Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (20) View all

Horace Kephart Journal 02

  • record image
  • Horace Kephart (1862-1931) was a noted naturalist, woodsman, journalist, and author. In 1904, he left St. Louis and permanently moved to western North Carolina. Living and working in a cabin on Hazel Creek in Swain County, Kephart began to document life in the Great Smoky Mountains. He created 27 journals in which he made copious notes on a variety of topics. Journals 1 through 4 deal with the various aspects of mountain life and contributed to his popular book, “Our Southern Highlanders,” first published in 1913 and revised in 1922. Journal 2 (previously known as Journal II) includes multiple sections on “Folk Lore,” as well as Kephart’s own cultural observations of mountain life, which he detailed in sections such as “Horticulture,” “Medicinal Herbs,” and “Dialect.” Click the link in the Related Materials field to view a table of contents for this journal.
  • : ·;tr;......,. • ' ' ~-·--- • .· \,R eputatzon Of Mountatn Sage Smashed By Court .W. J. G. B. Boyd at H()meJn Mountains, But Not In Legal Maze. NATIONAb FAME RUINED BY WRITING A'.DEED 'l'rying To Avoid Fee Simple Estate, He Makes It Certain oyer-seem: to have,gotten I10ldof his. children and then to his grand­a form deed in which he fill'ed out children . forever and heirs and as· the blanks, the . main features of signs (granting clause).' · whic are given h.erewith: 3. To t.he said Pleas Clodfelter ''This deed _ made the 22 day-.. of ' 'tQ." him. and his' j!hildre.n their liv-es~· February, 1910, by' W. J. G. B. Boyd, heirs and assigns and then to his o.f Haywpo~ · younty an<1 Stat.fl of grandchildren forever, only use l!nd North. Carolma: of the first part, to behoof forever (hab,endum).. PJ~as Clodfeler his " children, their Surely there could be no doubt heirs · and then to his grandch'ildren about it. Boyd was ·at home in the forever Of County and State-of the woods up am! down. Jonathan, Creek · second pa,rt witnesseth: and by heck he could use legal' terms, ''That said W. J .. G. B. Boyd for and but he got his facts out of Iiue on 1 in considerat_ion o{ the sum of five this legal situation. In the first place, hundred. dollars paid by the said the · grant~e, Clodfelter wasn't mnr­Clodfelow to W. J . G. B. Boyd paid ried and had no children. The limi· By JOliN A. LIVINGSTONE. by and for the furth er consideration tation t.o hi.s children made the es- Tho legal acumen ascribed by Hor-. of love and r eceipt of which is tate a fee ' tail estate, which by the acC< Kenhart in his "011r Southern hereby acknowledgerl ha- bargained law of the S.tate . of North Carolina, llighlan.ders" to W. J. G. B. Boydl and sold and by these presents do is converted into a fee simple estate. famous Haywood character, ' was bargain, sell anfl convey to said the The grantee has since married and smashed by the North . Carolina Su- sair1 Pleas Clodfcltr,r his children has three children, hut that didn't pxeme Court last week. He ,wrote ~nd then to his grall(bhildren· for- change the estate. ,one deed too many, and no longer c,·er m1d-heirs and assigns, a certain Then he ·undertook to limit the wHI he be known to posterity as tract or parcel of lana in-Township, estate in limd to his grandchildren learned in the law. ~ Haywood County, State o.f North forever;' but he did not make it The reputation of this wealthy I Carolina, etc. (Description.) dependent upon any contingeiicy, as mountain resident, who for years I ~''ro have and to Hold the afore- Justi~e Adams points out, and as a was known to eYery man in the ' sa~d. tract or parcel --- and all fee sunple estate had already been vicinity of Waynesville ' became Na-1 pnvileges and appurtenances there· created, tho lack of any condition tiona! when Kephart ~vt·ote tifteen to belonging to the said Plena Clod being_ attached to the deed makes it years ago that ''he is notoriously so 'j ~ellow '? him and his children, their impossible to limit a fee after a fee. shrewd on the stand and so learned ln•es _heirs and .assigns to and then That is to. say . .if.. ,a S .Qnditio1)_ is in the law that he is formidable to I to his grandchildren forever only broken or not fulfillesl, as t~e case every attorney who cross-questions use ·and behoof forever. may be, the ;first estate comes to an 'him." Formidable though he may "And the said W. J. 'G. B. Boyd end and the subsequent estate arises. have .been as a witness, as a writer j co venants _that he is _seized covenant No condition attached to this deed, of deeds he was a failure. . to and With the sard Please Clod- therefore, the limitation ever from . He Ventures To~ Far I felow an~ h'is children during th eir a fee simple estate cannot fltick, Boyd was once 011 the witness ~tand lla.tur~l ln·es and th: u to his gr.and- Justice Adams points out. . . , and was asked by the jndge where clni,?ren f~rover hmrs and assigns, Makes F~e Simple Ce~aln. he Jivcu. "'l'h-ree, four miles up ·and lete. (Warr11nty Clause). . . Then he _ tne~ to make It ~?ub~y down Jonathan Creek," was the r e- W. J .. G. B. Bo~d was at home m s_nre by. attachmg the words the1r ply that nearly sent him to jail for I St. Loms and Chicago . when he at- lives, heus and a ssigns," but Justice contempt of court. It dev~:l opeil that 1 tended tl~e expositi?ns _at these Adams says this is -repugnant because he told the truth. 'l'hough worth a places,_ takmg along With hnn a sack the grantor assumed the impossible hundred thousand dollars, Kephart of _rations · and wearing an qve~coat task of ~onveying in a single phrase described him as perambulating '~Inch he used as a blanket at mght, 1 both a life . estate and a fee simple around his big estate and lying down :md he thought he had fixed that estate, and that either "their lives" where1·er he might happen to be <l,eed so that not even the Supreme 1 or ''heirs and assigns" must yield when night overtook him. He was Court '~·ould holcl other than that and that it must be the for·nier in master of the envi-ronment in which here was an estate that went to order to •make this f\ection · consistent he lived, but· in the intricacies of real Clo~fel~er for life, to his ch~ldren for with what has gone before. estate Jaw he was a novice. th~J'r hves and then to his grand- In other words all that this man 'rhe rep~tation for legal knowledge clnldren . of the .mountains finany ·_ did was to a~ .heen acquired through years of Thre~ Separate CI.auses. make It absolutely certam that un· wntmg deeds for various people up There are three sectwns to tho der the rules of the law he would and down Jonathan Creek but his deed anlj. he had included in each convey a fee simple estate. He last deed ruined his sta~ding It of these sections the following couldn't have made it more eer­happened to be a deed for a tract clau~os, .as ~u~t.ice Auams points. !ain by words, and yet he was try­of land that he conveyed to one Pleas out m hls o~miOn: . . I_ng as hard as -h~ could all · ~he Clodfelter, who later dropped the I. To ~leas. Clo<lfelter, his chi!