Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1901-11-23

MISSISSIPPI MATTERS
. NOTES OF PAST AND CURRENT EVENTS.
BY KATE MARKHAM POWER.
VRvN@es. ea veto
By KATE MARKHAM POWER


The experiment of a Kinds county
farmer Mr.. A. D. Dulaney, in irrigat- v
ing his land, seems to excite the inter t
est Of all who hear Of it. And we do
not WONDER This progressive and in. g
telligent farmer dug an eight-acre a
pond from which to irrlgate, and {
while he was. able (for various good
reasonsl to irrigate only FIVE acres this
year, he achieved remarkable results.
His first crop (and it was a fine one)
vas tomatoes and cabbage When this
was harvested he planted the patch in
corn, watering it from the pond as
needed, and from 1t he gathered 25O
bushels Of corn. On ten acres imme-
diately next to the irrigated land he
planted the same corn, fertilized the
land heavily and got less than one.
fourth as much corn. But for the
cost of piping, all Of Mr.. Dulaney's
land would be irrigated and he would
be able to do wonders with his place.
When the writer was in the great |
Northwest some years ago one Of the |
most interesting Of the many novelties
was the wonderful system Of irrigation
that had been introduced and which
had reclaimed a desert and made it to
blossom as a rose" In many in
stances the water for those great
ranches or, as we would say, or
chards, vineyards and farms) was
piped down from the tops of the
mountains forty miles distant and the
water that so quietly but so effectively
moistened and cooled the thirsty
earth had but a little while before
formed part Of the distant crown Of
snow with which the hoary noun
tains have been crowned "since ever
the earth was formed
The people of that Westernland have
great pluck and determination, and
will toll to bring about improvements
the very thought Of which appalls most
of our people.
We hear and read and dream so
t much Of California and its likeness to
Paradise that it amazes us to go
through the country and learn that
{ old Mississippi is every bit as good
and in some instances better-thar
California, with its miles and miles o.
+ ueeless country (saye such trees a.
have grown since the introduction o
irrigation), its lack Of singing birds
: lis dearth of water and the ceaseles
labor that serves to keep these rancho
) in A condition SO fine as to make then
:, famed all over the land. We nav
" seen numbers of these ranches Worke
~ by day and night forces. In the Ia
!. West the twilights are so long ina
70 there are only a few hours Of dari
M ness in which no outside work can
ID done; hence the gardens, orchard
il and VINEYARDS are busy until 3 ana !
.e o'clock every summer evening an
is from , in the morning, with the be-
". workmen Cfor this special line OF j
10 bor) TO be found-the Chinese. The
never tire, the same man often dolI
botb day and night work; they e.
marvelously little, sleep anywhere u
there is room to unroll six feet Of ma
Hng). and are quiet respectful al
,bedient. In California, on the su
~, cessful ranches, as soon as signs oil
Oh cav become manifest in vine or trt
a If is cut down and replaced. On
ot healthy. vigorous plants are alIo"
%. 70 draw the strength from the eaf'
ne and every aid known to ezpeTlen
ed and TO science Is employed to Dn
m. their products to perfection. Also
or utmost care is used in gathering 4
nd backing. The writer went to Gam
on oia believing that State to be just o
he sido of Paradise, or her own to DC
ar Iong wav off. She came home know
lis. that old Mississippi could beat VI
Try fornia out of sight in a race loF
.he nIoco next to Paradise, if Mississippi
the sors and daughters would work o.
zen onoboIf as long and as hard and
the vol as do the California people
at' wa mad lust a tith0~of the NallloLnla
use hoIiof in their State and kept oursel
lde ANYTHING like as busy as they 90
inc other people about 1t, YDy W.
,y letter and by printed sheet'
would in a little while convince
ven world Of what we should impress u
ourselves and our neighbors every
rish II our lives-that our own aIal, ~
,ur- The hest State, when 1t comes " y. %
risb hle pleasant and comiorIapIe li'
'' tho+ we have ever come across
~, .mVe wa % have "come across" all Dut hVe'
iali- All the newspaper articles that
the published and all the arguments
Wis, are eloquently spoken, no mater
OF ,mnressive fail to strike to the Il
DIS ns a. things as does a simple staten
eH, Of facts like the following from
!, 90 : sunaower Tocsin Twenty y
a. ,'o,,, " ago sunaower county had no ram
H,a ne banl, no oil mill, no arteslan We
rJer = steam gin and a buggy were cul
Mrs. Ties; her courthouse and jail
ten wooden y, structures that today W
rlor. not cost $780, and there was ,.i no
en- it neoding , 25,OOO acres in cuitiVa
To Today we have over 100000 acres
dor fence. a bank with $5O,OOO cal
two fine oil mills, S2S,OoO c
utter hnuse and Jail, eighty miles Oh
some r, road five fine overhowing ART
com. com. wells, complete telephone system, M.
i,,, puu, rate of interest has dropped , trT
i'T", the to 8 per cent, while our popul
was, ,m. Sos Increased from 5000 to owe.
~ in moo Land that ten years ago ~
from 81 to $3.50 per acre now
aonds a ready sale at 81 to Slz.o
noro II is no boom, but the SOL
merry a 'o,onment of one of the richest
,ssin. Noi0f ...o,t delta. Yet, just