The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1904-05-19

The follwing article appeared in
the Buffalo, N. Y, Independent,
April 2S, and was written by J. J..
Lawless, who visited this place druing
that month:
Brandon, Miss, April 16, 1904. -
Editor Erie County Independent: Liv-
ing in Mississippi in the winter
menths is not without it's attractions,
as will presently show, and if the
people down here would advertise
their state, as the western and south
wsetern states do, there would be q
great increase in population from the
north. As it is, when the travellers
get away from the beaten paths OF
travel the country is just standing
still, waiting for the future to wit
ness its full development. Land il
cheap and LIVING is cheap. Most OF
the native population is satisfied with
q good living and does not look beyond
that to accumulate wealth. Once in
q while a shrewd trader is found who
has amassed fortune in the owner
ship of lands and chattles. Hospital
ity is fuond in the natives, and true
southern courtesy is found in every
Mississippian.
Land can be bought in large or
small tracts at from $5. 90 to SIS. 90 an
acre, and some of it is highly produc-
tive. Since the advance in the price
of cotton, the tendency is to advance
the amount of acreage devoted to that
staple, and cotton pays mighty we'll
in Mississippi. Many of the northern
people who have come to the state in
gagged in truck farming, and Bay st.
Louis, where the earliest radish es.
lettuce and peas are produced, the
farmers have trust, to prevent COM
petition in the sale of their products in
the northern market. In this way
the highest prices are realized. The
strawberry are another favorite crop,
and the berries are now being shipped
north by carloads. They are the
finest berries I have ever seen or tast-
ed. Peaches grow with the smal]est
amount of care and can be raised al
most any where. They are now the
size Of hickory nuts and will be ready
for shipment early in June. The
Illinois Central Railroad carries the
bulk Of the crop Of the cities 70 ST..
Louis, Memphis, Louisvillee and
Chicago. This railroad is now
double. tracked practically the entire
distance between the Chicago and
New Orleans and does a passenger and
freight business equal to the New
York Central Railroad. The road
bed is rock ballasted most of the way
and the rails are the heaviest made,
SO that riding over the line is a de.
light. The train equipment is every.
thing that the most fastidious could
wish for. Tie run from Chicago to
New Orlaens-f from snow and bliz.
yards to sub tropical WARMTH
made in 26 hours, and fortunate, in
deed, is the man or woman who car
say goodbye to Chicago or Buffalo
about the 1st of March and get on an
Illinois Central train bound for New
Orleans, where the Mardi Gras festi.
vities take place in the open air,
while Buffalo people are suffering
with chiils, colds, pneumonia and SC
on. Round trip tickets from Buffalo
to New Orleans cost only $4,000 and
living down in Louisiana and Missis-
sippi is remarkably reasonable. Every
good thing can be had here, supplies
OF tropical fruits coming in ship loads
daily from Central America, and fish,
oysters, shrimp and crabs are bought
at ridiculously low prices. A large
portion Of the country is still covered
with primeval forest, the trees being
long leaf yellow pine. oak and sweet
gum. The sawmills are, however,
cutting it down SO rapidly that IL II
estimated the timber will be all out
in ten years more.
!. On the gulf cost are some Of the
}largest oyster oannsries in the wdrlds