Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-05-21
EMIGRATION TO HIssIssIPPI.

among us, makes a very excellen
report to the Southern COlOniza
ton Society Of CbicagO-embrae
ing In very complimentary, yet jus
terms, the advantages Of Mississip
pI for immigrants. We present q
much Of the report as space per
mits.
Gen. Lieb says as follows:
The State of Mississippi lies be.
tween the Both and 3jth parallel O
north latitude, and contains 46, II.
square miles. On the south, the
State Is bounded by the Gulf o.
Mexico and the State Of Louisiana
on the west the Mississippi river
forms a natural boundary, and
Tennessee and Alabama constitutes
the northern boundary.
The population in the year 1856
was 725,000. There arc OF present
in the State In active operation
l,642 miles Of railroad.
The Mobile aud Ohio railroad di.
vides the eastern half Of the State
from north TO south, OF which the
northern terminus is Columbus,
KY, and the southern terminus
Mobile, Ala. The length OF the
road is 495 miles.
The State is also divided east aud
west by the Mississippi aud Ten.
ncsscc, The Mississippi Central, and
the New Orleans, Jackson and
Great Northern Railroads running
north and south from Jackson,
Tennessee, to New Orleans, Lou
isiana. The Vicksburg and Meri-
dian Railroad divides the State
north aud south. and is a branch
of the Southern Pacific road. The
Chattanooga, Meridian, and New
Orleans road Is In operation be-
tween Chattanooga and Meridian.
In addition to these roads there
are In the northern and southern
portions Of the State several local
lines. There are besides numerous
other roads projected, and 1t may
reasonably be expected that a State
which possesses such magnificent
natural advantages should in a
brief period possess as many miles
Of railroad as Illinois or any Of the
Northern States.
There probably do not exist such
erroneous impressions concerning
the soil Of any other State as OF
Mississippi. The bad repute into
which a small portion Of the State
has failen, namely, some eight
counties along the Mississippi
bottom lands, with regard to
healthfulness, has unfortunately
become the inheritance Of q great
portion OF the State, and sOme-
times, through ignorance, OF all the
State ; while In fact the greater
portion ofthe State consists Of hills
and undulating lands covered with
pines, spruce, and oak, where fever
and other peculiar southern diseases
are utterly unknown. While the
inhabitants of the bottom lands and
the praIries in the northeastern
portion of the State are obliged TO
use cistern water for drinking pur.
poses, those who live upon the up
lands have the eleafest and purest
spring water. The geological for.
nation of the State Is %alluvial, and
the inequalities Of the surface are
occasioned BY the washing away OF
the lighter earths. To this gradual
process, which has been going on
tor centuries, aud by reason Of
which the d~eCOmposed vegetation
has been washed away, the numer'
Gus small valleys of the State owe
their extraordinary fertility.
The uplands are peculiarly adap.
ted to the most varied agriculture
corn, oats, rye, and barley are au
abundant and sure crop. Wheat,
80 far as | have been able to ascer.
tain, grows too much to straw,
The soil is we'll adapted 10 fax,
hops, broomcorn, and sweet po-
tatocs. The ordinary potatoe does
not keep as we'll as that which Il
cultivated in the Northern States.
There is no reason why every
acre of land In Mississippi planted
10 cotton, if carefully cultivated
and lightly MANFRED, should not
yield from 800 To- 600 pounds oil
cotton each year.. SO fNras manure
Is concerned, / VIII say parenthe'
ucally, that the entire State has
abundance Of mari beds, which is q
most excellent fertilizer. MARI
beds are Of maritime origin, and
consist OF sea shells aud the re-
mains Of marine animals.
On page ia OF the Report Of the
United States Agricultural De-
partment for 1868, we find the fol.
lowing description: .
"Half Of the land Of Mississippi
Is not included in farms, aud only
one third OF the area in farms has
ever been at one time under i'm.
provement. In the best cotton dis
tricts, cultivated lands have been
comparatively high, but few were
ever held at their intrinsic value,
on account Of the extent Of the UNI
occupied area in the Southwest,
In the Southeastern portion OF the
State, between the capital, Jack.
ION, and Mobile, in Alabama,
the population is sparse the land
mostly unenlered the soil sandy
with a small extent OF rich creek
bottoms, the price of unimproved
tracts varying from Il cents to 81
per acre. The growth is composed
Of oaks, hickory, gum, cypress and
long leafed pine, the latter FREEDOM
mating, Of great height and size, Of
;nduefriaI imnortanca in connec