The true northerner., 1898-05-25
Mr.. Glidden's Observations.

Prescott, Ark. Apl. %, 1898.
ED. NoRTHERNER:-
On the day | wrote my last, week
ago, two inches of rain fell and it raned
again yesterday The nights are still
cool-too cool, they say, for cotton. The
little plants, looking like buckwheat, are
pale and puny, and some early planted
fields have been replanted. Corn is
about six inches high and is being work
ed the second time. 1t does not start
of to grow as In your climate, but like
the native Arkansan, waits for another
day, which may seem more propitious
They only grow one stalk to the hill,
four feet each way, and if cut worms OF
frost kill a plant it does not concern
the grower much, for thick planting will
not produce ears in dry season. The
fodder is saved by stripping off the
leaves and tying in bundles. If the
corn is cut and shocked, it all spoils 10y
mould and mildew and rots in the field.
The soil, as have before written, is
good naturally but very unlike-a good
patch here and poorer beyond, and then
better i'm the same field-a condition
cannot account for-the natives never
try to account for any thing, never ask
for reasons.
The original timber on the upland was
oak mixed with yellow pine. The oaks,
as a rule, were short and unshapeiy,
with here and there a fine tree. Most of
them will split into rails and posts. The
rails are only eight feet, while the posts
are seven. The law requires a tive-foot
fence, recognizing the "vaulting ambi-
tion" of the mule. There is nothing,
however, in the law regarding the space
between the rails, so that hogs of assort-
ed sizes are continually depredating on
the corn and cotton seeding, necessitat-
ing the attention of "hand" to watch
the crops. The timber now coming into
favor, following the pine, is found on the
creek and river bottoms and consists of
oak, hickory, gum and ash. / have never
seen anywhere SO fine hickory shell
bark. The oak is white red, and water
oak, which ranks with red oak and is
only distinguished from it by the shape
of the leaves. The white oak is being
sought for slaves, the only use to which
any of this timber is now being put; but
| believe more profitable business is
soon to be started in hard wood than has
existed in pine. | have travelled over one
of these river bottom tracts this week
and am amazed that the value Of this
! timber has SO long been unappreciated.
These tracts, however, can only be lum-
4 l,ar hn
overflow of spring does not disappear
and dry up before that time SO as to al
low the logs to be hauled out. The land
is level and hard then, and no obstruc-
tions are in the way to prevent rapid
work. The farmers then, too, have the
leisure, after the crops are laid by, to do
the work of hauling and are anxious for
job and will work cheap These bot
toms are the richest soil | have ever
seen, but as the rivers and streams are
all clogged up with drift wood and dead
timber, the water is set back by the OBJ
structions and flows over the low lands
from two to ten feet deep, annually.
These lands are held at two to six dollars
per acre, but every owner desires To sell
and deliver his trees, and there Is no
trouble in stocking mill to run for six
months on this kind of timber. 1t will
be several years before the people Will
catch on" to the value of this timber,
as they are slow to change their opinions
and practices, seeming 10 prefer to glrdle
and burn this timber rather than To utll-
| ize it for lumber The sawmill men, too,
are prejudiced against saving nard wood,
even before they have ever had stick of
it on mill carriage. They say it is
heavy to handle, saws hard, etc.
find have lost caste 10y acknowledge
ing that | am republican and voted
for Mckinley and favor the gold stand
ard. | am tolerated because | am a
transient and don't antagonize their po-
litical doctrine. | did clip the following
from local paper and asked a leading
citizen if that was good doctrine here;
"Why issue bonds at all? Why burden
the country with the curse of debt, when
it could be gladdened with the blessing
of an increased supply of money!" He
grew red in the face at my skepticism
regarding it, and after feeling the politi-
cal pulse of one or two others with this
touchstone as an introduction, i am per
suaded that politics isn't my calling
down here, and / have Theoretically seal
ed it up until | get home again.