The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-10-13
A DESERT SEClION
TRANSFORMED INTO A LAND or
 BEAUTY AND PLsNTY. {
What Some Thrifty Germans Did With Land in Limestone Coun- ty That Had Been Regarded
 as Worthless-An Example
 for Others to Follov.

oPcCtdl SOTTcSpOuuenCe.
 Sand Springs is situated in the north ern portion of Limestone county some fifteen miles from railroad station of any importance. It lies almost in the cen- ter of what Is known as the great bar rens of Northern Alabama and by many this section is styled the Sahara of Ala bama. These 'barrens cover an area of many square miles and extend southward into Alabama about fifteen miles, and northward into Tennessee about ten miles, They are about twenty-eight miles wide from east to west. They are covered with scrub oaks and thick underbrush and by the natives the soil, from the earliest times has been regarded as being worth- less for farming purposes, hence the land was never cleared, and even to this day, there are to be found here many wild turkeys and a few deer, while squirrels, coons and 'possuin jump from limb to lib undisturbed by the hunters sign.
 Several years ago about forty families of thrifty Germans settled here in the barrens where they purchased land for mere song. It was then in the woods and in the language of the leader of the colony, MT. Schaurtscuffe, Tt was mighty hard living for the first five years, I can tell you"
 These Germans now all have nice farms well improved. and on this land which was iC6dtucu Uy tuc udtlF6S dS DelnE LOO poor to raise even a fuss on, these Ger mans raise from a half to a bale of cot ton to the acre. and from 20 to 30 bushels of corn. They have accomplished this re- suit by fertilizing the land by their mode of cultivation They are all well to do and are good livers. took dinner with one of them the other day and the din- ner I sat down to was good enough for prince. Before dinner we sat down to nn ha rdo nd Apov l. x.rt,, of his own make. 'in the good old Ger man way" as he expressed 1t. The wfne although new, was very clear and ex- cellent. These Germans are great wine drinkers, as we'll as beer drinkers though they never drink to excess. Every farmer has vineyard and each one of them makes from two to six hundred gallons Of wine every year. These Germans also have fruit of all kinds, and have demon- strated the fact that his barren land will raise fruit as we'll as scrub oaks. They also raise vast quantities of Irish and sweet potatoes and say they have no trouble in keeping them all the year round.
 These Germans raise a good many ca- tie. sheep, goats and hogs and are living there as contented and independent as any people on earth. The creek on the borders of the barrens are teaming with trout and other kinds of fish, and these Germans spend many leisure moments fishing.
 One thing very noticeable about these Germans farms Is the cleanliness of the barn and barn yard. They sweep both every few days I visited several of the farms and found all their barns full of fodder. hay, corn and oats.
 The Germans are very clannish fin their mode Of living, though they seem to en- Joy visit from an American and will treat him with the utmost respect and politeness. Every Saturday night they will gather at some one house of the set clement and enjoy an old-fashloned Ger man dance with beer as a refreshment. Men, women and children all drink beer. The German drinks wine of his own vint- age all week. but when Saturday night comes. and his weeks work is done. he must have his foaming lager.
 These German farmers are a hard work ing. law-abiding and pleasure loving class of people.
 During the past few years these barrens have been settling up quite rapidly with Germans. Swedes and people from the North of small means. The land Is cheap and has been selling at from 50 cents to $2 an acre. There is room here for many hundred more families
 To the Alabamian. who is acquainted with this sections of country but who has not been here for many years. a des cription of this heretofore barren country around Sand Springs will read like a fairy tale and to the citizen who has lived near here all his life-well, he does not believe his own eyes when he sees a farm of one of these thrifty Germans.
 When 1t comes to politics these Ger man farmers have leader and after a study of the matter he decides on the candidates he wants to see elected and all vote for the men selected by their leader. They never affiliate with any particular political party but vote for the choice of the leader. These Germans mostly came here from the old country direct. When they first came none of them could speak English. but now nearly all of them speak English fairly we'll except some of the women. In this settlement here they have good schools and churches. In the schools English Is taught and the minis ter conducts his service in the English tongue.
 A few miles from Sand Springs is Wooley Springs which has been known for many miles around ever since those good old ante bellum days as a watering resort of considerable note It was here that Governor Houston and many other notable men of that day used to spend
 
 of people still visit these springs but the place is not kept up like it once was. The buildings are moss covered and are rapid ly going to decay. The water Is white surphur and is very strong. The spring Is situated in a shady glen surrounded by gigantic hickory trees which have wit messed the changing scenes of many cen turies. Beneath their wide spreading bower many lovers have sat in the days gone by relating to each other the old old story so often told and 1t Is said that Governor Houston was one of those lov- CTS. Not far away Is Limestone Creek. where the fishing. hunting, boating and bathing is of the best.
 Two miles south of this is Crutch'n Spring, which physicians tell me con tains rare medical properties. It is said this water will cure any case of scrofula and has been known to cure several cases of kidney diseases. The water contains a considerable amount of arsnic. Until this year this was merely a spring in the woods. Last spring a hotel and several cottages were built here. the spring was fixed up and bath houses built Several people from a distance spent the summer there this year. The spring is situated in a beautiful grove, which. at this season is very beautiful and picturesque with It's various tinted forest leaves while the sur rounding fields look like sea of gold with their acres of America's national hower-the golden rod The persimmons are ripe and the 'possums fat and the, ne- gro is as happy as a king on the large cotton plantations. for after his days' work in the cotton fields of snowy white he hunts the 'possum and the coon or sits in his cabin door picking his old banjo