The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1919-10-11
HANCOCK COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI,
COUNTY OF BIG OPPORTUNITIES.

The country along the Gulf Coast
oEers unusual attractions to the
farmer. th2 stock raiser, the market
gardener or the fruit grower. The
the soil ard the markets are
all in his favor The climate is more
Uniform than farther north, the sum-
.ner heat seldom exceeding so de-
81 ces, while tho winter temperature
seldom falls below 20 degrees, and
the cold weather lasts only a few
lays. The rainfall is abundant, about
s inches annually and is 60 well dis
ll1cd throughout the year that
crops rarely suffer from drouth.
4ile surface soil is usually a mel
low, sandy loam, which is easily work
a.l and kept in good condition. The
except a narrow strip along
nc waters edge, is heavy clay COM
ing to within few inches of the sur
face, end this gives the loamy top
soil the very best foundation and
makes it permanently productive
with the use of only small amount
If fertilizer. Near the coast the lands
are low and nearly level, but are suf-
fciently rolling to give good drain
age with little or no ditching. Back
from the coast the land rises gradu-
ally, reaching a height of about seven
ty-ive feet within three miles of the
Gulf, and becoming somewhat hllly.
al these lands have an abundant sup
niy of springs and running streams,
and flowing artesian wells can be Sc
.ured by boring to a depth of from
500 to 709 feet.
STOCK RAISING.
For raising stock this region IS one
Of the best in the whole country, as
the pine woods furnish good grazing
the entire year, and there IS never a
month when crops are not growing IN
the fields. At present the untenced
range is practically unlimited, and
so we'll stocked with rich grasses that
cattle feeding unon them are ready
for the butcher at any time from May
% December. Thousands of cattle
spend the entire winter on the range,
and probably less than one-thlrd or
the beef cattle grown here see an ear
of corn or a pound of meal. Sheep
raising has been an important INDUS
try. Sheep are practically selt-sup-
porting. as they live on the range dur
NO the entire year and receive no
feed and have no shelter or protec-
ton except what they find for them
selves. In fact their owners sell
dom see them except when they are
rounded up for shearing and marking
Disease is almost unknown among
them, and, while many young lambs
are killed by dogs and hogs, the nat
ural increase Of the fiocks IS about 20
per cent annually, or more than
enough to pay the slight expense OF
shearing and marking, leaving all the
wool as profit.
PASTURAGE.
The natural pastures are all that
could be asked. furnishing green feed
from January to December. On the
wild lands where pasturage is light
the water grasses, wire grasses, NUT
ton cane, red top, lespedeza, and
score of others furnish constant sue
cession of varieties for all seasons.
On lands that have been more closely
grazed, "carpet-grass" is at its best,
and is to the coast country what biue
grass is to the North. 1t come IN
quickly on all pastured lands, and
will bear more close grazing and hard
tramping than any other good pasture
grass. 1t takes possession OF every
roadside, and even the most sandy
fields, after one Or two seasons OF
grazing it remains fresh and green
through the whole year and 1t IS rel
ished by all kinds of stock. Hay can
he produced in great abundance and
be made at a nominal expense on
fields from which other crops nave
been harvested earlier in the season.
Whenever crops are taken on as cary
as july the ground is soon covered oy
= dense growth of erabgrass, or a
mixture of Grass and Mexican clover
either of which makes hay OF a me
quality. One old farmer said to me
recently: "Last year | had twenty ac'
res of cucumbers IN my peacn OF,
chard. and after harvesting the crop
kent the ground clean around the
trees and then cut from the held 90
tons of as fine hay as | ever used' afiu {,
that is good enough grass Tor me.
His hav cost him absolutely no1hlns
hut the harvesting. The cow pea i
another hay plant which always gives
a profitable crop, making two or more
tons per acre of hay which is fully as
valuable as that from the best OF REQ
clover. Whenever a field is not need,
ed for other crops during any two
months of warm weather it can al
WAYS be made to yield good crop OF
pea vine hay, and four months OF oul
coolest weather will permit the
growth of heavy crop of oats.
GRAIN CROPS.
Among the grain crops corn ane
oats do well. Corn natures by August
and eats in May, so that either crop
is out of the way in ample time fof
COW peas or some other crop to folioW
Upland rice is grown very commonly
and often two crops are made from
the same ground, the second one be,
ing a volunteer, and worth nearly as
much as the first. Sugar cane grows
very finely and nearly every family
raises enough to make molasses foi
home use, while many farmers are
finding it a valuable crop. Although
the yield is less per acre than or
some of the alluvial lands OF Lousl.
ana, it contains larger per centage
of sugar, and is worth more per tor
than where heavier crops are grown
The pine lands produce heavy crops
of long staple cotton, and that crof
was formerly grown here quite exten.
sively, but in recent years the raplo
growth of the towns and their popu