Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-03-12
FROM THE "FRozEN NORTH"
Winter i'm Michigan Now Coming On
Full BIast-The Country.

"hN hiN1Oh W. o"u no AAOSb
as we are, for the last two weeks, just
beginning to get real Michigan win
ter. Up to February 10th to 2Oth
the thermometer had scarcely been
below zero, which Is remarkable for
this section, even 20 below being the
general temperature at this time of
the year. We are just now expert
encing our heaviest snow of the sea-
son Though it is very cold and
b~liZZardy, still it is nothing to com
pare with last winter. / spent last
winter in the South, but out here it
was the coolest known in thirty year
the heaviest now ever known,
with the thermometer lowering
around 80 degrees below zero.
Wagons are entirely abandoned in
the winter, sleds and cutters being
used. tits great sport to have a gen
uine sleigh ride-some twenty peo-
pie in a bed of straw, in a big sleigh,
with four big draft horses, each with
his jingle Of bells.
Numbers Of people here make their
living by fishing and trapping for
furs. The fishermen have what are
called ice houses, built on the ice
on the lakes. They cut holes iii the
ice and catch some very fine fish.
At the time the Oconee farmers
are preparing their ground for plant
ing the farmers here are hugging
stoves, with the thermometer most
frozen up. They generally begin to
plant corn the first Of May. There
are few small farms here, and not
much room for the small farmer. The
work is done by the most up-to-date
machinery; in fact, a hoe is a thing
unheard of except in small vegeta-
bic gardens. OF course no cotton is
raised-only hay and grain OF all
kinds. Wood is very scarce, as prac-
tically all the land is cleared and in
cultivation, although several miles
north Of here are the noted pine
woods Of Michigan. The land here
is level, IL only slightly rolling, and
varies in price from $50 to $125 per
acre. The soil in this immediate sec
ton is generally low and black
hence the fame Of Kalamazoo as the
celery City. Some of the finest
celery in the United States is raised
here and is shipped to all parts Of
lot of care, but amply repays the
grower. Peppermint also is raised
in great quantities, and as it requires
swampy land, it is cultivated on land
that would otherwise be useless.
We are also right in the great
fruit belt, where no end of apples,
peaches, pears, plums and grapes are
raised for market. The sugar beet
is a great m~oney-maker here.
Farm wages range from $50 to
s35 a month.
The chief industry of this city is
paper making. There are many other
manufacturing enterprises here, how
every. Ordinary labor commands
$1.75 per day, while skilled labor
brings from $2.25 to Sc per day.
AS you know, Michigan has many
lakes, which are very beautiful, and
their banks are dotted with summer
homes and resorts. The lakes are
full Of large fish, which furnish great
sport in the long winter months. Ice
skating, ice boating and ice fishing
occupy the winter months, while
boating, fishing and swimming are
numbered chief among the summer
pleasures.
The foreigners are very prominent
here. The Dutch are on every cor
ner and are very Industrious, and
make far better celery growers than
the Americans. Religiously tho
country is very evenly divided,
though the Catholics are much
stronger here than in the South. The
Borgess. Hospital, the finest in the
city, is a Catholic institution.
Many cities in this State allow
theaters to srun on Sundays, which is
being Strongly advocated here.
Hunting and fishing on Sundays is
extensively INDUCED in, and Sunday
excursions and Sunday base ball
Qeague) are weekly occurrences
Yet the people are a law-abiding and
church-going people-as much as
you will find where the Sabbaths are
kept holy.
This city has about $1,000 inhabi-
tants and about IS saloons, which