The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-07-30
HOMEsFOR THOSE WHONEED

and In ihe Border slAies-What
Can be Done with $500 aud Q
Natural Turn for Farm Work
How q Man with Little Money
may Escape City Lie.
To the Editor Of the New York Gun.
What you allowed me TO say recently
in regard 10 emigration to the South and
Southwest may have led some young men
to wish for a more definite statement Of
the advantages gained by removal to
those regions, and, therefore, ! briefly set
down few facts that will meet the most
natural inquiries.
will suppose that after several years
Of close economy, he has been able to lay
aside $500 or $500; $50 or $50 Of this tran.
sports him, his wife and two or three
children, with household utensils and
such farming implements as he will re-
quire, to some locality already selected
in Kentucky Tennessee or West Virginia.
class the three States together, because
they are about Alike in soil, climate and
productions. The settler has previ-
ously bought Of the owner Of some
large plantation (which can not be prof.
itably worked with negro labor say
hundred acres; it had better be less than
more, for small farm we'll worked is
more profitable than large one only
half titled. he has paid nothing down,
but has az reed to meet the whole amount
in five or six annual payments. How
much this shall be will depend good
deal upon the locality, quality Of soil and
improvements, and . good deal more
upon the whim or necessities OF the seller.
Real estate there has now no more Of
fixed value than 1t has here; some farms
command $50 an acre, and others equally
as good have been sold for S. and SO.
As u general statement, II way be said
that farms in that section may be bought
| for about one third OF what farms Of sim.
liar quality OF soil and character Of im>
proyements can be had for In New York
State or In New Eugland. Simply as an
illustration, 1 will spppose that The set
tier agrees to pay Sl5 an acre, or 81 500
for his farm, in Eve yearly payments.
His deed signed, he selects sight for
his house, which should be near never.
failing spring, and In the shade Of some
wide-spreading oak or black walnut.
Then the planter Of whom he has bought
calls the neighbors together and says to
them: "Boys, this gentleman is coming to
live among Us, and he wants a house.
Let US turn to and give him q raising. bee"
And they do it-not grudgingly, but
cheeriully, and with a will. In forty
eight hours the trees are cut, the logs are
squared, the frame Ia up, the roof is on;
nothing Remains but TO lay the floors, set
the partitions, and build the chimneys.
This the settler does himself, and in q
fortnight the dwelling Ia completed. II
| Is not much to boast Of, but 1t Ia better
domicile than those 10 which Jackson,
Harrison, Andy johnson and Abraham
hpcoln were born, and long way higher
up In the scale OF houses thansthe fifth.
story floor Its owner has been occupying
in \ seven-story tenement house on Third
avenue.
The total cash outlay on this dwelling
has been S25, and the seller has expen.
ded say $50 TO move his family into it.
He also paid out, before leaving New
York, $l25 for two.horse farm wagon
and harness; SIS for two plows and gear;
S25 for other farming implements, and
S25 more for a barrel Of -four and other
provisions; and he now invest 500 in a
pair OF stout, honest mules that will eat
less oats and do more work than any two
horses In Tennessee. OF the original
$500 which he drew from the Savings
hank he has, therefore. only SIPS left,
and this must carry him over till after
harvest. What does he do with III He
invests SIS in good COW, S. in a dozen
laying hens, SIS in fifty bushels Of corn,
$50 in a thousand bundles Of oats, SIS in
three hundred pounds OF salt beef or
pork and SS5 in seed for the iorty-fve
or fifty acres which be intends 10 lay
down and bring into harvest. 4.
Now, one Of his new neighbors, who
knows every rood Of the farm, and just
where 10 put the different kinds Of crop,
comes 10 him, and the two go over the
ground together. The result is the set
tier decides TO put down three acres In
tobacco, ten acres in wheat, fifteen acres
10 corn, eight acres in oats, one acre in
sweet garden vegetables, which grow In
great iuxuriance. Five acres are in con.
dition to yield crop Of hay; about TWEEN
ty.fye acres are in wood-magnlfcent
oaks, poplars and black walnuts, which,
when cut, will pay the cost OF the farm
twice overland the remaining thirty
acres are to lie fallow till more conven.
lent season.
He can not do all the work himself. So
he looks about him and sees Junius Bru.
tus Cesar, a colored citizen somewhat
given TO camp meetings and poor whisky,
but strong and honest, and willing 10
work for 1872 a month and his fodder"
Him he hires, and the two set about the
cultivation Of the forty -four acres. How
does be come out at the end OF the har.
vest? There have been $50 working days
from frost to frost. Cesar has worked
only half bis time, and the crops have
had no compost, but, when once in the
ground they have taken care OF them.
selves and turned ont magniiceutly, The
fruit and garden vegetables, too, have
done we'll, and 500 worth Of these have
been sold to the village store-enough to
pay for years clothing-and still there
has been an abundance for the use Of the
family. The housewife has done all her
own work, and yet found time to gather
enough eggs and make enough extra but.
ter to lay by $40 for "iaucy tixins." The
balance. sheet At the end OF the first seven
months will be a. follows:
TENNESSEE FARH-pR.
mulos, slt0 500
tW0-horse wagon and hnuesa""...........,...- l2S
plowa and gear 10
Sindry hoes, rAkes, 70
Flour and groceries from New York............. ~
~
IN dozen hens and eockere.
90 bushels corn Of IS
800 pounds bed and pork at 10
Ssed wheat oats, IS
1 r.. III a