The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1898-06-04
ARP IN TENNESSEE.
Sees a Zine Bit of Country and
Meets Thrifty Farmers.
philosopher Has an object Lesson
Presented 80 Him Showing the
Value of Pike Roads-A Dreary
Experience MT Decherd.

Tennessee is for peace, but it is bet
ter prepared for war than any southern
state. ! have recently Travelled over the
southern portion and was profoundly
impressed with its resources. There
is branch railroad running from De-
eherd to Winchester, and from there
eurving around in a southwesterly
course to Fayetteville and thence to
Petersburg and Lewisburg and CO.
lumbia. Gov. 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 aver
age yield is said to be 25 bushels to the
acre. Well, of course, a war will want
wheat. Then this is fine stock coun-
try, and the war will want mules and
cattle. Their cattle are of the large
Durham breed, so large that some of
them bring $50 to $40 apiece, and are
always in demand. The farmer un-
der whose hospitable roof | stayed
while in Petersburg had 100 brood
mares and raised mules by the score.
lie 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. lie paid SIS for one tur-
key gobbler. lie is shipping and sell
ing 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 parsonage and
the public schools. AT home he helps
his good wife TO nurse the baby and to
look after the children and does every
thing quietly and pleasantly. That is
what / like. Ii does not take me long
TO diagnose family and to tell who
Is the boss, but | didn't see any boss
about these premises, nor any badly
behaved children. If Mr.. Edmisten is
a fair sample of the citizens around
Petersburg, no wonder it is prosper
Gus town. 1t was told that not long
ago there was one shipment of 500
geese to Chicago, and that the annual
oih DillNIl vi lOhlo llOlli mat lIOllib -
ceeded 100000. Just think of i'll Pc
tersburg is known abroad as the cen
tral point of a fine stock country, and
their annual fairs are attended by
stock men from far and near.
But it is a small towns not even
county seat. 1t 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 paya little high
er for produce and fowls and eggs than
is paid elsewhere. There is large and
successful creamery here and two
large sawmills and the largest stock
logs | ever saw, many of them meas
uring 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 from
the mills. Oh, those delightful turn
pixies. They are all over this coun-
try, and have doubled and trebled the
value of the land. You can't buy these
farming lands for less than $50 an
acre, and much of it brings 500. I saw
large field in wheat that recently
sold at 500 per acre at public sale.
Why should it not? Every acre will
turn out 25 bushels of wheat, and that
is worth now for July delivery $22. One
man sold his crop last week for 90
cents a bushel lie didn't believe the
war would last until harvest or he
wouldn't have done it.
l never realized the value of pike
roads until this visit. Forty bushels of
wheat is a big wagon load in our coun-
try and it takes good team to haul
it to town. But they can haul from
60 to so on pike and with less strain
on the team. Saturday night found
me at Lewisburg, and to my surprise
learned there was no train on Sun
day nor until Monday eve, and then
| would have to stay at Decherd three
hours and at Chattanooga four hours
and reach home Tuesday morning.
was distressed for left dear lit
tie grandchild sick, and so | dared to
travel on the Sabbath day. Wartrace
was 80 miles away, and the Nashville
train going east would pass there at
II o'clock. The livery man very quiet
IN told me that if | would be ready at
half-past five o'clock he would put me
there by half-past ten. He did it, and
never had more delightful ride. The
good horse never broke his long, sweep
ing trot, except at the toll gates, where
| paid ten cents, and there were five
of them on the route. The morning
air was bracing, the buggy springs
were easy, the cushions soft and elias
tic and the driver companionable. He
took me for a preacher, which is proof
that talked good Sunday talk.
At Shelbyville we changed horses,
and the last nine miles were driven in
exactly one hour. That last horse was
a wildcat, and for a mile or two my
tranquility was disturbed. He didn't
want TO leave the stable. He reared
and pranced and backed his ears and
backed the buggy down the little hill
and cut it around, but the driver knew
him and talked kindly TO him and let
him turn round and go the other way.
Finally he gave a snort and walked up
to business, and we drove around a
square and got in the right road again.
He leaped the railroad with proud dis
dain, and he driver let him have his
own way, speaking gently all the time.
[ never rode after a horse like that