The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1904-02-06
A Letter From The South Missisnippi
Coast Coast to the North.

Mrs. .H.C. Milner, who is spend
ing the winter in Bay st. LOUIS
with her family. is contributing a
series of interesting letters to her
home paper, the Springfield( MOI
Republican. The following letter
was written on the occasion of O
visit to Ocean Springs:
There are so many industries
claiming the worlds attention to-
day, that new ones on the Soath.
ern coast may not proved as inter-
csting to your readers as they have
TO one residing in their midst, but
ut the risk of being tIresomc we
wish by their appeal to the artiSss
tic as well as. the financial side of
human nature, would attract the
attention of any sojourncr. Per-
chance some denizen of the north
may see rs we do, opportunities
in them for health, wealth, con
tentmont aud happiness. As q
lifting introduction to the pecan
industry, pre-emlnently d South
ern institution, one might speak
of u nuttlng trip to one of the
oldest pecan groves on the coast.
The number and size of the trees
has given tho name of "Pecan
Grove Farm" to the place, which
being at present tho home of u
Springfield family has in n way a
home interest. All who are in
quest of pleasurable pastime are
invited to join our party as we sci
out this crisp January morning.
The day Is not unusual--only
one of dozen which drop quietly
perfect gems-opalescent pearls
upon the string with which the
brlds of winter is being adorned
a brisk walk to the S:4j l.. q N
train and we roll out over the bay,
splarking like molten silver in the
slant rays of the morning sun.
The bridge across the Bay of St.
Louis, the oldest town on the
coast, is two miles in length, Civ
ing II charming view down the
coast. ForEfteen miles up and
down are continuous rows of
beautiful homes farther than the
eye can see. Many skiffs and
small boats glide here and there.
We stop ut signal for fishing
smack to pass the draw bridge.
rhe oyster fleets are astlr much
earlier, and we catch glimpses of
their graphing hooks, and heap
ed up piles of glistening shells.
One does not soon forget the
crisp clear cut tones Of the pic
Cllre made by the waving green
pint s of llenderson's Point, blen-
ling at base into purple and blue,
with the brilliancy of the bay dot
Ted with seacraft of all descrip-
tions. We quickly glide into the
forest and find its multitudes of
tones has Il fascination Us great
also, one ever new. The verdure
Is SO wonderful in its glossy bril-
iiancy--there are so many notes
Of red, yellow, green and brown
land as for grays, one must run
The whole gauntlet Of the chroma-
OIc scale to compass them. Ina
sInc the most beautiful Iichens
sou have seen wrapping the trunks
Jf trees, big and little, in strange
startling contrasts, with the CLOS.
" brilliant greenely OF leaves, in
places rendered positively weird
oy the trailing Spanish moss.
Note the widely differing nature
of the trees. deciduous and mon
deciduous, many cyergreens pecu-
liar to the extrema North, with
the palms and magnoIias Of the
south. The grand live oaks,
hundreds of feet in circumference
which remind one of Longfel
lows "Druids of Eld," eor here
TOO are the "Forests Primeval." !"
rhe pines in their glory--the
nemlocks can easily be supplied
oy fancy, their place being more
than flied by the glorious green
bay, the ems and oaks.
From Gulfport behind a spirit
ed span, we drive north i've 4 or six
miles to spend red letter day
upon Pecan Farm, to gather wild
aowors and fill our baskets with
.pecans which still thickly cover
che ground although many barrels
aaye been shipped. This is the
native, uncultlvated fruit. having
strangely enough its peculiar
characteristic for each individual
Tree, Us little maid Gertrude soon
Apprized us by singing out here
ind there trees which she assured
rs were mo goods although the
nuts, were large, while others,
though small and perhaps crack
ID, were fine aud juicy. We roam
rom tree to tree to sample nuts
While filling our baskets until, like
stuffed turkeys, we are in poor
condition to do justice to the am
tjle lunch of our hostess. This
natural fruit sells readily for ten,
fifteen and twenty cents pc
pound, according to quality. HAY