The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1919-08-30
CAPTAIN c. c. GRAY
WRITES INTERESTING
. LETTER FROM WEST
Former Well-Known Bay St. Louis
Citizen, Travelling Throug Ter
r;tory of Eleven States.
TELLS OF FARMS AND~FARMERS
MODERN METHODS.
Tractor Is Displacing Horse.-"See
America First" Good Slogan.
Western Towns and Cities.
Sioux Falls, S. Dak., Aug. 16, 1919

Sioux Falls, S. Dak., Aug. 16, 1919.
Mr.. C. G.. Moreau,
Bay st. Louis, Miss.5:-
Dear Friend Moreau.-I dropped
you a card at Cherokee, Iowa, where
l stopped over night on my way up
here, and now that am at the end of
my route, shall try to give you a des-
cription of the country as | see it.
have now made the States of Tennes-
see, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa,
Wisconsin, Minnesota. Nebraska, and
South Dakota, and in and through
each and every State find every inch
Of ground in cultivation, the lower
States mostly wheat and the Northern
and Western States exclusively corn
and oats. The farmers inform me
that never was there sgch prospect
for bumper crops, and farm lands are
bringing on the open market from
$4,000 to S500.00 per acre, and
where the farmer rents the land, he
pays from $40 to $40 per month, per
acre, and they all are making money.
This is also a great hog and cattle
raising section. 1t is nothing for a
farmer to realize from $50 to $75 per
head on his meat hogs and cattle
bring more than we used to pay for
fine horses down in Mississippi. All
labor out here is white; one rarely
ever sees a negro. Farm wages are
so to 60 cents per hour, with board,
(three meals) and lodging. If it
were not for the extensive use of
modern farm machinery the crops
would rot in the fields. The old
style of farming and handling of
crops has been entirely discontinued.
In breaking up the ground from
four to six horses are used; never less
than three, and they are horses, too!
No ponies. In some sections farm
ers have discarded the horse, and u.s.
ing tractors. | am told they are giving
great satisfaction, and !. don't think
it will be a great while a.aefare the
horse will be discarded altogether. 1t
IS quite a sight. to see the way the
farmers build their granaries and
barns. They are far more expensive
Than their dwellings, and all of them
are filled with heating and lighting
plants, making them good enough for
a person to live in.
Beauties of the Western Towns and
Cities as Laid Out by Man.
In telling you about the farms l
must not forget to mention the towns
and cites throughout all the States
have visited. Not one but that has
been laid out with the utmost preci-
sion, large, wide streets, twelve to
sidewalks, with shade
trees planted on both sides. Cement
walks and paved streets presenting
Doth a pleasing and beautiful sight;
electric lighted. In most cases by
water power, furnished by the num-
erous rivers that one can see in eve
ry direction. There is one river
running through the State of Iowa
called the Cedar, and so many dams
nave been built along it's route that
wit in Waterloo says:
"Of all the damned rivers that.
ever was damned, the Cedar is the
most damned river of the whole
dam'd lotp
This river furnishes power for near
iy every town that it passes through.
/ shall start to double back on my
route next week and will have to re-
visit every point made between New
Orleans and this place, covering
again the entire Illinois Central sys-
sem. Was eleven months making the
trip up, but hope to make the return
"trip in less time.
See America First"-So Much to Be
Seen at Home.
My trip, while quite long one, has
been a great source of pleasure and
have enjoyed it very much. / never
knew how much of the great United
States had never seen, and the great
and beautiful thingh that were to be
seen that SO many people never
dreamed of. / am satisfied that if
one is looking for Natures beauty
spots they should never leave the
United States. / have covered only
4 small portion of it, and / am sure
what / have seen would satisfy most
any one.
1 shall continue to drop you post
-ards from the different points along
the line on my way back South and
aope some day in the near future to
pay you another visit.
Yours truly, c.. C.. GRAY.