· t1me to do the opposite. All of wh~ch Clodfelter and becam·e a , Boyd. The dren, t?etr heus and then . to his ~bows that. a man m_ay b~ v~ry wise latter recently contracted to seli the grandch1ldren f?rever (premises) . ~n some thmgs and be qmte 1guorant laud to v. A. Campbell, but there 2. To the said Please Clodfelter m others. was some question about his right t,o convoy and that is _how the caso came ~o the Supreme Court. A Remarkable Deed. ) When W. J. G. B. Boyd wrote the cleed for this tract of land . back in 1911-Iie died oin 1912-he intended to give Clodfelter a life estate in the land, the· remainder· to his chil­dren, anrl then the land to go to his grandchildren. He 'vrote' an unusual deed, . in which he thought he- expressed'. hls i,nten· tion clearly, but Justice · AJams, whose sworn nuty is to write ·the law· as it is, ";as forced to the conclusion· that what · he· ·actua,lly. did was · to, convey a fee. simple estate to Clod­felter, and ·that the latter thercfoteJ bas a right to 'sell the land though he has three children. He ·fell .)lpon disaster . because he used .legal Ia~ gull e he not understa d. • I LAND TI'rL ES. "The l and i n t hese :mountains i s all claj_rned , 'Qu t it i s prob ably not all covered by actu a l l')at ent . As evidenc e , a company h as b e en formed to lToecul <:.t e i n l ands not secured by title . Tb.e old careless v~·ay of marking off boundaries by go i ng f r om tree t o : ree, by partly sur veyin g and Dartly gu essing , e.xpl ains the p r e s ent uncertainly. Many own l and by r i ght of occu:oancy, t h ere being no o ther claim. The great b ody of t he peo:ol e live on and cu l tiva t e little 9atches v::hich. t hey either own , or hol d f ree , or p ay rent f or wi t 11 a tl1ird of the crop . These not unf r equent ly get toget her and trade farms as they ·,.rv-oul d horses , no deed being exe cut ed. Thel"e is among t hem a mobi l e element-- squatter s -- 1.r.rho make a hills i de clear i ng and live on i t a s l ong as it re.1.ai ns -:r.)roductive , when they move e l s ewhere. Thic a.ccounts f or the p r e s ence t hrou ghou t t he country of ab c:.ndon ed cabin s , around which a dense n e•N fo rest growt h is s~'l rin g i n g up." (}_ames Lane AlJ-..§I!. in Ha r ];er• s Magazin e , June, 1886. ) See a lso LITIGIOUSNESS, 887. D.arliti Boone.-- "It di d not occur to ou r e a sy - goi ng b.ero that ' a.ny one 'Nou l d question hi s :right to as mu.ch l and a s he car ed t o hold i n a •.vilder ness '.Yhi ch he lJad done so rrruch t o b r ing to the a ttention of the v.ror l d . But cla i m- jumpers wer e no res:oec t e r s of persons . It rms d i s cove r ed that Doone had carel essl y failed to make any of his p reemptions accord i ng to t he let t er of the l aw , leavi ng i t 0-:0 en for any adventurer t o reenter t he choice c l a i ms w11.i ch b.e bad sel ected with t11e c a r e of an ex;Jert, and to t rea t him as an i nterloT er. Suits of ejectment fo l l o·vved one by one ( 1785- 98 ), unti l i n the end h i s acres were t al\.en from him by tJ.1e court s , and t ile good- heart ed, s i mple fe l lmv ~.'!as sent adrift in t he ·.vor·l d ab s ol u t e l y l andl ess ." ( Thwai t es, Dani e l Boone , 809.) ' / ,. ,I FARMING. In the Southern Appalachians the combined a r ea of tl!.e valleys and gentler slopes (of less than 10 -- about 2ft. in 10) -probably will not aggr e ga t e more than 15Jb of t he whole. 4-u-p . .. n , Jlfl.f. (Ayres &_ Aahe.. in 1901 Rep • t. ) "In places vrhere even a single steer could not hold footing with the lightest plGw, a line of willing workers hoed successive :parallel seed trencJ.1.e s . 11 ( C.ar.ri.ruct.Qn., i n u.s. census rep • ·t on Cherolcees. ) "1' ve ho ed corn many a time on my knees: y es I have! "(Mrs.B.) "Many 1 s the hill o• corn I• ve propped up with a rock to lceep• t from fallin• down11111." (Grandma Jarrett. ) Called "upright farms" in Kentueky. ( Fro.s..i_. ) Perpendimtla.r · far ms •4!,i 19 o.s- ~~ ~:+..) r-~. "There are three general t ypes of f arms in this r egion : tl1.e va lley farm, wi tb. its fields sp read out a long t he bottom lands; the cove :farm in t he cove or b.ollow at t he mouth of a • br anch; • and the hill far~, push i ng its corn fi elds up the s t eep slopes, sometimes. to the very top. • •• Oftentimes t 11.e valley t·arm creeps up t he mount a 111 side, :for the valleys a t b est a r e v er y na r row, and on ly ·;7her e t he s tream has swept round t he l ong curves and depos ited a gene r ous • bott om• i s ·G:f.J.ere chance for leve l tillage on a cons i der able sca l e ." (Vincent, Geo. JI:., in Amer .Journ.of soeiol.,4: 3.) See Pioneer Li f e, 4~ 25 . I rel and .• -- "It i s no l onger neces s ary t o teach t he f ol k of t hat country that i t i s bet ter t o put he.r :ness on a pony than yoke him t o a harrow by t he t ail, wh i ch v;as t hei r p rimiti ve me t hod." (Gwynne , s . Hi ghway s and By•r ays of Done ga l and Ant r i m, 14 4 . ) See a l so HIGHLANDS .2.§ . LOWLANDS, *:...166 ~ Rude tillage. (Cf. Pioneer Life,4~ 42-3.) ~.lt~,cr Fences.-- See Pioneer Life,4; 25. "They also set up t heir Pales without any Nails at all, and indeed more securely than t b.os e that are nail• d. Tl1ere are 3 Rails mortis ed into the Posts, t he lowest of wh.ic:B. s erves B.s a Sill with a Groove in tb.e Middle, mig enough to r eceive t he End of' t he Pales: t he mi ddle Part of' the Pale res t s a gains t t he Inaide of the Next Rail, and t he Top Gf it is brought f or ·.'i'ard t o t b.e outside o:f t J.1.e u~9pe rmost . sucl'l. Wreat11.ing of' · t l"J.e Pales in and out makes them s t and f irm, and · much J3.arder to unfix than wl1.en nail• d. in t he Ordinary way." ( Eu.d.,_Wm. Worlc.s , 79. ) "Plou ghi ng is commonly done with a •bul l - tongue•, an i mp l ement ha r dly mor e than a sharpened sticlc. ·~ri t h a metal r i w.; t hi s i o o:ften dr ai.WD by an ox or a ha l f - yoke . But one may see Yromen ;;lougl1ing with t wo oxen." (James Lane Allen in Har p e r• s Magazine , June,l886.) - -· All fences were of rails. Gardens were enclosed by hand-r-•t ven pal-~t ngs . ~~r uc b ecomomy was o b se·r ve d 1· n the use of nails. I have seen good gates without a nail in them, built as in t he accompanying sketch, the hinge being simply a hickory withe doubled over, pushed through an auger hole, and wedged fast. I ; . . . 11 PERPENDI CULAR FARMS. "As i l lust rat ing t. e ste e~ness of t he cl i ffs along t he [ Nanta­hal &J strc m, i t 1."'as s a i d of a not ed hunter . . • t hat h e us "'d t o s tand on the to .._; of t he bluf f ov erloo}\.i g t e s ettl erlent and thro'(!" do~trn upon the r oo f of hi B hous e t he l i ver of t he i"J~ csl1 1 Y kill ed deer , so t at llj _fl v;-ife ,_-roul d have it coo1<"ed and vrai ting for 1 i r.1. bY t he t i 1:-,e he got down i':rom the mount a i n . 11 ( Uoon oy , Myths of t he Cherokee . ) Similar l y , it i s s a i d of a c ertai n h'ome t hat all t hey had t o do t o f e ed. tl1e f i re i."as t o go up the bacK y r d , c!lor:, a tree , and y;i t ch a few cu t s down t he chi mney . ~ f. 3.2.6 • • ., _ .I. I ~~ II ,..,._ -~-r · • SOIL. "You can raise t wo or three seve r e craps and t hen your l and •s gone ." (Louis. ) ""' ' , ~-(; .a- Cw~- ,. ... ,.p.• lJ ,, "Land so :po0r i t would n•t har dly raise a figb.t. 11 {Mile.s., 21.) 11 I ·t t akes tl1ree peas to s);)rout: one to push., one to pull, and t he oth e r t o come' u p ." (Bob . ) ··~~-~~·'' "~1/;z)~~~~ )t;u~~~-- "This is good s trong land , or it wou l d n ' t hold U}';:> all t he r ocks there is around here ." ( Quill Rose . ) "A D~ ~. ' , /] I II «J c..o< ... 'L- ~ "" --r <n-1-,1\..4<-¢«. ~. 3M3 I' I ~ - 1 - EROSION OF MOUNTAIN FARMS. "In the heart of a mountain r egion vrh.ere th.e lands have not been cleared, nor have forest fires destroyed the 11umus cover from their surface, t he raindrops are battered to pieces and their force is brolcen by the leaves and t wigs of t he trees, and 'Nh.en their s:pray reaches t he ferns, the grass , and t 11e flowers below, instead of running away dovm the surf' ace s lope it passes into the spongy h.1urrus, and t)ence into the soil and the crevices among the rocks below. As much of' this supply as is not subsequently used by the growing plants emerges from th.is storehouse -vv-eeks or months later in number­less springs. The r ain must be extremely a!)Dndant or long protracted to :produce an:p. excessive increase in tl1e f low 6f the adjacent brooks. 11 ( ~ Wilson in 1901 Rep • -t. ) Not more than .10% of t 11.e so. Appal. region 11as a sul"face slope of less than l0° (about 2 f eet in 10), while 24~ has been cleared. !Jand 'V'Ii 'Gh slopes exceeding 10% cannot be succes s :fully cultivated t'or long, because its surface is r o.pi dly was11ed avmy by the heavy r i.::iins, which also leach out and carry to the sea its more soluble and fertile ingredients. ":mach short-lived hillside field must soon be c>,bandoned. For one, two 0r three years such a field is planted. in cern, t 11en a year in grain, then one or t wo years in grass; then the grass gives place to weeds, and the weeds to gullies. such a f ield has usually passed through its cycle in five to ten years, and another must be eleared to talce its :place. A forest which. was the growth of several centuries perishes in less than a decade; a soil which was the ac cumulation of a th.ousand years has been cleared, cultivated, -.