The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1908-04-16
OUT ON THF PAN HANDLE
Cecil II. Sipes, A Former Licking Creek
Boy, Writes An Interesting
Letter.
TELLS HOW THEY DO THINGS THERE.

There is natural desire, / think,
among all natives of Fulton county
and, especially, among those who have
gone elsewhere TO seek home or for
tune, as the case may be, to know what
has become OF everybody else. l read
with pleasure the Fulton County News
every week, and am always glad to
read communications from those who
have gone out. They give geography,
history, ETC., not found in books; so
think few lines from me may not be
amiss. =.
First, | have not gone very far, be-
ing settled on the Pan Handle of West
Virginia, just thirty-fve miles west of
Pittsburg. Golfers, our postoffice, is
Just across the State line. 1t is on the
main line of the p. G. G. & St. l. II.
r., and gives us the best of shipping
aud travelling facilities. The Wabash
+. Il. also crosses our county. My
farm is three miles from Collier, and
two and one-half from Virginia City
on the Wabash. Steubenville, Ohio,
city of $4,000 inhabitants, on bee
line, is four miles distant, although by
road it is nearly twice that. Then,
there is Wellsburg, the county seat of
Brooke county, with 5000 inhabitants;
Folansbee, w. Va, with 1000, and
Mingo, Ohio, just across the river; so
that within radius of seven miles,
we have city and town population of
more than GOO. 1t is needless to say
that anything that can be eaten sells
for good price.
BY looking on the map, one may no.
tice this narrow strip of West Virgin
ia, running up between Pennsylvania
and Ohio. 1t varies from two to six
miles in width. At the place where
am, it is five miles wide. From sever
al of my fields | can look in one d-
rection and see Pennsylvania one mile
distant, and by looking the other di-
rection, see the hills of southern Ohio.
CYou have heard the song ''Oh, the
West Virginia Hills.'' / shall not
try to contradict it. Our country is
hilly. In crossing it by railroad, it
looks extremely hilly; but it is well
known fact that a railroad always fol-
lows the water courses, and thus runs
along the foot of the worst hills. The
only difference between our hills and
many in my native county is, that our
hills are larger. Instead of being cut
off by two deep hollows and narrow
level, ours are wider and longer, and
vary from forty to eighty acres in ex-
tent. This naturally gives big lot
OF nice lying land on the hill tops.
Yes, our country is hilly; and yet, | |
do not think have five acres but what |
| could not operate binder on. But |
the best part of it is ; Money just grows
on trees, and can, also, be dug out of |
the ground. Mr., Greedy said, ''Young
man, go west" but If money is what
you are after, why go farther than this
place But the trees here on which |
money grows, are fruit trees, and you
nave TO dig no deeper than a potato
hillto get it out of the ground -pota-
toes and fruit being two of our most
profitable crops. have purchased a
farm of ia acres, and as 1t had been
greatly neglected, I have found plenty
to do in the way of improvements 1t
mad brick house, which is said to
be ninety years old, but by my observ
alton and experience as a builder, / /
see no reason why it would not stand
was small. There are but few large
barns IN this part of the country. The
motto seems to have been smaller
buildings and more of them. 1t is a.
prevailing idea that large barn, and
well filled, will draw lightning; and,
In case OF fire, the smaller the barn
the less the loss. The farmers depend
principally on stacking their hay and
grain. In the two years have been
here, besides doing my farm work, /
put cellar under the house, built
barn, chicken house, spring house
and a hog house, besides putting up
400 rods OF wire fence; this, without
hiring a. day.
se'HN putp VI lO--lS llllcStOnt, 1
and the balance clay loan. But the
limestone Is not like that ia Fulton
county; but is found only on the tops
OF the hills, and seldom has stone
among IL, There is nine-foot vein
OF limestone crops out in the hollows,
mean to burn some lime, but have
not yet had time.
The best feature OF this country is
Its natural blue grass. No one ever
sowed II, and yet as fast as the brush
get cleared, the ground quickly gets
covered over with a tight sod (which
iorms the best OF pasture l have 25
acres OF bluegrass, where the plow has,
as VET never been; and so far as / am
concerned, never will be. 1t is on
rather steep land, yet never sign of
I gutter being washed, and easily pas
cures one COW to the acre This coun-
Try was formerly great sheep rails
ing country, and until within late
years, when the towns have built up. Il
ana so mHnv wf.rfhlauo dare mn. l<.,>t |