The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1898-06-25
THE GEORGIA HUMORIST.
TRIP TO THE PROSPEROUS sTATE.oF
TENNESSEE.
Good Words for Neighbors-Bartow Man
Discusses Military Politics and Fertile
Lands of the Volunteer Stakeholder In.
teresting Matter.

L
Lands of the Volunteer state---Other In
teresting Matter.
Tennessee is for peace, but it is
better prepared for war than any
southern state. I have recently trav-
eled over the southern portion and
was profoundly impressed with its re-
sources. There is a branch railroad
running from Decherd to Winchester
and from there curving around in q
southwesterly course to Fayetteville
and thence to Petersburg and Lewis
burg and Columbia. Governor Taylor
was on the train and told me that this
was the garden spot and along this
road were the best farms and the best
farmers in Tennessee. / never saw
such beautiful fields of wheat in my
life and the average Yield is said to be
25 bushels to the acre. Well, of course,
war will want wheat. Then this is a
fine stock country and the war will
want mules and cattle. Their cattle
are of the large Durham breed, SO
large that some of them bring from
$50 to $40 apiece, and are always in
demand. The farmer under whose
hospitable roof l stayed while in
Petersburg had 100 brood mares, and
raised mules by the score. He ships
large numbers of Durham cattle and
has a side show of fine hogs and
sheep and turkeys, ducks, chickens
and geese. Everything he raises
is first quality. He paid $15 for
one turkey gobbler. He is shipping
and selling something almost every
day. He raises large crops of wheat
and oats and corn, and yet finds time
to work for his church and the par
sonage and the public school. At home
he helps his good wife to nurse the
baby and to look after the children and
does everything quietly and pleasant
ly. That is what like. It does not
take me long to diagnose family and
to tell who is the boss, but I dident
see any boss about these premises, nor
any badly behaved children. If Mr..
Edmiston is fair sample of the citi-
zens around Petersburg, no wonder it
is prosperous town. 1 was told that
not long ago there was one shipment
of eight hundred geese to Chicago and
that the annual shipment of fowls from
that point exceeded 100000. Just
think Of It'll Petersburg is known
abroad as the central point of fine
stock country, and their annual fairs
are attended by stock men from far and
near.
But it is small towns not even a
county seat. It is the character of the
people that makes it what it is. Good
land and good farmers will make any
place prosper. The merchants have
department stores and pay little
higher for produce and fowls and eggs
than is paid elsewhere. There is a
large and successful creamery here
and two large sawmills and the largest
stock logs I ever saw, many of them
measuring five feet in diameter. These
are chiefly poplar and white oak and
the trees grow on the hill sides clear
up to the ridges. The stocks are
rolled down to the pike road in the
valley, and from there are easily
hauled to the mills. Oh, those de-
lightful turnpikes. They are all over
this country and have doubled and
trebled the valne of the land. You
can't buy these farming lands for less
than $50 an acre, and much of it
brings 500. l saw large field in
wheat that recently sold for 800 per
aero OF public sale. Why should it not?
Every acre will turn out twenty-five
bushels of wheat and that is Worth
now for July delivery 500. One man
sold his crop last week for 90 cents n
bushel. He didn't believe The war
would last until harvest or he wouldn't
have done it.
l never. realized the valuo OF nike
roads until this visit. Forty bushels
of wheat is a big wagon load i'll our
country and it takes good team to
haul it to town. But they can haul
from sixty to eighty on a pike and
with less strain on the team. Satur.
day night found me at Lewisburg, and
to my surprise learned there was no
train on Sunday nor until Monday
eve, and then would have to stay at
Decherd three hours and at Chatta-
nooga four hours and reach home Tues
dav morning.
was distressed, for / left dear
little grandchild sick, and so I dared
to travel on the Sabbath day. War
trace was thirty miles away, and the
Nashville train going east would pass
there at II o'clock. The livery man
very quietly told me that If I would be
ready at half-past o'clock he would
put me there by half-past 10. He did
it, and never had more delightful
ride. The good horse never broke his
long, sweeping trot, except at the toll
gates, where I paid 10 cents, and there
were five of them on the route. The
morning air was bracing, the buggy
springs were easy, the cushions soft
and elastic and the driver companion
able. He took me for preacher,
which is proof that 1 talked good Sun
day talk.
At Shelbyyille we changed horses,
and the last nine miles were driven in
exactly one hour. That last horse was
q wildcat, and for q mile or two my
was disturbad He didant