The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-10-03
MEN, WOMEN AND THINGS

one or the most prosperous sections of the state.
 went to Boaz and drove out about F miles to Douglass. The fields were white with cotton, cotton was piled up on many Of the front and side porches, or waiting in wagons at gins, or ginned, pressed and baled lying out under the trees waiting for the market to settle. It's true passed a few wagons loaded with it on the way to town.
 If you want to see among the best. if not the best farmers in the state, you will have to find your way to the heart or Sand mountain, which is settled up by hard working, law abiding white peo- pie, who own their own farms and as is the old saying which means so much in these days of the high cost of livins. live at home.''
 They know how to make the money crops, but they do not stop at raising things for the market but they plant for the table. I daresay there is more canned stuff and more preserves, fruits and jel- lies on Sand mountain than anywhere else in Alabama. I have looked into many of the pantries and they make town mans mouth water.
 drove F miles to Douglass and then 12 miles to Altoona, making a kind of circle from the N, c. & St. l.. railroad to the l.. & N, and in all the drive ] never saw negro. There may be got the glimpse of one. know of no other part of the state where this con- dition prevails so exclusively.
 l passed series of attractive homes ranging from three-roomed cottages to colonial mansions, but it makes no diff ference whether one lived in the modest cottage or the expensive dwelling. the whole family was accustomed to doing manual labor, for the man, woman or child who is not willing to work has no social or business status. It is a law of the mountain. There may be exceptions, but they are rare. It's a section of work
 
 wonder that they are well to do.
 
 l went by few unpainted houses Even the barns and out-houses are tidy. On every side there is evidence of thrift. It's a land of automobiles, and yet be- cause they ride in them does not keep them out of the field. Time and again saw the whole family picking cotton even father works" It was a pretty sight to see ruddy faced lads side by side with rosy checked girls and smiling faced boys and girls stop to greet us from between cotton rows.
 The peach crop on the mountain was unusually fine, but it came in a rush and was quickly gone and little time was given to conserving it properly Then the shortage and price of sugar mater tally affected the amount of the canning and preserving although a great amount was dried. Under ordinary times an inn mense amount of peaches that went to waste on account of market would have been saved for winters use in many forms. FR68
 I saw many beautiful apple orchards. Apples thrive we'll on the mountain. One mar told me his orchard had given him a good profit. He had made much cider and got 50 cents gallon for it making it out of the smaller apples and selling the choice ones. Yet I happen to know that big part of the summer apples were allowed to go to waste.
 did not see any herds of cattle The country is settled up into small farms. There is an abundance of milch cows ] couldn't stir any enthusiasm over the cheap Texas cattle as no one seemed to have pastures of size to admit graz ing on a paying basis. They raise their own meat but hogs are not shipped as they are from south Alabama. I saw only few goats and fewer sheep.
 Sand mountain is a great chicken rais- thousands of dozen eggs. I saw some fine droves of turkeys, a few flocks of ducks, and enough geese for feather pill lows. Boaz and Albertville are great chicken and egg markets. On smaller scale they are like the great East Ten nessee section. I hope to see the day when they will run special chicken trains into Birmingham
 There is an educational revival going on on Sand mountain. They stand by the state schools, yet they do not forget their denominational ones. I happened to be in Boaz on the day the campaign for the s1O,00o endowment campaign for Howard college was brought to success fui close. It was all Marshall county was asked for. If Dr. Cummings has not already worked it from the Birming- m-southern this is to tip him off that the time is now ripe for the Methodist Ito get busy.
 Is Sand mountain in the war? You bet it is. I passed one five-room cottage and saw service flag with five stars on it. Service flags were in evidence everywhere. The people are alive to all the war activities. They were eager to krow about the details of the fourth Lib- erty Loan and much interest was shown in the coming drive for the army Y. NJ C. A.
 The people have money and they are, going to stand by the government and do their part came from off the noun tain mora than aver ropvipcad that tha