The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-01-22
Land In The South.

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The character OF the soil il
different parts of the south is q mat
ter of great interest, on account O
the necessary relation between it
qualities and the industries snt
civilization OF the people OF tot
country. The usual southern ides
or estimate of good land" as ex.
pressed by southern men whom ]
have met, differs somewhat from
that which prevails in the most
fertile portions oil thu northern
states. There is OF course much
rich land in the south. but there is
8 great deal which is cslied good by
southern farmers that would not be
regarded as rich by men acquainted
with the coils of Ohio. Indiana. and
Illinois, or OF the portions OF Penn
sylvanis and New York which are
best adapted to agriculture. The
"piDe land" in the southern states
is only moderately fertile. bat,
as the cotton-plsnt will grow upon
it, and produce q fibre OF market
able quality, il is always spoken OF
by its cultivstors as very fla.
land"
have rarely heard southern mer
say anything unfAYorable OR dispar
aging regarding the soil OF their re-
giop. They seem usually to have
an affection for it which a. netimes
appears to make them bllnd to Its
defects.
Where the soil is poor, tn % pile
often manifest kind CT Z ot-na-
tured, patient fstalism, submitting
without complaint TO the Iuc ,nven-
fences resulting rom the scanti-
ness OF the returns for their labor, as
if Ioor crops we're part OF the order
OF the universe. q divine ordsinment
not TO be criticised or remedied;
though in truth much OF the sterility
is in the methods OF the oDltivators
rather TINA in the soil itself. But
in many places in the south the soil
will not yield what an average north
ern farmer would regard as "a liv-
ing," and many emigrants Dave
gone thither and begun farming
only 20 learn, too late. that they had
made ruinous mistake in selecting
land. They often feel much resent
ment because they imagine they
have been deceived by their south
ern nOighbors in regard to she
quAlit OF the soil; but OF course
there is, usually. no intentional
misrepresentation in sech cases, the
error arising from the difference OF
standards just mentioned. (But the
statements made by railroad COM
psnies having lands for sale in the
south should commonly be taken
with large allowance. "a they ffe-
quently contain grossly exaggerated
accounts of the produotiyeness OF
the land. There is a large class Of
farmers or "plsnters" in the south
who do not require or expect so
much from the ground az northern
men demand. They are satisfied
with lower degree of fertility, and
their comparative estimate OF the
grade or quality of land differs from
that of most immigrants from the
north. An average southern family
needs much less for ''s living" than
northern people require. and on
much ofthe land OF the south north
ern people are unable to live by the
methods OF agriculture to which they
have been accustomed ia sheiT old
homes; nor can they succeed By
those OF the southern men around
them. unless they will adopt the
scale OF living and expenditure
which satisfies their southern neigh.
bors. The habits and tastes of the
poorer white people OF the south are
in q remarkable degree adapted to
their circumstances and the con-
ditions OF their life. but northern
methods OF living require very dit
ferent environment.--JanuGry At
lQntic,