Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-02-17
fBy NJ. J. Brown, Editor [

had everything pretty well averaged
up, with drawback tackled onto
every garden of Eden and bargain
day with every bit of desert.
To we who live back where winter
is king for five months, we can hard
ly associate summer weather witt
the last days of January, yet out
here in the southwest the summer
is all that New York ever had in its
balmiest Junes.
Day after day the soft winds blow
up from Mexico, bringing spring with
them and day after day the ineffable
sunshine spreads overall and this
semi-desert country in mid-winter is
all that Los Angeles can ever lbe-in
climate.
Why isn't it a garden of Eden?
There are a hundred why's Coming
from the frozen north to these prai-
rie dog plains, where the south breez
thinks of little but the ever blue
sky and the trill of the birds.
Warmth and sunshine are here and al
else is forgotten.
If there were no drawbacks, would
these plains of the Texas south
west remain cow country? Would
country of ten months warmth
and sunshine be given over to cattle
and sheep raising unless there were
the best of reasons why it couldn't
be used for anything else?
l have seen these plains when
not a drop of moisture had fallen
in over a year, and there have been
seasons when twice as many months
have passed with brown tracts dry
ing up and cracking open for want of
water, and when it would appear
that everything living except spiders
snakes and lizards, had abandoned
the thirsty land; when rabbits and
prairie dogs migrated to water and
when the coyoutes ran mad for thirst
Under such conditions how would
man from Maine enjoy life here
What would New Yorker ~ar an
Ohioan think of the blue skies and
the Mexican breezes?
There are other drawbacks.
Under the mesquite clumps live
the big hairy tarantulas-the deadly
webless spider of the southwest
which we Yankees don't take to, but
which take to US. Often the grocer
catches one in a bunch of bananas
and gives a free side show with his
spidership, but / wish that you might
see one of these giant spiders in
action-one Of these fellows you
don't find on banana punches.
In the bottom of a draw yesterday
l found one of the biggest of these
brown tarantu4as, and he was out in
the open where | could torment him,
and where l proved the assertion
that they can jump With a long
limb l prodded it, preventing it's es-
cape to hole and as | waved the
bush over its head the spider jump
ed tor It, gained a hold and in an
instant was running up the limb to-
ward my hand. Like the boy with the
hot nail, | didn't wait to be told to
drop 1t. But l camped on its trail,
and later on when l had seen it
crawl into a hole, covered 1T with
a tomato can, poured in a bucket of
water and when he came out l had
him.
And another one to look out for,
and one which northerners and east
erners don't care to mix up with,
is the diamond rattler, that most
deadly of ali snakes, and it is claim
ed the only yenomous snake in all
the southwest. This reptile abounds
here and can be found on every acre
and l only account for the very few
being bitten by the story that the
snake only bites when disturbed and
that he always warns before he
strikes. Only during the dog days
of summer, when the reptiles are
shedding their skins and when they
are said to be blind, is there much
precaution exercised.
Many have the impression tha'
these vast plains are low and leve
because they are down in Texas,
but really they are from 1900 to20O(
feet above the gulf of Mexico. l wen
to the top Of one of the highest dl
vides today to see the surrounding
country. One-doesn't need spy
glass. The dry air is so clear tha
distance seems annihilated and tht
| eye almost loses its reckoning. Ant
| north, south, east and west, so IA
as the eye can reach is spread ou
that never-ending monotony of vieV
brow acres, cacti, mesquite, chin
mock and white stones.
One may travel for twenty-fou'
hours steadily without sight of ;
human being. Everlasting never
changing monotony. Once in a Will
| the black face of Mexican will lool
down from sand butte, and you wi
see his sheep scattered through tn
bushes; and again you will meet som
lone cowboy riding the range, ant
when after hours OF riding a wind
mill comes into view, it is indeed
welcome sight for a ranch house vii
i be close by, where one will be Civ