Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 123, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 June 1918 — Notes From The South [ARTICLE]

Notes From The South

Liberty, Miss., May 29.— A. trip south at this time of the year is almost as pleasant as in the winter, and in some ways it is more, pleasant, as now one can see the growing crops and the way they are worked. The weather is. very pleasant here, now, although a .little warmer than up home, but the cool gulf breezes makes it pleasant at all times. ■—4 OhWe left Rensselaer last Friday in our car for Gilman, Hl., where we took the Hlinois Central for the South. All went lovely until about a mile of Gilman, where a hard rain came up while on a sand dirt road, and having no diains we were soon stuck and had to be towed in causing a delay of an hour. This made us almost miss our train, having to run from the car to the train in adriving rain and leaving our baggage there, which was forwarded later. We expected to find Ed Phegley on the train, but he sat in the depot in Chicago and let his train depart without him. He followed! on a later train and we found him in Gloster Monday evening and made his stay pleasant herer until today when he departed for home, much pleased with the country.

Through southern Illinois we found the. farmers behind with their work, and much of the corn ground not yet plowed, owing- to the wet spring. South of Cairo conditions changed and the prospects for a good crop were never better. —o— We arrived at M'eComb, Miss., Saturday morning at about ten o’clock, our train being about two hours late, owing to engine trouble the night before. We fourfd Harve waiting for us, and we were soon on our way to our plantation near here. There we found everything in the best of condition and the Porter and Robinson families prosperous and happy. They are known in this section as the hard workers from the North and have many visitors from the surrounding country, who come to see how a Hoosier farms. Looking at the results already accomplished by them one would think they had been on the place ten years instead of less than a year. They are up at four o’clock every morning looking after their chores and are in the fields early, and always find plenty to do. They have in about fifty acres of cotton, around a hundred of corn and about fifty acres of other crops. They are cutting their oats, wheat and rye now, and this ground will be planted in corn, peanuts and other crops, thus making two crops from the same ground this year. They put out two acres of Irish potatoes, which are now ready for market, but owing to the large crbp of old potatoes left on hand in the North, with the resulting low prices, it does not pay to ship the new crop. But they are not worrying over this matter, as they aye taking the smaller potatoes and cooking them and feeding to the hogs, which makes a good feed and will bring them two or three dollars a bushel put into pork. Later they will put in their fall crop for winter use.

Sunday we put in part of the day picking blackberries and plums, which grow in abundance in the woods and are to be had for the picking. Fine mulberries grow in profusion and are now ripe and delicious. Peaches are getting ripe now and we will have a large crop on our place. We have orie apple tree, on which the fruit is now ripe and is being enjoyed by the family. —o — Yesterday was Dorothy Robinson’s third birthday and in honor of the occassion a fine dinner was served, in which spring chicken and the first roasting ears of the season, picked in their garden, was served The Porter and Robinson families are not worrying over the high cost of living and their table is always laden down with good things to eat, the most of which is raised on the place. —o — Work on the Prentice highway is progressing rapidly and it will not be many months before the road is completed between. Liberty and Gloster. The road <is being straightened and shortened and the heavy grades cut out, and upon its completion auto riding through this country will be a pleasure.

—o— We passed John Q. Le *-:s* farm on oui way to Gloster the other day. His paeled trees are still p*een and still grow’ng, nature having provided for th« ’cs’t of bark by coating over the peeled places with rosin John will have to get busy t.-.e ax when he returns and cut them down f he expects to clear *i:s land The war is’ booming prices hen the same as in the north and the increase in the cost of lumber is mounting skyward. We went to a country mill yesterday to arrange for some lumber and found that the cheapest grade we cqjtid buy was 92H a thousand.* Three months ago we bought lumber at the same mill of the best grade for sls per thousand. —o — Well, as this letter is growing quite lengthy will bring it to a close. May write again before my return if the spirit to write strikes me.

LESLIE CLARK.