-eEiil abandoned , and is on the doY~mward r oad to the sea within less than a decs.de." (D!l.-) "The effect of exposing mountain lands to t11e :full },Jov;rer of rain, running water, and frost is not gene r ally appreciated •••• In tl1e das1ting , cut ting rains of t hese mountains tb.e earth of freshly burned or fres l1.ly p lowed land melts away like su gar. The strearns from 'such. land are often more t han h.a.lf'· earth ••• tt ( A,y_res &_ ~ in etc. ) 11Many of these st eep mountain fields are abandoned. before th.e girdled trees f all t o the ground." ' "It is only a qu estion of time , if t he :for ests a r e want only cut, ·v;rhen all of t he soil and vegetation will be washed from t h.e mountain sides and nothing v:ill r emain but t11e bare rock. Th e se f loods, due to protracted rains, are a l so destructive in strips of valley lands bordering th.e streams in the mountain region, and in the wi der valleys along t heir courses across the lowlands beyona. Bridges , mills, settlements, public roads, dams .f or develop­ing water p ower, indeed eve!'"l;thing in the course of suc11 a rn.ountain stream is liable to be swept away by its rapidly increasing force." ( 1901 ' Rep • t.) Floods s ilt. up the streams in the valleys, widen their cb.an..'Ylels, and tb.us wash. cn:vay t11.e valley lands tb.emselves. (Do.) The extent of these damages in 1900 approximated $lo,ooo,ooo, "a sum sufficient to purchase the entire area reconunended for t11e proposed reserve." From April,l90l, ·to April,l902, th.e flood loss was ~~ ls,ooo,ooo. (Do.) \ - - - I - 2 EROSION OF MOUNTAIN FARMS. "ID is a good enough farm, but mo s t of it l ies a t a.n angle of th.irty-fi ve to forty degrees. The ridge back of the house, planted in corn, was as steep ' as t he roof of hi s dwelling. It seemed incred­ible that it ever could have been ploughed, but the pro , riet~r assured us that it was p loughed with Im.lles , and I- judged t11at t he h arvesting must be done hy squi1>rels. The soil is good enough, itt it would stay in place, but all the 11.illsides are seamed with gullies. The discolored state of the s treams ••.ras a c c ount ed for as s oon as we saw t hi s cu ltiva t ed l and. No sooner i s th.e land cleared of trees and broken u:p than it begi ns to 1Nash. We sa-.rv more of tl1.is latter, especial ly in North carolina, where we encountered no stream of water t hat was no t muddy , and saw no cultiva t ed ground that Yvas not '.Vashed." (This was in the northernmost wes t ern counties , dovm t o Asheville.) (warner. On Horseback., 20. ) • • CROPS. Corn is the leading crop. 43. Climate of Carolina mountains too wet for wheat to do well. small patches of flax, cotton, and tobacco, for home consumption, in Tenn. and Ky. 11It t.al\.es a man fourteen months ev ery year to make a tobacco crop ." (Bob .) No flax r aised in Carolina mou.nt ains. Bob• s mo t h.er never saw any. n JO rr lf fJ,..~L " <;>/liM£ • • ~ .... -- Killing crows vv-i th horsehair fastened to gr adm of corn. CrOi.li"S swallo·v\T corn, the hair protru.des, and "they• 11 fight it till they die." ( Matt . Hyde . ) THRASHI NG.-- HUSKI NG. 11 I n s ome counties t here is not so much as a f anni ng-mill, gr ain be i ng winnowed by pour i ng i t f rom bas l;:et to bas1<:.et c tn.e women f lutt er i~ bed sh eets or aprons J , aft er having been t h r eshed vvi t h a flai l. • • • Their thr eshi ng f loor is a clean p l ace on the gr ound, and t hey take up grai n, gr ave l , and s ome dirt toget l1.er , not knowing or not caring f or the use of a seive. 11 ( James Lane Allen iri Har per •s Maga zine , June , l 836.) HORTICULTURE. urn the ••• high plateaus, ranges and valleys lying between the Blue Ridge and. the Great Smokies, which marlt the line of T~nnessee, is a region dear to botanical collectol'S for its wonderf'ul f'lera, and of' great int erest to the horticulturist on account of its ca:pacity for the production Gf fruit, esl)ecially of apples. Here t11.e apple flourishes and nroduces tb.e most wonderful and uniform crops under conditions of absolute neglect. What could be done here in the pro­duction of apples, with carefUl and intelligent culture and proper handling of t 11.e product has been abundantly shown in t 11e ex-perience of the few who have attempted the culture. In this same region the French wine and table grapes have been flourishing for years, graft.ed on t11.e native stoclts. A complete failure of tb.e apple crop has never been known in the mountains of North Carolina. on th.e eastern belt of t11e Blue Ri·dge are found the t hermal belta. These belts are on t he mountain slopes and are singularly free from tb.e effects of early frosts in the autumn and late frosts i n t he spring; in fact, hoar frosts are almost unl<.nown. The cold air settling down in the va+leys pushes up the warm air [ as an under­tow] and prev~nts f rost abo~e _ a certain line, t hus insuring ~he safety of fru1 t above t_hecfrost line. These belts are peculJ.arly marked in Polk and Wilkes counties. In tn.e high valley lands of watauga and Ashe counties, lying 3, 500 te 4, 000 ft. above the sea, are meadows wh.ere th.e finest of cranberries grew wild, and on the northern and western slopes of the mountains in Mitchell county there are acres of lily-of-the-ve,lley and viola tenella, native and to t he manor born. on the exposed uplands of this section the grape and the peach flourish in wonderf'ul luxuriance, though. notb.ing has been done with these in the way of commercial cultur e. In these upper mountain counties of late years the cabbage and t lle potato have become impor­tant farm crops, the produce being sent to the southern coast cities in winter. The mountain section is in fact a vast fertile, but un­developed, region, h.orticulturally." (LLMassey in Bailey, Cyclopedia of Arner. Horticulture, 1092-3.) The Unalta region of Tenn. has a t 11in and gr avelly soil, but contains areas that are fairly productive. (11Q..,l781.) Late cabbages and potatoes are grown in Henderson and Transyl­vania co • s f or sou t h.ern market. G.ins ep .~.- Coburn says t wo acres of gi nseng -.vill bring in an income of' $2,500 to $5, 000 a y ear. Takes eight years t o mature. 100,000 plants to acre. 1 1/2 to 4 oz. each root, fresh, and 1/3 of tl1is dried. Two acres prodhce 25,000 roots a year (rotation). Dried root brings $5 a lb. seeds also valuable. Requires close attention for "every root is so much money." Gins eng does not grow above 3,500 ft. r.NORTH CAROLINA'S' G/NSING INDUSTRY b;:XTH/NG OF 1HE PAST, '-'-"(By Donald K. Fitzgerald.) 'North Carolina 's ginsen,! Industry which once amounted to many thou­~ ds of dollars annua.ly, is now pr<t C­ti. C&lly a thing of the pas:, ac ·~ording to a. statement made Thursday hy m. !:i,S>steen, cif Flat Rock, who is c:c n~ .,~'f'?~ the foremost au•horlcy on l{ln­se, ng in America. In superstitious rever en ce. The Amer-1 ican r) lant, known to botanists a s panalf quinquefolium, is a substitute for the true ginseng and h a s been found in large quantities in ma ny sectlone . of North America, but "l'the wild ginseng has become al­most extinct by reason of :he fact tha t tanners who early lear nEu of its v,alue have grubbed -up all they could lttu.d and did not replant any. At •me me the plant grew abundant!.v !')OUS'h t he mountaL'lS in this section :'Notlth .Carolina, but ab()ut 15 nr 20 l r• ago farmers found they could :i\et it easily as bu~·e•·s cf the rout :t!ll4 fl.'