The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-04

1 scenery. Through this part or tne ter ritory there are many hills and mountains, rivers and small streams, timber, rocks, and wild flowers. These all coming in regular order. intermixed, makes the scenery grand Through this section are to be seen hundreds of fine fat cattle, made fat by feeding on the wild grass growing in the woods. I thought as we were passing through this section If were cowboy l would delight to live here, for how different home here for a COW from that of the prairie.
 Here there Is grass made nice, sweet and tender by the shades of the trees, while near by are the crystal streams of water, All the cows have to do Is to eat, 1 drink and lie down under the shade of the l trees.
 This part of the territory Is yet unde- Veloped We pass a few small towns, some fine farms and see evidences on ev- cry hand showing that civilization and | progress Is just entering this great will derness Leaving Paris and crossing the Red river only few miles north Into the 1 territory. we soon reach the new, clean and enterprising town of Hugo. This is the junction of the main line of the Frisco with a branch line running from Hope. Ark, to Lanton, Okla.
 | Along this line from Hope west are to | be found some of the best fruit and veg etable lands of the south. Here Is country where a peach crop is almost free from frosts and where fine crops may be expected almost any season or every season. Passing on up from Hugo we come next to Antlers, also a new town, and here we have a dining station, one of the best to be found in any country. The table here is provided with the very choicest of everythng-the best the sea- l son can afford, and the service is all one can wish. It IS the general comment of ] all who stop here that such a service Is found way out nere In the wild woods. ] The passenger who once stops off and ] takes a meal at Antlers Is sure to re- l member 1t and to want to come again.
 But I cannot take the time to mention all the places we visit. for we find quite number of small towns sprlnging up all along the line. and new farms being opened up, and various industries moving in. But this Is a new country and any one would greatly enjoy a trip through l 1t. Now and then we see a lone Indian i hut or tent, remnant of what was once a great tribe. The Indian is fast disappear ing, and, like the buffalo, in a few more years will be a thing of the past on our western plains. The white man Is crowd ing In every where, and it Is only a ques- ton of time when they will possess the land.
 We pass on north through the beautiful and busy city of Fort Smith, and on through Arkansas and Missouri to Spring field. Here I find call which takes me 1 back to Birmingham. I will state here that my wife was out with me on this trip, and on Wednesday morning, June l 10 when I was called back to Birming- ham, we decided to take a daylight train from Springfield to Memphis. as this would give us chance to see the flooded district as well as the conditions of the crops. Stopping at all the stations gave me ample time to enquire after the crops | generally. l find that through this sec- tion the peaches are an entire failure. and from the best reports that the apple crop is very short-perhaps only a half | crop
 But I learned at all the stations along the line through Missouri that the hen was still doing business at the same old 1 stand, and the crops of chickens and the cases of eggs that the train was able to gather at all the stations bore out the truth of the statement. Th.s seasons ob- servations have greatly strengthened my l faith in the poultry business, and I am more than ever convinced of the wisodm Of my advice as given in the Herald l on poultry farming. I wish I only had the time and space to mention a few of 1 the many beauties of nature to be seen l along this line, but will mention SprinR river, and advise all our people who are lovers of beautiful scenery to not fail to see this beautiful stream, with its wa ters as clear and as blue as the sky above, and its many falls. We followed along the banks of this stream for miles. We had with us family from Texas on their way to the old country. I said to them
 You VIII see nothing grander In all r.u- rope than you see here"
 NO, our 99N~'~ need not seek the Hud- son or go to Europe to see something grand in streams. for here in Spring river we see one of the prettiest streams to be found in any country. Now. while we ad- mire the great f-oad prairies of the west there Is something grander still in the beauty of the mountain streams. To see the great mountains covered with grand old trees. with the great lodges of rock clinging to their sides and the cool crystal streams trickling down through ferns. moss and vines. over these mountains of stone. is a sight which would delight even the Gods themselves To the man whose 1 ooyhood days were spent amidst such scenes the woods and hills will always have for him charm which no other place can have. But I must pass these by
 All along the line we found the farmers busy In the fields-some cultivating crons some planting and many harvesting. for the harvest has advanced well on up Into 1 Arkansas, and the wheat Is good and the weather is fine. Passing on down out of the wheat belt We come down into the 1 great cotton bottoms. Here we find the | farmers in hard luck, for the early spring floods kept the soil too wet to work for a long time and when 1t finally let up for q short season part of the crops were planted. Then the frosts came and killed the early cotton, and this was followed by | more rain, so all of the crops here are late and most of the cotton planted is getting very foul and most fields too wet yet to work.
 We pass on through this district and l just before sunset we cross over the mighty river, over the great bridge, Into | Memphis. Here we have two hours for rest and supper, after which we are off again for Birmingham where we arrived at o'clock in the morning.
 After attending to the business here we. wife and l, start out again at noon for Kansas City. which place we reach early 1 Friday morning. Here we spend a few hours viewing the great flood district. 1 Such destruction never before witnessed It simply beggars description. and the loss of property and life is something fear ful to think of. The newspapers have been far from over-estmating the devas- tation. One must see 1t in order to under stand the true situation. But the flood Is past and hundreds of men are put to work cleaning and strengthening up as fast as possible the wreckage The water supply was a serious question and we