The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-04-30
MANKAro FREE Press.
FRIDAY. APRIL 80. 1886,
FROM THE SOUTH.

Mr.. Editor:
The Worlds Exposition recently
closed at New Orleans has advertised To
the world tie rich resources of the
south, and the alluring Inducements 10
more than any other en-
terprisc that has been inaugurated
since the war. and it may not DO unin-
teresting to those of your readers who
could not visit the Exposition to learn
of the sunny land. The
great mass of immigration has hereto
fore been to the west. This has been
due to various causes. Every allure
ment that the printers art could devise,
or advertising genius cOnjure, has been
flouted IN the faces of home seekers at
every railroad station and cross roads
i'm the north: grand excursions have
been inaugurated: generous grants by
the Government have been made to
railroad corporations; Uncle Sam, in his
generosity has ever been ready to give
Il home to the homeless; agents innum-
cradle have travelled foreign lands to
advertise the western country. These
and other influences have resulted in a
rushing tide of immigration, and the
settlement of the treeless plains, while
the rich and fruitful fields and exhaust
less mines and forests. of the south have
slumbered by the hand Of enterprise.
But the many unfavorable conditions
attending Of new homes in the far west
are very discouraging TO home seekers.
and are causing them to look elsewhere
for moro conjenial surroundings. The
long distance Of the western producer
from the great market centers resulting
i'm heavy freight rates by which he il
robbed of large share of his products;
the long, dreary, and bitter cold WIN
tiers, making the expenses of feed and
fuel burdensome; the absense Of tim
Der. the poor quality of water, these
and other obstacles are serious objec-
tons to western immigration. All these
are avoided by the Immigrant to the
south. We are fur enough south 10 es,
cape the extreme cold and sudden
changes of temperature; and not far
enough to be subject TO the enervatinp
influences Of the tropical climate. Here
extremes meet, and the cold blasts
from the lakes are tempered by the
warm breezes of the Gulf, and while
our winters are mild and short, the
summers are pleasant. The mercury
rarely falls to zero in winter or rises
above ninety i'll summer. Few locali'
ties think can posses more equable
climate. Water of excellent quality fol
stock and for drinking purposes is album
dant in streams and living springs OF
wells, of pure freestone water
Throughout the greater portion of the
state the streams afford excellent water
power. There is no hack either in sup
ply. The coal mines of Tennessee are
inexhaustible. In all parts of the
state are magnificent forests Of all var
ieties of timber. AT the exposition the
timber specimens from Tennessee
formed Il prominent feature of the ex
hiblt. There is an extensive and profit
able field open here for all kinds o.
wood working machinery. Timber
lands can be bought ut low prices anC
convenient To transportation. The
| Tennessee farmer or manufacturer II
suitably located us to the great markets
of the country and the state is traversed
by several trunk lines of railroad.
reaching with their connections from
the lakes to the gulf, and from thu
Mississippi to the Atlantic coast. OF al
sections of the state west Tennessee j,
most favored i'm railroad facilities, being
traversed by the Chesapeake x Ohio
the Louisville x Nashville, the Nash
vile IL Chattanooga, the Illinois Central
and the Mobile d Ohio. Others ar,
projected and will be completed i'm the
near future. One of these from Evans
vile, Indiana is now i'm course of con
struction. The Illinois Central & Mo
bile G Ohio pass through the centra
portion of west Tennessee, and cross
each other here at Jackson, and the
road from Evansville will pass TO this
point, Jackson is the second city in i'm
portance i'm west Tennessee, and fifth il
the state. The Supreme Court of the
state and the u. :. District hold session
here. Our manufacturing interests arc
rapidly assuming large proportion. Boil
the Illinois Central and Mobile IL Ohio
railroads have their machine shops
here and both make their division
made up and train crews are changed
The Jackson cotton seed oil mills, the
Wooden mills, the Ice factory, grist
mills, hub, spoke and handle factory
cotton corn press, foundries, planning
mills and various other industries give
employment to aelarge number of PEG
pie. Our educational interests are rep
resented by excellent free schools, anC
two colleges, one for male and tho
other for the female pupils. All these
interests together with our railroad fac
ilities present and prospective, make
| Jackson an important market center
All farm products bear good prices anC
are in good demand all through the
year. There are fine openings for var
| ious industries. But what is especially
needed is the development of the dairy
| and creamery business, for which THU
region is we'll adopted. All the grasse,
grow readily providing early and late
pasturage. The winters are mild anC
stock requires but light feeding, ant
good butter is always in good demand
at fair prices. All grain ana vegetabl.
crops yield profitable returns. Unit
recent years almost exclusive attention
has been given to cotton raising which
has resulted in the exhaustion of the
SOIL, and the impoverishment of the
farmer. Greater diversity is now bein,
pursued in farming and a few of thu
| best farmers are going Iato stock rails
| ing. In most cases lands are owned il
large holdings. The class of employees,
and renters upon which the country il
dependant is unreliable and consequent
| ly large bodies of land are left idle, and
unproductive and can be bought ut from
one fourth to one third of what sucl
land would bring if in the north.
Thousands of poor renters i'm the
north unable to buy land ut prices pre-
vailing there, could easily acquire {
home and independence here in fa
better climate, with other advantages
equally as good.
"A Respectfully,
- Z. S. CoRK1Ns.
Jackson, Tenn, April 4th, 1856.