£\ 1:o make p eriodic visits and fril cJ!ase all they could get for the ese arket. chi~fly in the mountains of w;estei'n North Carolina a nd in the Ozark mou n tains. - ' The r e is still some market for the ginseng seeds as there a re many p eople all over the country who have h eard of fa bulous fortunes tha t have been made from the root, but after learning tha t it takes 18 months for the seeds to germinate and seven more years for the plarits to become mature enough to market, their Wal· lini?for dian ideas of getting rich from ginseng dwindle and die. A,.t thta;t tlme it wa.s seen that the wfld II,!Upply would soon be~ome c::r­hail, a'tel! and several tar -:~eetng men. Jii.Ciudtng E. L. Osteen and Captain 1\1. '(:', Tbom.s, secured quantities of seed l3.d planted large tracts of it. These ttaets of the growing plant were s•wh "- t emptation to ava.rlc'ous ··sang" hUnters that CaptaJn Thoms four.-! 1t ne.ceS~J&rY to set '>ear traps to !•ee!) them out of his patch. Mr. Osteen still has between 8.000 and 10,011.0 «Jt the "man plants" as gmseng 1s sometimes called on account of its sh8JPe, but he is not at presen~ en­deavoring to market it, as the priC'i'! Is t oo low. I n China , wher e the dx;ug has been used · f or a thousand years ,_ it is b e ­lieved It will do as much .for the 'aged and infirm in the way of rest.oJ;:­ing vigorous . youth as .the much her­alded g la nd-transplanting operations I of a F ren ch seie ntis t. It Is also a Chinese sp ecific for all the diseases tha t huma n · fl esh is heir to, from corns to b a ldness. Hard ' headed oc­cidental scientists, h owever, say that ginseng Is the greatest fa ke In the world · t hat it has absolutely no phar• m acol~glcal or theraputic value wha1!• ever and tha t the action of the dru!l Is entirely psych ic a nd comparable to that of the ma ndrake of the Hebrews. "It will not fetch more than ~2 or $3 a. pound now," said Mr. Osteen, "because the big New York jobbers ~entrol the .market and they have spoiled it for the producer. 'V!ld gin- \Bentr bas always brought a much h igher price than the cultivated root. 'l'he wild variety should easily fetch :about $20 a ppund but there is very little wild ginseng left. Some New 'York jQbbers ·get· hold of wha.t there 1s in the country and mix it with the . cultivated ginseng and sell the mix- . t l4f'e as wlldl. realizing t,he lhigh,er pr.ics on it. These jobbers have buy. ers all over the country and they have ol'ced the price down to such an extent tl;J.a.t it not .vorth the trouble ·it takes to grow it," I t. takas about seven years for the , ot t o mature and that is too lon,g ~ wait and to receive interest on one s ~oney according to the growers. But tbey predict that the time will come ._1n when "sang" will bring as high ., price as it ever did , for the de­Mand is constant while the supply is ,.teadily decreasing. What s eems to ))& needed is the organlzat~on of th:e local growers into a. protective ~ssocl­atton that could deal directly With the M'll.nchurla and K<;>rean markets, wl:iere the best prices obta in , instead of 'passing through the hands ~f the lddlem.en who will fix the pnce to $elr own 'advantage and to the dis ­advantage of the grower. Ttu6 ginseng is a native of Man­churia and botanists say it is the root of a. species of Panax. The tr?e laont Is found nowhere exce.pt m ~a.nchuria. and Korea where It IS h eld Pffl'SENG. [ A Pr~tablc and Reasonably Certain Crop in w. N•. c. .. I Ginseng is b ec o~ing ot p e_ a cons id ­er a ble industry in Swain county. The gardens of the Sa ndidge-GibsGn com­pa ny, n ear Br yson City, and which cqmpri13e a little over four acr es, are' said to be the largest in the south and among the most successful of the ' entire country. There a re sever a l other sma ller ga rdens in diffe rent parts of the cqunty and most of them h ave been quite f?Uccessful in growing to -almost perfectio11 the• my~;ti c root · so ])ighly esteem ed by. the Chinese. Others of our people woul(l. probably find It profita ble to engage in its cul­lt iva tion. Mr. R. L. Sandidge of Bryson. City, who. is in cha r g"e of the Sa ndidge-Gib- . son company g;ard ens t ells us tha t 'with r easona ble care a nd .a ttention the· · ginsen'g r oot can be prod'uced h ere in our Smoky Mouhtains at a cost n ot to exceed $1 a p ound, which sells on the New York ma rket from $6 to $7.50. A r e presenta tive of 'T he Times as·ked Mr. Sa ndidge concerning the ma rket for dry ginseng. H e sa id: "The ma rket for g inseng root is always g ood. The r e is a lways as ready sale f or a h undred or a thou­sand. p ounds of roots as ther e is for a like number of bush els of corn. Taking ever ything into consider ation the price ou ght to be b etter than it ·is- $6 to $ 7.50 p er p ound. All Chi­nese want gi nseng and the re are 4 50 million of t h em, or on e-qua rter the earth 's popula tion . The s upply from a ll sources is less than $2, 000,000, a nd we h ere in Ame rica produce over on e­half of that. If the Chinese used but one cent's worth · each, p er a nnum: it would talre $ 4,5 00,000 wor t h t o su pply t he demand. You can readily see from what I have said t hat we gin­' sen g gr owers a re n ot worried a ny over the future ma r ket. The price is - grad·ua lly incr easing from iYear to year ."-Bryson City ·T1mes, September 9,~ I II• ______ 1t ' GINSENG-. 11 Th.ough Practice will s oon make a man of t o l erable Vi gour an ab l e Footman, y et, as a He l p to o e a r Fatigue I u s • d t o cll.ew a Root of Ginseng a s I Wall;:• t along . This l;:ept up my Spi r its , and made me trip awa y as nirably in my half J a ck- Boots as younger men cou• d in t11eir Shoes . Th i s Plant i s in hi glil Esteem in Cb.ina , where it sells f or its Wei g:fl.t i n Silver •••• I·ts vertues are , t13.at it gives an u...ncommon Warmt h and Vigour to t he Blood, and f risks the Sp i rits, b ey ond any oth e r Cordi a l . I t cb.ears t he Heart, even of a Man that 11as a had Wi f e, and makes ll i m look down 11i t h gr ea t Comp os ure on t h e cros s es of the Wor l d . It p romotes ins ens i b l e Per s p i r ati on, di s solves all Ph l egruatick and Vi s cous Humours , that are ap t t o obstruc t th.e Narrow che.nnel s of the Ne r ves . It :J.e l ps t 11e Memory and would quicken even Helve tian du llness. • Tis f ri endly t o t b.e L1ings , much mo r e t h an scolding itsel f . It eomfor ts t he stoma ch., and St r en gt hens the Bowels, :pr eventine all Co l iclcs a nd Fl uxes . I n one Word, i t wi ll make a Man live a great while , and venr well while 11e does l i ve . And what is more, i t. wi ll even make Ol d Age ami ab l e , by ~r e nd er in g it lively, chearf ul, and good- humou r• d." ( B.n:~ Wm. Works , 210-211.) "l!'ormerly.. . c'liggi ng • s ang • , as they c a l l ginseng , i!'JB.s a general occ"Lrpation , •.• T:!:1is vms ma i nly the occlr-.r)e.t ion of the women and the chi l dren , who vuent t o ·;:or 1<. barefoo t ed , a111i d brier s and chestnut burrs , copper heads e nd r a tt l esnakes . I ndeed , t he women ~ r e f er t o go b are­f ooted , finding s ho es a t roub l e and constr aint . It vms a s c.d. day for the peop l e when • sang• gr ew scar ce . A few y ears ago one of t.h.e coun­ties ':"JaS nearly dep01)Ul a t ed i n consequence of a great exodus i n t o J\r1;:ans a s , "!hence had come th.e :r1ews t "i1at t here • sang • ·Nas n le n tifu l~ Not long s i nce , t oo , du ring a season of s c a rcit y i n cor n , a loca l s t ore- keeper t ol d the J) (~ 0~0 l e of a county t o go out and ga t h.er all t i:1.e Ji18.ndralce or • May appl <:P root t~ hey coul d. t~ i nd . At f i rst only the ~om e n and children went t o work, t he men ho l ding back with r i di cule . By- and- by t hey a l so to ole. }Jart , and that y ear some fif t een t ons were gather ed , a t three c ents a ~oound , and t he who l e county t hu s got i t s seed- cor n . Wi l d ginger •Yas anot her roo t fo r mer l y much du g ; as a lso, to l e s s ext ent , • go l d en seal • and •b l ood roo t .