The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1919-03-19
IMPRESSIONS
OF DIXIE
(By J. Walter Creep

ing recently returned from the
heart of the southland, / believe
some of my impressions of the
county, people and opportunities
would be of interest to readers of
The Herald who may be looking
that way with a view of locating
there
1t is undisputed by most people
that the South is the coming
country" The tide of emigration,
having turned from the arid and
boundless west, is now moving in
southerly direction to the section
that is replete with opportunities,
more accessible than the west and
holds forth more attraction to the
home-seeker that perhaps any 9TH
er part of the country. The only
thing the south lacks to make it
the leading agricultural and indus
trail region in the world is popula-
ton. In many sections of all the
states bordering on the Gulf there
is much land that has never felt the
touch of the husbandman or the
has lost it's virgin coat of timber.
Soil and Timber.
The soil of the southern, or at
least the central states of the south,
is as diverse as in any other sec
ton. There can not be said to be
any type of soil. AS the train
thunders southwark with you the
scene is ever a changing panaro-
ma. Sometimes it is through a
broad valley beside some historic
river whose shores witnessed the
battles of the Civil War. These
valleys are usually very fertile and
have some of the best farming land
to be found in the United States.
Corn, wheat, potatoes and cotton
are grown II, the central-~squth
while further toward the Gulf rich
rice fields stretch away through the
lowlands. There is little diversity
in crop growing and it is in this
that the south has failed to make
progress. Cotton has been and is
king. However the one crop sys-
TEN is losing favor and forage
crops, Notwithstanding and the
growing of fruit is gaining with
the people. After one reaches the
coastal plain there is nothing but
rich alluvial soil, though a little
sandy. The northern sections of
Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia
are hilly and the soil is extremely
poor.
Most of this virgin land is cover
ed with fine pine, oak or cypress
timber. There are two kinds of
pine-the scrub and long leaf The
long leaf is very fine tree, tall,
making excellent lumber There
are also other kinds of timber
which a lumber man knows but
which we are unable to describe.
Southern People.
The southern people are the
South's greatest asset. The most
friendly, obliging and polite race
of people in the world dwell be-
meath the southern skies. Always
chivalrous, ever ready to loiter for
a chat, never in hurry and with
a deep respect for religion and love
for tradition, they are the most
ideal and provincial of Americas
conglomerate populatiin. There is
something about them that makes
one want to stay in their midst
longer and longer. 1t seems that
much of the sunshine that floods
the southern plains has been stor-
ed up in the hearts of the sons and
daughters of Dixie, making them
the most lovable race in the world.
Their kindness to the stranger
within the gates-melting at times
into pure ness-is-sometimes
hard to understand. But the
south places friendship above the
dollar and the knightly spirit of
other days still clings to the south
ern nature.
Cities and Towns.
There are some beautiful little
cities in the central South which
are so distinctly typical of the sec
tion that one is impressed with the
feeling as soon as he alights that
he is in the heart of the south of
other days. Not that they are not
progressive-not at all. There
seems to be an air of rush and
energy about all the business
houses that equals anything found
In the north. But aristocracy
reigns supreme; your pedigree and
not your pocket-book is your best
and badge of .ac- ,