The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-06-22
FORT PAYNE Is IN
 A G|F TED SECTION Everything That Surrounds the Town Looks Prosperous SCENERY IS BEAUTIFUL It Is Now Early Harvest Time and Conditions Have Differed Since
 That City Was Visited By
 Special Correspondent.
BY FRANK V. EVANS.

Fort Payne, June 19.-(Special.) )--At no season of the year perhaps does this fa- vored section of Alabama, on the Ala bama Great Southern railroad north of Birmingham, present a more attractive appearance than just at this time. With no particular reference to the mineral wealth and the numerous manufacture ing and mining plants which seem to be in active and successful operation, I all flude to the beauty of the natural scenery, the generously fertile valleys, the richly wooded mountain forests, presenting col ors variegated by the summers sum- to the field of cotton, corn, wheat and oats; to the orchards of rarest fruit and 10 the salubrious atmosphere which modifies the midsummer heat and yet mars not at all it's beneficial influence upon the growing crops.
 It Is now early harvest time. My last letter from this section was written In the month of preparation, when then Tar mers were making ready and with busy hands and hopeful hearts were iii the fields at the rising of the sun and at the going down thereof.
 Reaping Reward.
 Already they are beginning to reap their reward for patient care and honest toll. Kindly seasons have blessed their efforts so far and their harvesters are gathering up the golden grain. Little Wills valley today presents veritable field Of the cloth of gold" Wheat fields, and acres of oats and rye are yielding up rich gltts to the husbandman. But half garnered as vet the shocks, the bins the stacks ap- pear. and the barns are plethoric once again, and room is to be made for more.
 The great orchards of peaches so prom inent now in the growth and development of this particular section. escaped entire ly the threatening chlls of a belated spring. and the trees are today burdened with the richest fruit.
 How often 1t happens that the wisdom or two parties seeking to negotiate a com mercial transaction, cause failure to consumate; and how oftener still the folly of two make trade impossible. when one man offers another price for a com modity in excess of its value and the owner declines to accept the offer we are told that two fools met"
 When one man offers to another price lower than the real value of the thing sought and the offer Is declined, then 1t would seem that two wise men met"
 If may be remembered by your readers that reference was made in a previous letter from this place of an offer made by man to peach grower here or soOo0 cash for his crop before 1t passed the crucible of the uncertain and fiuctuatlng uranks of the weather, when chilling blast might come any night and destroy the budding fruit. He was willing to take the chances, and so was the owner. Today the trees of that orchard are growing under the heavy burden of rich, ripe and rare fruit and the peaches, estimated to be worth s10.00o, are going into the markets It was not two fools whc met that time. but both were wise men.
 The income from the peach crop In these valleys and on these hills and mountains this season will amount to very large sum and is bound to lend great encouragement to the industry
 Corn and Cotton.
 Corn and cotton both seem strong and vieorous. and best of all, in high state of cultivation; in other words clean This is the result of energy and Of gra- cious rains and sunshine. To be sure, the growth Is young. perhaps three weeks late. but this fact does not discourage the farmer. He seems sure of an enor- nous yield of all necessary food crops, and declares himself fully prepared to hold his cotton through the coming win ter if necessary to protect compensating prices from the onslaughts of spectators and gamblers.
 1t has been authoritatively stated to your correspondent that the farmers of this part of the state are in excellent financial shape-better in fact than they have been since the war. They are bor- rowing no money of consequence, and need no credit from the merchants, as in years gone by. They have lived eco nonically the past few years. employed skilled white labor, worked with their own hands, using improved farm ma- chinery, and thus minimized the cost of production. Hence they are independent. ~.. okl.x