• 11 (James Lane All en i n Har ·per •s Magazine , Jun e , l 886 .) FRUIT. ~~~~ Unpruned apple and peach trees ~o earing wizened f~uit, dry and bitter, or half' r otted on t he s tem; never ripens. Result of t otal neglect . TRUCK PATCH. ~-+:,-~ Worm-eaten cabbages, tobacco , Atomato vines , 11ere and ther e peeping ou t from among t:t.e r ank gr a s ses and t all weeds that overrun t he p l ace . 11Peppermint growi ng all over tl1.e p l a ce . 11 Of. Pioneer Life, 4~ 46 . '' '14~ 1.- lt:L ~~~ ~~ "~ ' l:ikw. '! u r,...y_~/1 ·;& i---.-4-r- 1fZ- ,.._,lo.. -wd.. ~- ii=" ? , FLOWERS. Ca l led "blos som-busb.es." Toucb.menot, P an:SH~ s , Mari gold, Nasturti ums , 11 Standi ng Cy-press," Phlox , Xeni as. Nov.30,l904. Near Medlin . Mountai n .chi ldren and a f e--..·; women gatherine; ga l ax , 11 hemlo cl~ " ( l.eucothoe ), and mi stl etoe, selling to de a l er s a t r a i lroad who shi p nort h fo r Cl1r i s t rnas de corat i ons . A boy wh.o was gather i ng "hemlock" t old me with evident pride that "Some of them go t o London , Engl and .n • STOCK RAISIUG. "A na t ural paradise fo r t he stock.Inan, t h& dairyman, and the s hee11- b r eeo.er. • Catt l e and hogs run wild . The "ba l ds" fur ni sh rich swruner ~a s tur a g e. Cattle are usually driven to the mountains about April 1s t and are brou ght bacK i n Novemb er. s ome r emain .out all winter. They are vve i gb.ed f or ma r lcet about September, d ehorned in November. 11 Gant lots . n Wild peas. See FLORA. Cl1ief cattle-rai s ing co• s are Ashe, Alle~hany , Macon. Best grazing co• s a r e t h ese and Watau ga, Mitchell, Yancey. ~vro s t horses and mul es r aised in Macon. Hardl y anybody raises hay , and b l ade- f odder is sometimes ~~ 2 . 0 0 t o ~~ 2 . 5 0 a hundr ed. Ca t t l e ranges on mount ains dep ended upon. Louis says a f'a rmer coul d just as we l l have 50 a cres i n gr ass i n some cove , and r a i se f at ca t t l e , besi des orchar ding . could f i nd a b eef mar ket near hom~ . (91c. J,_.....:e 4-~; ,.., .A..cc-:J Few s heep ; no goats. Cf . PIONEER 1 I F E , 4~ 47- 49. ·· 1fw.-. ~ /J;;D ~~~~ ~ ---- .J..:.L..-. ~· ·o-w- ..t.-4. ....... ~..;.,.. lt:c ~·" " 1¥- -e......J.. "'" ~ c:.o-w- /ifA;;i;C -w--. ~.t.d... ~( "fir--} ... lti:J; ~ ~ ?- ? " ,, ·~~,...-~ " ~ 4 ~.t;;:;tA ? ·;, ·· ~~ ~~. .. ~. Bee-keening. J os11 Calhoun 11ad 100 b.ives of bees producing 1, 500 l b s . h.oney a y ear, f or whi ch he get s lOr} a lb., but has t o haul to r ailroad. 3 &.1 CATTLE- Di s e ases , Trea t ment. Catt l e sometimes a r e poisoned , as i s supposed, by feeding on A.mi ar:{;i um nru.s caeto xicum.: llence its name o:f uFall-poison. u (Gray. ) <;(" ~- Al so :poisoned @cca.s iona.l ly by l aurel leaves , c.lth.ougl1 tb.ese a r e not t oxic to cleex or ph ea s ant s (neither of which ani mals, by the way , has a gall-b l adde r J. ( Au- Jr~~) r:'-t?~-~~ .) Josh Cal houn tol d me that the l e aves of mistletoe f ed t o a c ow that "has not done well 11 wi ll ol eans e her a nd s to:p her f r om f looding . i " THE "RAZORBACK. II He is an institution-- perhaps we should say the institution-- of southern mountain life. Of. Pioneer Life', 4~ 49. ' Tile !)O l d , crafty eye , utterly fearless, yet discreet. ) C/l.irU. ~ 1'hat -pig o~ Nev,rt.Wilson• s woul~,._lln~,. b.ell on a rott en rail to git into a •tater patoh!"(Bob.) ~ "'rhe l1alf-wild razorbaolc, with never a clut.ch of corn to b.is baclc, gives abundant f ood t o the mountaineer over whose forest he ranges . The Cl"O~oped or s lit ear is th.e only evidence of hmnan care or human ownershi p . . He lives tl1e lif'e o:f a ·wild beast, and in the autmnn he di es the death of a wild beast; while his flesh, made rich with juices of acorns , beecb.nuts , and other sweet mast s , nourisb.es a man whose only exercise of ownership is s l au ghter. The b.og t hat can make his own living, run like a deer, and dri nk out o:f a jug, has done more for . the pioneer z.nd tb.e b ackwoodsrnan tb.an any other animal • ••• No other f ood animal can increase its own wei ght 150 fold in tb.e first eigh.t months of its life • • • • The pig of t oday ••• Gone are the f leet legs, great 11ead, bulky snout, terrible jaws, warlike tusks, open nostrils, flapping ears, gaunt flanlc.s, and racing s i des; and with t l1.ese b.as gone every­thing that to l d of strength, fre edom, a nd wild life." (Streeter, J. W. Tl1e Fat of t he Land , 126-7. ) The p i g is the chea:pest c,_omest,ica t ed animal, and yie l ds meat quickest. Until the fores t s were cle.a r ed he was a llowed free r ange, and was t he most sagacious of our animals. Now, condemn ed to life long i mprisOThuent in a :pen or small lot, he has degener ated to one of the s tupidest of beast s. r Contrast wild goose and turlcey with t ame ones . J RemarKable instance of p i g•s power to understand human speech. Pigs show a keen sympathy with theil? ltind, live a cormrrunal life, and unite for def'ence. Liable to attacks of mani a . f .• ( Shaler,N.s. Domesticated animals, 139-148.) ""'?""~~~ ... ~~~~JI.-~ Tl1.a. D onnaught ~. (Oonnaught is a rough and b arren di strict of N. Vl .I:re l and.) ••• «The • origina l oonnau gh.t pig 1 -- v1l1ich now t 1842 J exists in no other part of I rel and--- modern i mprovement havdmg comp l etely des­t r oyed its •seed, breed, and generation.• He is a long , tall, and u sually spare animal, witb. a sing,1.1larly sh.ar:p :pb.ysiognomy and remar·lcably keen eyes. Hi s :race is still pret,erred by t11.e pea.santry, :for he will • feed upon anything•- even the t hin 11erbage of the common, and the rearing costs neither trouble nor ex-pense. For the purpose of sale, however, he i s useless; and as it is the p i g that • pays the rent r , and is seldom or never bl"Ought up f or b.ome consur.ap ­tion, ti1e Connaught :pi g i s near ly extinct, and :probab ly, in a few years, will be f ound only in pictures. Ugly and unserviceable as are t11.e Connaught pi gs, they are the mos t intelligent of their Sl) ecies. An a cquaint ance of ours taugb.t one to •point,• and tlle animal f ound game as correctly as a pointer. He gave t ongue, t oo, a:fter his orm fashion, by grunting in a sonor­ous tone, and unclers tood w11en he. was to take the f i e l d as well as any dog . The Connaugb.t p i gs used to prefer tb.eir food ( potatoes) raw to boiled, and would live well and comfortab ly yrhere other }) i gs \ would starve. Tl1ey :pe r forat e h.edges , scrBJuble over walls, and run up mountains l iKe goats." (Hall, Mr.& Mrs.s.c. Ireland,III,451.) I( ~vJ~J,.~ Jk fM--~! * ~ + ~ ~/ '"-1 e.w...-~~1 --~~-----'- ~ ~ T ' ~ 1443), . ~ t<J ..(,~ J "--lN- ~ oc-~ -j--L o 1~ o-1.,-o' ~-h- t;;:t;;;;.4;r~~·· "~ 1'-L:t ~.,J....L ~·: • . .. t THE "P~ZORBACK ." see also FLORA-- Angelico. "Pet pigs" are "cor n- f ed" around home , and_ get fat . Loui s • s . ~ "He fo ller s up hi s hogs , and salts them, and corn-feeds them a little, and gentles them up." (Dilly Welch; hence has good bacon.) Mast-f ed hogs th.at are not 11 cor·n- fed" for some time before butchering do not make l ard-- t heir f'at i s oily like bear• s grease-­nor d.o they rna1ce bacon that 1zeeps v;rell. (Louis . ) {~ J.s.,. t·.VJ,l.) Ear-marks. ----- I :1 3 It .s- C: 3 ~ ~ ~ ~ 3 ~ 3 ~ 'I /0 II I.Z. /.3 1. crop or smootn-erop. 2. Slit, or Split. 3. over-eit. 4. Under-bit. 5. over halr-crop. 6. Under half-crop. 7. over-slope . s. Under-slope. 9. Crop and slit. 10. Si.17allow-forlc. 11. Round hole. 6' 7 8 ~ ~- -::? ~ <:2 J lit IS' 16" 12. 'l'hiaf'-mark, .: or Grub (ear cut off close to head ). 13. Grop, slit, and under-sit. 14. Over-slope and under-bit. 15. Poplar leaf (swallow-fork, over-bit, and under-~it). 