Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-10-14
FRIDAY, OCTOBER IA, 1910.

was the best I could do. and 1 said no
more, except that would certainly not
keep the animal after | reached Con
zales, that he could have it again.
1T did not take me long to see as
much as | wanted of the country. The
people said it was rich; but the cotton
and corn crops on it did not indicate
anything of the kind. In fact passed
through land that was planted in cotton
and which did not look to me like It
would make a bale on twenty acres.
The corn was q little better but moth
ing like as good as | had left all
through York county. They told me
that there had been no rain for more
than a hundred days, and this was
some explanation, maybe.
Il had not been in the country
great while until was struck with the
general backwardness of it. I saw no
vegetables. no fruit trees. no forest
trees. except dried up Scrubby ones. no
barns or outhouses of any kind, no
streams except q dried up creek and
the Guadalupe river which was al
most dry. The country generally re-
minded me of the BLACK Jack" section
of York county; but it did not look so
good for even down there, there is
plenty of water and first rate crops.
During my stay, | learned that the
people get their cotton out as fast as
they can, dump it in wagons, haul 1t
to the gin and then to town, and lose
no time in putting it on the market.
And after they sell their cotton they
don't fool you about spending the
money. They make it go in a hurry.
The town of Gonzales has about 5000
inhabitants and every day looks like
circus day. The streets are full Of all
kinds of people on all kinds of errands
mostly getting rid Of their money.
while idling about the town of Con
zales. | was struck with the familiar
type of farmer, or rancher. His outfit
consists Of n big white hat. coarse.
heavy pantaloOns stuffed into high
topped boots. He wears spurs. Of
course, and rides a trining looking lit
tie old horse. the head and tail Of which
wiggle out from either end Of a big
saddle that weighs sixty pounds and is
worth about $50. A coil of rope hang
ing to the saddle makes the outfit
complete and whether the fellow mas
to go only a hundred yards or five
miles, it is always at a gallop. There
are no trees along the streets Of Con"
Zales. but instead they have iron rings
fastened in the concrete pavement in
stead Of htching posts, and the streets
are just lined with horses.
There are all kinds of people out in
that country, Polacks, Germans. In
dians, MeXicans, negroes, and n good
many Americans The negroes are not
much account. They put in their
time piddling and pilfering about town.
The MeXicans do most Of the hard
work. and nobody else seems to work
much at all. The only white man I
saw working in the field, was Mr.. Ir-
win Jones, formerly Of York county.
He owns a fine little farm and Is pro-
crossing upward at a rate that prom
ises soon to put him beyond the neces-
sty of working at all.
"There Is one thing that I can say
about that country that cannot be said
about ours, and that is they don't
have to work a great deal. 1t looks like
all they have to do to their cotton Is
to plant it and gather it, and that is
about all they do to it-eXcept, Of
course, haul it to the gin and to mark
ct and spend the money.
"They are away behind us in every
thing out there, and I don't think they
are ever going to catch up, for so far as
I could see they don't seem disposed to
try. The only hope for them that oc-
ours to me. and / so told them, is to
come to York county, see what we
have. what we are doing with 1t, and
learn something. If after they had
heen with us a year, and want to go
back, I will hush up and raise no fur
ther objection.
when I told them about our max
ing two, three and even four bales OF
cotton to the acre and Drake having
made 255 bushels Of corn on an aero,
they would not believe a word of it,
and I don't believe there Is any way
they can be convinced, except to come
out here and see. Uncle Clark kuy-
kendall was a little doubtful about some
Of my stories until he got to York
county, and I have been able to show
him lots of both corn and cotton that
beats anything he has ever seen In
Texas. He has written to the folks
and told them that the very best thing
they can do as soon as they get
through with their crops. is to come out
here and see for themselves"