The Newark journal., 1908-04-24
MORE ABOUT OKLAHOMA
Country is Badly Over-Rated Says
 Tom Jernigan, Late of Magness

atives and friends I would write them from this country through The Journal so, with your permission, I will state few things, as find them at present.
 About the 26th of February I left Magness for Oklahoma. We arrived at Rush Springs all O. K., on the 18th. The weather has been very favorable for farming although there is quite a lot of corn planting to do yet. This climate is just about the same as Arkansas. This country is broken prairie. Some of the farms have scruby post oak and black jack timber. It will only be short time until the people will have to burn coal all the time. Thesland is very productive in this neighborhood, making on an aver age 40 bushels of corn per acre and one-half to three-fourths of bale of cotton. The soil is black sand and red shoemake land. There is some white sand. The black and red land is the best. The white is worthless NilCtl bltt sOd iS tIohCH dtS IL DloNS SO bad, you can't get stand of anything on it, not even grass. The country around here is short-life land I am sure, for it washes and blows so bad I have noticed some seven year old land that has washed away until 1t looks as red and poor as an old red hillside in Arkansas. I think in twenty years the cream of this country will be all gone except the level land. The country is on boom and overrated as a whole. Of course there is lots of fine land here, but rich man will have to get on fence post to reach the price with a ten foot pole: land d poor man will simply have to rent. that's alb
 The land that is broke out or soded as the people call it, is worth from S30 to S60 per acre. Land rents for S3 per acre, or the third of corn and fourth of cotton, which is a. very reasonable rent.
 Corn is the surest crop. There is a web worm that destroys the cotton here sometimes in May or June and then you have to plant June corn. Wheat and oats are destroyed sometimes by the green bugs in May or June. This country is like all others-when every things right, all is we'll. There are lots of people here wanting to sell their property so they can go to the good place just ahead.
 Mir. Editor, I promised my friends in old Independence county that would write the facts as 1 found them and if the good Lord lets we live I in- tend to write them as near as 1 can.
 Here lay my pen down now and go to church to see and be seen-
 Well, I went to church, but didn't see many people but heard good ser- mon and enjoyed the services fine. The Sunday schools are very good here. The literary schools are very good also There earedifferent cheches here and person from other countries need not be out of a place or church to worship God. Thank the Lord there are some good people everywhere.
 This is the Eastern part of Okla homa, and we live just two miles west Of the Chickasaw line, and ? miles east of Fort Sill, where the military reservations are, and about fifty miles north of Pauls Valley
 The land office is at Lawtown where the settlers will have to go to prove up on their allotment. All of the land is taken up in this county. There isn't any school land or claims here. There is fine chance here for some good gin and mill man. I can think of a brother and friend back there who could make the above business a sue cess here, and that is Bro. J. U. Mar tin. The cotton area will cover ter miles square. The leading men of thi. neighborhood say good gin woult get all it could do. The people here will give gin site and there is plenty good springs for water. The only consideration is fuel.
 Now, Bro. Craig, I will stop adver Using and say we are certainly glat when Tie Journal arrives, which is ol Monday and we all make a run fo the mail box.
 Bro. Editor, that temperance rall, was all right. The election didn't q just as would have liked for it t