The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1898-05-06
A Northerner's Views of Our
Country and People.

West Tennessee and North MlsslS-
sippi Real Estate Company, whose
home Office is Bolivar. Tenn, north
ern office Aledo, H., a party Of
home seekers from Mercer County,
ILL.,, recently visited Bolivar. Mr..
a. b. Hadley, of Aledo, ILL.,, was
among the number. After return
ing home, Mr.. Hadley expressed
his opinions of our country and
people in a communication publish
ed in the Aledo Times Record of
April 2lst., from which we make
the following extracts:
We arrived at Jackson, Tenn,
April 6, at 7:1O pm. Next morn
ing we boarded the 1905 train and at
g o'clock landed in Bolivar, our
destination, Perhaps the readers
of the Times Record would like TO
know how we found Tennessee. As
our power of Imagination is limited
we will just tell them how we
found things. As we came into
the state we could see flowers along
the road. The peach trees were in
full bloom, but the apple and pear
trees had blossomed earlier and now
had fruit on them as large as peas.
All kinds of garden truck was up and
we'll advanced. Grass looked good,
and was far enough along for stock
to get their living from it. They
have the finest kind of wheat, good
oats and rye. Corn produces about
40 bushels to the acre, wheat 80;
that is when farmed as our northern
men farm, and the South is learning
our ways wonderfully fast. Tues
day, April Z, we started west of
Bolivar to visit another northern
man by the name of Brooks. We
found him hard at work clearing up,
fixing a place to put his Deering
binder. He said that he was well
pleased with the country and his
farm and thinks that he can make
some good money out OF the
deal He bought his farm for about
what he had to pay rent for it in
Iowa. l think he said he paid Sc per
acre for his land. 1t is all fenced
and is supplied with lots of good
water, and has fairly good buildings.
On our way back to Bolivar we
had an invitation to stop and take
tea with one of the first families of
Tennessee. Their name is Caruthers.
Now let me say right here if you
want to see genuine hospitality 60
to the south. Truly the northern !
people have got a wrong opinion of
the southern people, for a more
genial, friendly and social people l
never saw. l was never more sur
prised in my life than when the ola |
Confederate soldier took me by the |
hand and gave me friendly shake,
although the @. A. r. button on
the lapel of my coat doomed up in
good shape. He seemed pleased to
see a Federal soldier, and | asked |
no better treatment than l received |
at his hands. All the South needs is
men that will work and not depend |
on the negro. If you do you are
left and your farming will amount |
to nothing. A finer climate / never |
saw. There is also good water and |
plenty of it. Two miles west of |
Bolivar there is an insane hospital, |
established and run by the State of
Tennessee. There are 600 inmates, |
including the attendants. To feed |
these people it takes an immense
amount of provisions. The foreman
said they used about one beef a day, |
besides other meat. There is a fine
spring near by that furnishes water
for the hospital. The one spring |
furnishes 5000 gallons of water
daily. The main spring is enclosed |
in stone curbing Octagon shape J
which is about Il feet across. The
water is about feet deep. The |
water from the spring empties into
a large tank made of hugh blocks of
stone cemented together. 1t is 80
feet across and 10 feet deep. From
the tank the water is pumped into
large reservoir near the asylum for
the use of the inmates. This asylum
makes a fine market for all the pro-
ducts that the farmer can raise. Mon
day, the 18th, we got our traps to-
gether and made ready to depart !
from the Sunny South. After adieus
and farewells were spoken we board |
ed the train at Bolivar at about 8 p. |
IN. and arrived in Aledo Tuesday |
night. 1t looked like coming from
the garden of Eden to the cold,
barren peaks of eternity. Illinois