16. Crop and half'-crop. The right ear is described first. In N.c. the marks must be re6istered, and no other man can use the same mark wi tb.in :rive miles• radius. It is the law in Ark. that no one sl:l.all ik:ill an urunart:ed pi g except in presence of a witness;"but nobody observes it." Pigs are rounded up f or 1narking whenever a litter can be caught. Frequently door-traps are set for pigs, baited with an ear of corn. Pigs wanted for eating are sh.ot and butchered en t he spot. Old Dave · Davis and Bob. Tuber<mlous hogs. 11fhe runt." ., SHEEP . The only domesticated animal that will not-- cannot-- run wild i s the sheep. Ti mid, defens eless, s low, and s tupi d , it cou l d not survive · f or t hree years if man shou l d become ext.inct. Wild sheep , wit hout exception, are mountai n dwellers. "TI1ey t oolt to t 11e hills i n the f irs t :r l ace, like t he wild asses , because tb.e f i erce carnivora of t he lowl ands wer e too many for tb.em. Their couci ns , t l1e antel opes and deer, were swift enough t o hold t l1.ei r own on t he p l ains , but t he only chance of survival whi ch was open to t he more s luggi sh Ovidae was to t a ke t o the mount ains. Many e. human r efuge e , hunted. by a human beast of prey, has had to do t b.e same. n (D..L. Louis Robi nson, Wi l d Tr ai t s in Tame Animals, in Nor t h .Ar.l1er;·Rev., 161: 43 . ) "The sheep and geese c in Kent ucky mou ntains) are kept f or their wool and fe a t lwrs , and a r e r a rely killed f or f ood. 11 ( Yinc entt ~.:E_., i n Amer,<Journ . of soc i ology, 4 : 6.) GOATS. The mountain p eople know little or nothing about goats. I am convinced t l1at these hardy anima l s wou l d be more profitable to tb.e small farmers of' the wilder mountains than cattle, and more witl1in t h ei r means. Goats do not graze, but browse upon t he shrubbery, of which t here is ~t abundance in all the s outhern mountains, in fact~ q_ superabundance~ ...... r ;t maKes l and c:liff'icult to clear and is..._ prejudi c i a l to the forest. In such a country, goats would b e even less expensive to r ear than the half-wild hogs . Unlike tb.e weak and timorous sheep , they ean fi ght t heir own battles a gainst wild animals. A good milch goat gives more a.no_ richer milk t 11an the average mountain cow. Its pelt, from whicb.tds8 J'IlRa ilili: morocco l eat her is made, is more valuable t han she e:p slcin~ ,_) ~nd. t he f lesh, when properly butchered, is a t l east equal to co~non mutton • . Probably the swiss milch goats would do better than Angoras .in this cool, moist climate. Certainly it would be worth while to ex-periment with,say, the Toggenburg and s aanen br e eds . \ . \ POULTRY ., Chickens run wild a.nd saratch for a living; consequently thin, tough, and :poor layers . Unprotected from hawks , minks , :foxes , Yvea­sels . Dave Bradshaw shi pping cl1.ickens from Proctor to Washington, D. C. Few ducl:s ; no geese i n t he mountains . ~~~e. '.r,..:.R.,L,...._~J. <<~~ ··~~~~ c• 7'--~ t:;;;4 #...-~ ~ '~ -./.; ~ ~ ..d.P::.~ .Y,.. ~<- ,./..;L [' " ~ ~~ ~ ! " Ce-R£---tn-~-1 ~·} -371 • - 1 - HOUSESL "His cabin was, and is yet, in many :olaces , t b.e cabin of the b a ckwoodsman-- of one room usu a lly, sometimes two, connected. by a coveJ.:•ed }JOrch, and built of u:n1lewn logs , with a puncheon f loor, c l apbo ards f Ol"' shingles, and v:ooden pin and auger-holes :for ns.ils. The crevices b et \Yeen the logs were fil.l ecl with mud and stone~ when filled at all, and ther e ;rv-e r e holes in t l1.e roof f o?"-1'\find and r ain. A A Sometimes t here was a window with a batten wooden fJb:ut t er, s ometimes no window at a ll. over tb.e door, acr os s a ~p a ir of bucl::. antlers, lay the long , 11eavy, home-made rifle o:f t he baclcwoodsman, sometimes even with a flint. lock. one can yet f ind a crane swingi ng in a 1) i g s tone firep lace, the spinning-wheel and loom in a.ctual u s e; sometimes the hominy block that the pioneel"'S borrowed. from t 11.e Indians, and a hand­- mill :for grinding corn liKe the one, perhaps, :from whi cll one iR'O ~nan was t aken a nd another left in biblical day s ." (ffu, !nn e-grass, &c., 10.) 11The blind or windowles s one-roorn cabin is r ep l a ced in the broader valleys by t he double log cabin- two cabins side by s ide , wi t 11 a roofed space between serving for dining-room mos t of t he year • • • • Substantial stone chimney ••• aesthetically p l a cecl woon t he outside of t he ~vall."( E'tb":3.~, A tla:ntic Mo. 1.83: 3122 ) Cf. Pioneer Li:fe , 4'! 25-28 . tlL.<-f- ~4"'1~ " T·~vo p ens v-vith an entry between ." (l i eo, 7 7.) Jk~. ~ ~ ..v... ~ .... "~tMt':" {m!M!.eR.~, a-.J . .ttrc..,M,,'?#.J A "blocl<: house n is one of logs :h.ewn square. A "--6-r.c. ~··...A- _..;; ~ """"f The log houses, being built of green timber tb.rougb.out, soon shrink , >:varrJ,J ,and sag, so t hat there can not be a square :fit, a level floor, rlor a tight joint about ·t11e building. The roof s ags, tlle shing­l es sb.rin1::. and curl, and leaky places open. Wide craclcs in the floor (if t here is a wooden floor), thr ou.gb. which the winter winds are suclced upward a s t hr ou gh so many :flues. Chinking drops out from bet"l'reen tlJ.e lo gs as tlJ.e house see,sons, and is rarely r ep l a ced ---- ··~ Every-1vhere t he craclcs and r ou gh surfaces af·f·or'd. har borage Ox dust ut:.d."' ... and vermin. When the wind blows "contrary" the hous e w f illed wi tl1 ' smolce, and cooK.i ng i s difficult if not i mpossi b le. Ati 'tgittt the , coals are covered up on the h earth wi t11 a shes so as to lceep a "light" / • for starting he morning f t e, and t he house remai ns unheated all night, ~ ~~ ~- In "blind " ll.OlJ.f:es the doors are left open all day, even in winter, to s er ve as -~lif indow s, and part of a side or end lo i3: i~ cut out to . acLmi t ligl1t elsewhere. such. a windowl ess c abin often smells very fus t y and damp. In Litt le .Joh.n Proctor• s b.ouse th.e punc11.eons are 6 ft. ' long ; c eiling of 1}2 to 1/4 in. 11em1ock splits, · 6 ft .lon~ . Beds and tables made of split boarcls. Sp lit-bott om ch airs , horne-made. / / Floors are always l eft bare . 11T ec ·s~9 a:p er s on ;lllalls to 1cee:p out wind ancl prying gl ances . No curtains at windows. Hideously tinted enlar gement s of family :portr aits in gaudy roco ~~frames. / No ce l l Rrs ; vegetables are s tored in p:l:(s or mounds; butter and milk in spring-boxes; meat :~a..J::ted down. // ,,/i;, }~k I • ) -1 - 2 - HOUSES .. The c abin at Siler• s meadow eost about ~~ 40 " Shingl es a nd c l ap­boards riven f rom monnt ain oaks one mile b e lo -V~r , and 1000 f t. less a l titude; had to b.e carri ed up on men• s b a cks . A s tout man coul d. carl'iJ 25 shingl es ( 60 l bs. ) a t a load. G·ranvi lle Cal houn• s house on Hazel Greek, wi t l1 two ft ._?,nd .a - 12 f t . _ent l'iJ b etween, cos t $ 75., besi des ~~ 25 ~ly f looring , and~nd~~ S1\.etch of f i rer>l a ce a t Siler• s meadow. D. 55 . 11 " gat e without a nail. D. 24. . ---··· at,.,~ -9*"'-"" Wee~s in ,front and hog- wallow i n rear. rooms l 6xl6 or ~~ 30 for La ck of sunshine. Gulches in wint er. Rai n and f og . "The decora t i ons of the c abin i.lvere confined ordinarily t o cut­- paper f ringes on t he s helf above t he f irep l ace , or on cor ner bracke t s nailed to t he logs . In sever a l cases t he inner v;ra l ls were cover ed with p ages from illus t re.ted ma ga zines and paper s , and with adver t i s ­i ng post ers in brilliant color s . It was a rare thing t o f ind ~ ict ur es of any other 1\.ind , and photogr aphs and tintypes seemed almos t unknown • • • • I t was not unconn110n fOl" t he hos t or host ess to point 'Ni th h.a l f ­apol oget ic pride t o the decorations of the room as t 11e ·._r:or1c of t l1.e I gal s . I II (Vinc er,!,t , ~JIL., i n Amer . J ourn.of sociology, 4 : 13-14.) "The interior s of the cabins , especial ly the s l eepi ng rooms , were given an odrd lool\: by the lines of garment s 11.ung a l o:nt; t he raf­t ers above the beds . There were no ehest s of dravrers , or boxes f or c lothes , but simply r opes Btretcb.ed f rom one s i de of t he eabin to t11e other, and nails dr i ven i nto the beams above . From t l1ese hung linsey dr esses and store c lot hes , and nov: and t11.en a br i ght • ld ver,' a pai r of winter boots, s trings of dried appl es, bunches of yel l owi sh. green tobacco, and other odd- looking artic l es. The gen eral effect of t he room was a l itt le that of a pawnshop i n Petticoat Lane . 