The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-12-10

The farmers in the West grew rich
by reason of settlements around them;
lands costing So to S. per acre rose
in value as the country settled up TO
be worth S25 to $50, and this 1t was
that made them wealthy, for L kno~
that many of them by farming were
barely able to live. 1t will be just as
true of the South.
There are fortunes for those who
buy Southern lands, just in the ad-
vanced price the lands will bring in
the near future. To induce our breth-
rem in the North and West to come
and see our lands should be the great
object in view.
But let me invite your attention to
another line of thought. No country
to-day has as much good timber as
the South. TIE pine regions will
compare favorably with the best acres
on the Susquehanna Or in Michigan
and the average much better, while
the oak, ash, poplar, hickory and other
woods are in great abundance. But
let me give you the figures. The
total forest ana in the United States
was 400, 900, 900 in 1880, and a large
per cent of this is very poor. The
New England States was accredited
with Is, $4,000 acres, the Middle
States with l9, 800, 900 acres. while
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Dakota,
Nebraska and Kansas have only 2l,-
total IN fhn Sfotnc
named of 81, 900, 900 acres, while the
Southern States have 235,ooo,o 900
acres, while the average of the tim
Der lands in the South, 10 far as tim
Der is concerned, is worth two for
one in the Northern States named.
Fortunes were made in Michigan in
lumber, but there was never the op-
portunities that is to day in the South.
The mineral resources of the South
are in unknown quantity-the wealth
that is hidden is far greater than the
treasures of California and Nevada
and in areas much smaller.
There is no country on the globe
where iron can be made as cheaply
as in the South, and the highest au-
thorities in the world agree on this.
The developments at Birmingham,
Florence and CHAT anooga are but
drops in the great ocean Of wealth
that lies dormant, waiting the hand
of the master-capital-to unlock. To
these sunny fields of agriculture, to
these vast forests and mountains of
mineral wealth | would invite our
brethren in the North and West. |
would extend to them an invitation
to come and see for themselves, to
come not to a land agent or shark
where the representations made will
be such as these teachers may tx up
to suit themselves, but to come direct
to the brother who has the land for
sale, and invite him to stay, to visit
the members of our order, to see that
the tales of blood and thunder are
only c%oncocted for political purposes,
and when such brother comes in our
midst, each on his obligation, tell the
other the whole truth. The incoming
brother will be benefited by buying
our surplus lands and we will be bene-
flied by selling our surplus lands, our
country will be developed and manu-
facturies will be developed and our
capital that now lies idle will be util-
lied. And now, brethren, / submit
a few more figures and I close.
I stated in the beginning of this
paper that our farming lands 1885,.
600, 900 acres, was worth $1,336,ooo,-
900, but if settled up like Illinois, In
diana and Ohio and the lands worth
only rs much as theirs, our lands
would be worth 1875, 900, 900 dollars,
or if worth as much as the farming
lands of Virginia or New York, they
would be worth 10, l25, 200, 900 dol
lars, and not only 80 but the. value of
our porsoaal proper of our towns and
cities would be proportionately in
creased. Not only so, but manufac-
turing industries would spring up
everywhere for we have more idle
water power in these same
States than would turn all the spindles
in the United States and Great Britain
together, but that other half of our
lands, the other 225, 900, 900 acres (for
| have thrown out an area of SO, ooo,-
900 acres for swamps, sandy plains,
etc) would be worth just as much as
the acres computed.
l stated in the beginning of this
paper that l would leave out Ken.
lucky, Maryland, Missouri and Della
ware, that is to say an area of 3d.
600, 900 acres, and including the 5o,-
ooo, 900 left out for lands not readily
available, we have an area of 80, ooo,,
900 acres, an area more than three
times as large rs the area in farms in
the two great States of New York
and Kansas, or about the size of Ger.
many or France.
The estimated value of lands and
| forests in the United States in 1870