents. We never suffer here for
water except such as have large herds
# cattle. Sometimes the ponds scat
cred here and there on the prairie go
Try and stock suffer. A farmer having
fifty he ad of stock can water them by
'oring a three inch hole and putting
n a pump at q cost of five to eight
for pump, boring well and all;
1t is best to put a windmill up over
he well and a tank and he can then
'et water to irrigate his garden if
'eeded. Bro. d. seems to be a Repub-
lean. / see where he's right. I'll say
ne more curse is the money power.
'how nue. a man the money power can
lot buy and I'll show you a horny
rog with ten tails. 1t is TODAY doing