The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1885-06-06
What Diversified Farming Does.
fNatchez Democrat.l


get the cash for his products from
month TO month, and which will I
put aud end to the present unsat- I
isfaetory and ruinous system of
depending on advances of the |
for the entire supply of
the farmer for food, has been long |
advocated through the columns
of this paper. To show that in
other sections of the South a
change is going on, we quote the
following from the Nashville
Union:
President Thomas had not been
on the top of Missionary Ridge
since the spring Of 1888 until yes.
terday. He went to the cedar
that yet marks where Gen. Bride
had his headquarters and the
peach tree where Gen Grant was
quartered. Within sight of the
latter point one can now see farms
on which u million and a half
pounds of strawberries are now
being gathered from land that is
worth from $50 to 5000 an acre
that a few years ago could not be
sold for more than IS or $40 an
acre. In these fields 5000 pickers
are engaged every bright day
picking berries and each receives
about dollar a day for his
work.
This land was covered with un.
derbrush only three or four years
ago and is now one vast orchard
and vineyard, drawing thousands
Of dollars from the East.
"Let us figure little on il, said
President Thomas. There we're
three car loads of berries shipped
from Chattanooga east over our
road yesterday; there are about
400 crates loaded in each car, and
there are twenty.four quarts OF
six gallons TO each crate. The
land that these strawberries are
raised on was never cultivated
until a few years ago, when farm.
ers from Indiana, Illinois and Ohio
came there, bought the land for
about So an acre and turned ii into
strawberry patches, peach orch
ards and vineyards. Now as soor
as they finish picking the straw
berries the peaches commence tC
ripen and they gather the crop
When the peach season is owe
the grapes come on, and the,
have another valuable crop I,
gather.n
II is a foregone conclusion tina
; the railroad from this city to Jack
son will soon be extended an,
made a standard gauge road, an
that within q very short time frui
can be loaded on car in Natche
and delivered without o break i
any OF the markets of the Unite,
States. With this prospect i
view, now is the time to prepar
for using the advantages whic
, quick transportation will give TIL
/, farmers, orchardists, small fru
growers, truck farmers aud thos
= of all the varied industries of agr
7 culture.
| The same paper. the Nashvill
. Union, instances Mr.. Bennett,
D farmer who owns 01 acres of Ian
b on Missionary Ridge who wi
grow in the shape of strawberrie
r ounces aud peaches, a crop tn;
}. will sell for $4,000, or an averag
}. of about Sl60 an acre. This wi
t not only be far better than an
G possible cotton crop, but it wi
0 also give the farmer the opportl
nifty to live at home and keep hi
/, out of the hands of the advanciD
!. merchant.
8 The class of small farmers VIII
7, have settled up Missionary Ridg
: and so many other portions I
9 Tennessee, Alabama and Georgi
q will certainly follow the railroad
l. and settle in other localitie
t They will come into our countl
), and reap the rich harvests tbi
are neglected by those who no
v neglect the opportunity, and wht
|, a few of these enterprising and i
Q dustrious men have shown tn,
competence and fortune is the r
suit of this kind of small farmin
they will be followed by thOl
" who now have the opportunity
!, I leading off in this profitable ella
Il of agriculture.
Every railroad that has throul
connections finds it to its intere
: to encourage the settling of Il
: country through which it pass
!. by this class of farmers, from Il
: fact that shipments of fruit, be
: ries. grapes, and the product
truck farmes is more remunerati'
than that of cotton and what a