11 ( lli2. ' 1 5 . ) . Cl osets are u nl'-novm: sa-vved boar ds are scar c e , and t 11e c l oset s , if made , wou l d off er too good. h a rborage f or woods mi ce and ..... ~ vermi n . sometimes a cock-loft over living r oom i s u s ed as bu nl\: r oom. I n none of t l1e houses will y ou find a room w·itb.out a b ed, unless i i be t he lei t chen, •,vhen t h.ere i s a ki tchen . "Mos t of t l1e Houses in this Pa.rt of t l1.e Count ry a.r e ·Log- houses , covered vd tl1 Pine or G}lpress Stl. i ngl es , 3 fee t long and one broad. Tll.ey a r e h:ung u])on Lath.s Yri t b. Peggs , and t hei r doors too t ur n ur>on wooden Hinges , and have wooden Loct.s t o S):H~ur e t hem, so t hat t he Building is f inisht ·v·li t hout Nails or oth er I r on-Wo rl\.." c. T l~. is was in · east e r n va . and N.C.] ( Eu.Q..., Wm. Wor 1cs , 78.) I( <J{_.J._--{...~ ~ .60 AMA-...U ~ ~ .._;..J_ ,.t(.- CA<44 .,._ e...:C' ..;;._ .I/: 1 ')t;;,.j:-~~ -i_lll-lh.. ~ r ~utt;-.'· c~ e.:...t.J J - .3 - HOUS:l!:S . ·---- Ch-i rm1eys . -- ; some chiwneys ar e coo low 11 th.a t t rw s aying , inel egant thou gh true , i s current , t ha t you may s it. by th.e f ire ins i de ancl spit out over th.e top . 11 (James Lane Allen i n Ha r !)er •B Magazine , A:9ril , l 886.) ((~:' " r....:.e. -~:: ,, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ..,. 1-- .J ~ -~UA-.1. , a;-~ .4,." " W'~:· £~ .- ··~_-t;;;;t. " {\3 ~~~~, \'~" (~). "..4t..J.;- .Jt;r" J....o,_ ~' {He. ) ~.r fttu~"".v~" ,,~ ,tot- ~! '' '' qt.,..,~.t 1 1rwv ~- --.+ ~ • • • - 1 - HOUSES-- Ana logies and Contrasts. Ireland.., 18 t h Century.-- "The cottages of' t l1e I r isb., iHhicl1 are all called cab b i ns , a r e the most miserab l e looKing b.ovels t hat can well b e conceived : t h ey generally cons i s t of only one r oom; mud !­ltneaded wi t h s traw is t11e common materia l of the VH3_lls; . tb.ese a re · rarely above seven fe e t hi gh, and not always above :five or s ix; tl1ey are about t wo feet t.n.ick, and have only a door, which. lets in light ins tead of a window, and should l et the smoak out i ns tead of a chim­n ey, but tiwy had rather keep it in: t hese t wo conveni en cies t hey hold so cheap t hat I b.ave seen them both s topped v:.o in s tone cottages, ·built by i mp roving l andlords . The smoa1\:. warms tb.em, but certainly is a s injur i ous to t heir eyes a s it is t o t h.e comp l exi ons o:f t11e women, which in gene r a l i n tb.e c abbins of Ire l and l1as a neat resem­blance to t hat of a smoaked h am. • •• Tb.e r oofs of the cabbins are r after s raised from t he t ops of the mud wa],ls, &.nd tlle covering varies ; s ome are tha tcl1.eo_ v:itb. s traw, potatoe stalks, or with heat h , other s only cover ed with s ods o:f t urf cut f rom a grass f i e l d ; and I have s een seve r a l t.b.e.t >xere :o a~"'tly composed of all three. The bad repai r t h e s e r oofs are kept in, a hole in t h e thatch being o:f t en mended iili t h ·t urf, and weeds s p r outing f'rom every -oart , gives t l1em tb.e appea r an ce of a weedy dunghill , e specially when t 11e cab bin i s not built wi t h regu l ar v:alls, but su~t? ­ported. on one, or perhaps on bot h s i des , by t he b anks of a broad dry di tcl1; t he r oof t hen s eems a h i l lock, upon w11ich. p erh.a:ps the l) i g g r azes . some of these cabbins a r e much les s and more mi s e r able hab­itations than I h ad ever s een in Engl and • . •• '!he furnit,ure of t he cab bins i s as 'Gad a s the e.rchi t ecture; in very many cons i s ting onl;l of a pot for boiling their potatoes, a bit of a t able , and one or t wo broken s tools; b eds a r e not f ound univer­sal l y, t l1.e family lying on s traw, equally partook of by cows , c a lves and p i gs , though. the l uxury of s ties i s coming in in I r e l and, which excludes t b.e poor J) i gs from the warmt h. of t he boclies of their master and mi stress . 11 (Ym.J,ru:, Arthu r . '.rour i n Ireland,l776-78. I I , 35- 36.) "I have seen t he mountain saeJG ers of Norvray and the • bla ck-houses• o:f t he Heb l"'ides , but nev e r a more mi ser able b:u.r . nan dwelling t han the hu t s of' these Cor s ican sb.eplJ.e r ds ; and the romantic ~o ic tu .. r e I hacl f ormed of thei r f r ee li:fe wi th -;,:;ild natu r·e was soon chilled by con­tac t with t he s t ern rea lit y. Ins i d.e the hut s , the a ceornoda.t ion con s i s ·ts of a smoky hearth, a bed of beech l eaves , · and a few blocKs of unb.eYm wood to s erve as seats. The -.;;a lls a r e cons t r uct ed of rough s tones , b e t-1'\Jeen -q~rh iC}.J. t he -=;-vind wl!.i s tles . The roof , which is of p l anks , i s cove r ed by pieces of r ock t o prevent it b e i ng lii~t e d of f by the nor t 11.erl y gales. The f'ew 1J.ous eho1cl utens ils , :for cooki ng millt or making che e s e, are hung ~f rom a. t.re e. t runk in the center of th.e sta.zzo (hut). . As in f'ormer days. t he shepher ds s leel) on t he grou nd before the heartb., ~:vi th a log f or , a pillo;g, and their ~~ fo r coverlet ." (Vuilli er Gaston . TJ:1e For got ten I s l es, 180.) •• r - 2 - HOUSES-- Analo gies and Contrasts. Pyrenees-- Basques.-- "Presently I saw a sort of s ha r~, black hump resembling a roof' surmounted by a cb.imney gradually rise up, like a thing -issuing from the e a1-.·t.11, and stand out against a clear sky of t wilight. I t ;:ms, in f act, a house b.idden in one of the fo l cls of the mount-a in. I examined it as ·vfe · a·:Pproached. ·The day vias not y et completely extinguished. I made what is called in the langu.age of strategy a reconnai s s ance .. ~~he house was t olerably large, and was built, like the enclosure of' tl1e grass-plat, of dry stones mi xed with blocks of marble. The roof of cli~ppe d stubble irni tated a stairt:.ray. I 11ave since found t11e same fashion in s ome ~p oor hamlets in th.e Pyrenees. At tl1e foot of t 11e wall facing t he s lope of t11e· mountain tb.ere was a sqo.a1"'e hole from which flowed a little sheet of fre sh, limpid water, ;,vhicla fell upon the rock, and tb.en went off vri th a merry, happy nois e to lose its elf in the ravine. The lovr, 11eavy door was shut. There was only one Yvindow, pierced on t he same s i de as the door. It ·.vas very narrow, and three-fourtb.s of it was stopped up V'Jitl1. ruclely-built bric1(S. Like all lonely liabitat~ons in Guipozcoa and. Navarre, this wretched dwelling had t11.e look of a f'ortress. But here there was danger rat11er t han safety, fol~ the t11.atch.ed roof was only breast­b. igb., and one mi ght have forced the place to surrender with no ot11.er artillery than a lucifer match. For t he r est, there was no light within; there was neither voice, nor step , nor s ound . It was not a house, but a black mass, glOOniY' and silent like a tomb. Eseamuturra alighted, appro s.ched t11.e door, and began to whistle softly the f irst part of a fantastic and fascinating melody. Then b.e s topped short and waited. Nothing s ti r red within the cabin. Lifot a breath answered. The night, which had novt quite fallen, added something s trangely sullen and f uner eal to the profound, mysterious s ilence. Escamuturra began b.is melody again; then, on reaching the same note as b efore, he s topped. The cottage still p r eserved its silence. Escamuturra r e cormnended for the third time, more softly still, whist­ling , so to S})eak, b elew ll.is breath. We were all :eour bending down at the door listening. I confess tl1.at I b.eld my breat h and th.at my h eart beat a little. Suddenly, as Escamuturra was f inishing , t he follo·vving ~9a rt of the me lody made it self heard in t he house b ehind the door, but it was whistled so :feebly and so low that it was, r> e rhe.ps, stranger and even more dreadful than the s ilence. It was lug,ubrious by r·eason of its very sweetness. It vras like the s ong of. the spirit in the tomb. rn Puno clapped his hands t hr ee times. A man• s voice was t hen b.ear d in the cab i n , and the follovving ra11 i d and l aconic cL i a lo~e in -tb.e Basque tongue was excb.anged through the clarkness b e t ween the questioning voice and the answering Esca­mutu. rra: • zuc? • (You? ) 1 Guc. • (we. ) • Nun? 1 (Wh ere? ) • Hemen. 