The Robesonian., 1918-10-21
IN THE MOUNTAINS
Cattle Day at Clyde-Dog Law
Needed to Encourage Sheep
Industry.

I'VE are sorry to have had TO with
nold from our readers SO long the fol-
lowing interesting letter, but we have
been SO crowded during the past 3
weeks with matter pertaining to the
Liberty Loan-and that, you know, !
could not wait-that we have had to
cut corners and shave things down
and hold over matter that would keep.
The same explanation applies to Aunt
Becky's letter. We are sure these
valued correspondents will under
stand and will not punish the editor
and readers of the paper by failing
to write as often as they can.-Edi-
tor.)
Correspondence of The Robesonian.
Waynesville, Sept. 27.-Dear
Friends: We have had three big
white frosts during the past week,
and while nothing was killed because
OF dampness, yet it is changing green
to gold and wine all over the noun
tains. Farmers are hurrying to get
wheat and oats in; harvesting buck
| wheat, digging and storing Irish po-
| tatoes.
The doctor has tried the new sweet
potatoes, but they are a disappoint-
ment, the first thing we have found
not so good as Robson makes. The
watermelons, too, are inferior; but
( on the apples and the grapes! Apple
buyers from northern and southern
markets are all over the country, ap-
pies in car load lots leaving every
day: The apple crop was supposed
| to be failure this year, but they
say now the, half crop they gathering
will pay better than a full crop. as
| IA 1c hoy I'd 10 lob
Ever since we began coming UP
here the doctor has been immensely
interested in the fine cattle When we
left Fairmont last May our market
man, Dick Bradshaw, asked him to re-
member him when he saw fine ones.
In few days the doctor was being
invited to see cattle. Bradshaw has
been up twice and took home with
him a carload, the finest he says he
ever handled. The beef from this
! section is in great demand from
! Washington, Baltimore, and other
i northern cities; brings much higher
price than the western beef. Clyde,
the station below, is the largest cattle
! shipping station in eastern United
States, so when we read last week
I that a special cattle day was on hand
we drove to Clyde to see with our own
eyes, and it was worth a price Of ad-
mission. Small herds, fine fat fel-
lows, were coming in on all sides
each with men on horseback, and pa
tient, careful dogs pacing round the
herd at the masters command, keep
ing them in line. The cattle were
mostly short-horned and dark red, anC
were gentle, showing the kind hand
ling they had had. Without much
trouble each herd was driven up
weighed and showed up the incline in
to the cars. Two car loads were
ready, which averaged eleven hun
cred pounds each. Here came small
herd from the noted McCracken o.
Crabtree, "culls." bought in, so {
lovely young girl, bloomer-clad, wit:
soldier hat, the daughter Of the house
told us. She was riding youn&
mule, raised also on the farm, WI
suppose. Her cheeks were like pinl
roses. Well educated at splendit
) schools, yet she never feels too goot
for her less fortunate girl friends
nor to help her father in his work.
The crowd gets larger every minut'
we are all waiting for the Springval
herd. / got out of the car with m.
kodak ready and began asking ques
tions. A fine-looking, handsomel!
dressed lady with strong northern
accent says: eyes, we are del1ghte'
: with the experiment. The govern
ment selected our land and put thes
! cattle there, divided them in thre
$ lots, fed them differently, watche
). them closely for two years, and Will
r they are all fine, they show unmis
s takably that the ones petted the leas
;. have made the finest cattle. On
3 part were never sheltered or fed eS
: cept few days Of last winters e2
y ira cold, ranged on natural mountai
y pasture, and have proven the FAC
that a poor man can raise cattle a
: we'll as the rich man. All he need
is a mountain pasture and good CON
- mon sense. ~
y Just here some one yelled, "he1
. they come," and down a hill, aroun
IS a curve, men ahead on horses, dog
:, on each side, men behind with whip
II one hundred and seventy-five steer
e that would weigh at least twelve hui
IS dred pounds apiece-seventy thousan
IS dollars worth of beef.
le They were grades, too, not flr
g blooded stock. They came pourin
al like a stream down the road, over tf
le railway, turned sharp corner int
le the cattle shed and up into the cal
with almost one motion, so well trail
y ed were they. got two snap sho
le of them, but they were moving so ia
at I do not look for much picture. II
m dogs sat down with duty-well-dol
II expression on their faces. The me
IS interested in every one else's cattl
D. were peeping through bars and es'
mating sizes and prices. The pr
fessional grader was there LOT
> at an animal and it's grade is on pap
Seven hundred were shipped tn
day. Representatives were there fro
tAsheville Board of Trade, car loads
men from three counties, buyers fro
u Baltimore as well as nearby cities.
I'll There are a large number Of bloc
- ed cattle raisers in both counties, Ha
:; = wood and Buncombe, and on Octob
20 1924 there is to be a cattle and llv
we' stock show at Clyde, when the fine
of oil bind uyi11 ho On pyhihitiOn WI