The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-07-15
COMPARE TALUE OF LAND IN TIE
SOUTH
Natehez Democrst.)


The great depreciation ia the value of Ian q.
IN the cotton growing States, has been, next
| to the loss of the value of their property In
| slaves, proba bly, the greatest loss which has
been sustained from the result of the war. The
| enhancement OF the value of land is, therefore,
| one of the most important questions for the
consideration of the people of the Southern
| states. II we compare the marke value of orr
| lands with that of other States of the Union
| and even with other Southern States we Will
lind that they are at the bottom of the price
| list While large tracts of the very best landa
| in the exclusively cotton st stes go begging at
| IS per acre, the sterile, rocky lands of Maesa-
| chusetts readily command from $50 to 5000 per
acre. The same is the case with the lands
throughout the Northern aud Western States
Ia Missouri, Ken tucky, Virginia and Mary land
although we ind their lands somewhat depre-
ciated, it is not more than in proportion to the
loss of laIor caused by the changed condition
OF The colored population. In any of these
States good land sells readily for $50 per acre
AS We come further South the value of land
steadily decreases, those of Tennessee and the
Northern parts of Mississippi, Alabama and
Georgia being more valuable than tb use of the
exclusively cotton portions of tLe South. Oor
lands in this section of the Union are iptrinsi-
cal!y as good as those of any part of the Union
or even as those of England, Holland, or Bel
gum, where the annual rental of an acre is |
from fifty TO one haDdred dollars. 70 the South |
labor Is cheaper by o-e hundred per cent, tn An |
il is 10 the North. 1t costs certainly no more !
TO md 1T; our products are as valuable, they
can be transported to market as cheaply and |
critical examination will show Us that our
great bug bear, taxation, is not now much bove
That CT the Northern States and very much
less than it is IN the moot prosperous European
The question TO be solved is why
are cotton lands 60 much less valuable than
{ hose devoted to the production of other crops. |
An able writer in an exchange gives the fol-
lowing as q solution of this mystery.
He says 1--WE shall find the map of use to us
in answering this question. If we take the
map OF the United States, and put our fingers
upon the states or parts of states in which
lands sell at the highest prices, we shall find
that IN those states or parts of states the
greatest attention is paid to the cultivation CT
'he grasses and forage plants. If we open the
nap OF Europe we shall End that the same rule
lolds good. The cheapest lands OF Europe are I
hose of Spain, where little a ttention is paid to
grasses The value of land rises exactly in
proportion to the attention which is given
o them, in England and Holland reaching
ometimes for farming purposes $1,000 per acre.
Holland is almost continuous meadow. This
and value eliminates in Lombardy, where
'er acre. Without exception, in Europe and
america, where large portion of land is in
rasa or forage crops, the price of land is high,
eaching the figures mentioned aboveS On the
Their hand, without exception, wherever the
rasses do not receive this attention landed
states are comparatively of low value" RI
If this theory is correct, how easy it would Y
Q for Us in this portion of Mississippi to en- e
snce the value OF our landed estates by the 4
mple process of putting onr waste lands to h
SO as grain or grass producing farms. Oar
innate is finely adapted for the grasses and
IN be made to produce grain crops equal to ~
1850 of many other portions OF the Union, =
here the9 are the staple crops. With grass b.
nd grain for our crops We would be rid of p
lat great pest of the South, the thieves aud mn
epredators who have for years made farm "
e Improbable. The pioneers in new de- d
Arturo of this kind in South Mississippi G
ould, we think, be public benefactors, be- ci
i'd comfort than they have found in their ex- ="
usive cotton culture. m