1 (Here. ) · •Gembat?• {How many?) •Lau.1 (Four.) A light gleamed in the interior of tb.e house, a candle was lit, and tl1e door o·pened-- slowly and noisi ly, for it was barricadecl. A man apj)eared on the t hr eshold. :· -- LlVE LIKE SAVAGES IN SPANISH VILLAGE 4,000 Descendants of Ancient Iberians Dwell 150 Miles \_. From Madrip. VISITED BY KING ALFONSO They Li v.e in 1:1 uts of Shale, a ·ranches and Moss and Use Stone Implements. !!:: T , WALTER WILLLUIS. ~:--..oecutl Cor resJ)ondence· of T Hm NBW YORK 'l'I>UJS . /y ""f .. MADHID, April 19.-Americans who like to g·et · a way from the u s ua l a nd y earn to . lead the sim ple life can f ind' &m!Jie oppor t unity In ~ pa in if t hey care to · .t a ke the time a nd t rouble. · '!'here are la n;·e a reas in Andalusia a nd other p rovinces which are untouched by rail­roa~ l s a n<\ ha ve no h otels or · a ny mod- . ern .comfort.,, and • ,,whose Inh a bita nt'!_ · ih·e 'in thl'; same c rude s tate t hat their an cestor~< did J on ~ bef ore Columbus ells ­cover ed A1nerica . Within 150 miles at this city there is a tract of some 2,000 square kilomet ers cover·ed with brus h · and for est called Las Hurdes where some 4,000 people, lla ld to · be descendants of the .a ncient Iberia ns, 11\·e in a state of a bsolute sav­ager ·y. They h a ve no r oa ds, no schools, no r eligion , a nd can only utter a · f ew words of Spanish in accents so gutteral tha t It sounrls mo re like the g rowling of an a nima l th an the voice of a human b eing . . They have no kriives or met a l !,nplements· of any kind a nd . u ~e roug·h flint axes for cutting up w ood or meat . 'l'he so-called h ouses of the· Hurdeans h a ve wa lls two to thJee f eet high ma de of loos'l_ stones and covered with branchelf" of trees on which they pile la rge loose sla bs of sh a le and then a l ayer of moss. It is a lmost Impossible from a dis t a nce to distinguish the se habitations from the s u rrounding brus h ­covered ground. 'l'he interi or is d ivided I into two compa rtments. One hou ses ' the I rick ety goa t s, the only anima l th a t can live with these savages, a nd the oth er Is> the living room for the entfre fa mily. The Hurdeans live a nd multiply In a f etid atmospher e. the only .ventila tion coming through a ·hole in the center of the roof to let the smoke pa s s ou t. There Is no furniture In the room a nd f or a bed t hev use the dug·-.out ·t runk of a tree, which a lso · s erves for pressing gra pes a nd olives when the member s of. the family a re not ·s leeping in it. At night the refuse Is s craped out a nd a litter of m o~ s is thrown In to serve a ~ a ma ttress. The hardy Hurdeans live ow pota toes, bea ns . root s . acorns. chestnuts ~g~tsw~'f!;s c~~~a~less;; ~hi~te~~b~{ m e people have no idea of cooking food properly. Still their numbers have jn ­creased during the Ia st fifty yeat·s. Br·ead Is unknown to them. A few of the better cl ass· who can mutter a few w ords of Soa ni sh w a nder to the nearest villages, a bout thirty- f l:ve miles away, to beg for food and castoff clothing for di vision among th eir people. Those of the b etter cla s s wear r.ough cloth dra wers from the hip to the knee ana a 'piece of simila r ma te ria l with a hole in the center to put" their heads through a s a jack et. The only g rorment the lower cla.ss men wear Is a cloth r ound their loins or the skin of a g oat. The wom en cover themselves with bits of cloth lashed togeth~r with yarn. a s the~' ha ve no needles . and wear them J untll th ey drop ott: The Hurdea ns n ever · wash. never comb their h air or j s ha ve a nd men. women lj.nd children I always gp ba r efoo_ted. " . ___ ... They a re a ll · sma ll. extr·efn ely rep~- · n a nt In a ppear·ance and very IJ.gile. 1 " ' hen they sP-e any human b eing·s ap- ~ J>I'Oaching their · haunts they ·run away and h irlP In their burrows where it is v ery diffic ul t to find th em. TJ;l e:v: do 1;10t know th <\ n ames of the seasOns ex- cep t ~ c lun-·. .· ·f>s in th e ve.sr r:> t a tion. 'ThP,. 1 have no J udges. no prea chers a nd are ~ b s o lutel)' unmoral ino t heir mod<'s of Ji ving. They commit <'rimes of a ll kinds. even pa1·ricide. without knowing t h o·t t he:\· are ootng wrong. · "Vhen King Alfonso h ea rd a bou t the Hur·de~ n s a y ~a r \'g o . he could not' be· 11e, . ., th a t sUPh oeool" coul" b.e llv hi .e­ln Spa in In the twentieth :century, a'nd r1 eelded to g·o a nd see f or h imself If the r eoorto werP co rr~c t. In · t h<> F a ll he went with two of h is a ids in an r:~u tomo bil P t_o rturlad Rode r· ; ~'() a nn t·_h pn rode on horseback from there to 'Las J-Tur·des. a bout forty mile•. as there we•·e no roa ds a nd only crook ed oa ths throug-h the brush and for est leading to . the place. .A number of the Guard,lal . Civile h ad gone ahead on h orseback to prepa re the w ay and try to round up a f ew of th e · wild people for the King to • ee. ' Alfon so XITT. i• ~ s e a.~on ecl r_idPr "nrl w en t t he whole dis t a nce at a fast trot, wi th three cha ng-es of horses. " ' h en he ·s aw t h p ~ t Pte ot s ava_[!'~ r.v in whi0h the p eople Jived. he reallz~ci th a t the r e­ports had n ot ex a gger a t ed the conditions. . The sight a roused his compassion and when he return ~d to Ma drid he appointed a committee to devise some pl an to ame­lior a te the ro()nrlltion of th <> HurdPar>s a'nd had a Bishop a ppointed to Jive· In their distr ict in a ruined convent built by the Duke of Alva in the r eil:-n of Phillip H . The commlttPA is still c()n· s!derlng the case of the Hurdeans, but •o far n othine- has been accomplished . . The prelate s its in his pa lace and tries to think wha t he had done to offend the King. H e has n-ot visited his new c!'Jocese. Only one reporter attached to the Madrid newspapers was a tlventurous <> noul!'h to accomua ny the Kine; on hl• expedition , and little ha,s been learned of his experiences by his colleal'i:ues as he becomes violent when ever t he name of the place Is m e n ~on e d in · hls " ores- ~ ~- - . · The pace at which King Alfonso rode Along the rugged na rrow ua thwavs through brush and forest land and the h a rdships endured put the r e porter In a h ospita l !or three, months on his return t o Madrid, a.nd he lost h is 1ob. . When he w as a ble to wa lk a bo•rt with t he a id of a s tick. , h <:> said br· ipfl ~· tha t lle would h a te Las Hur d es till de.a th And a ft er. A post on the commit t ee In an a dvisory ca pacity W 'l.S offered as a r ecompense for his sufferings. but the rPporter refused It and ""id th a t L ao Hurdes had blle:hted his life. Cludad Roderi e·o is nea r Sa lama Rca on the road from Mad rid to the f rontier of P ortuga l. - ;3 - HOUSES- Analo gies and Contrasts. In his hand , raised above his head, he held a greq.t iron candle­stick in whicl1 a pine torch was flaring . His ·,vas one of those burnt and tanned f a ces which have ne age. He might have been thirty y ear s old , or l1.e mi ght have b een fifty. For the rest, he had fine t e et11, a keen eye, and a p leasant smile-­: ror 11.e di d smile . A r ed he.ndkerchief encircled his f'orehead, after t he manner of· the Aragonese muleteers, binding his t11.iC1\. black b.air about his temples . The top of his h ead was shaven, and he -,vore a broad whi te IITo.l e t a , which covered him f rom his chin do·yyn t o his knees, sl1ort tlreeches of olive velvet, white linen leggings with black button -holes, and. b.e:mp·e:n sl1oes upon stockingless f eet. ' ..... . :Meanwhile Azcoaga and Irurnl)erri had driven the mules into the cabin. li]scanmturra and our host tallced in low· tones in a corner. The door had been shut again, and Irurnbe r r i had carefully readjusted the barricade as if he wer e quite f'amiliar with tb.e t ask •••• The house contained only one room-- that in which vve were-- but this room contained a whole world. It was a l arge, lmv apartment, ·,n.ri th a ceiling composecl of laths and thi "rl ,r:rhi t e ]>lanks , and. su.:p-ported here and thyre by beams which were utilized as pillars.