The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-02-21
INTENSIVE FARMING IN ALABAMA.
A Little Carbon Of Eden Near Florence, Al
A Thrifty People.


Gently becoming OF such interest to GeOr-
gians. The experiment was long ago old
enough to prove that the location OF colon
les OF thrifty immigrants can be made q
splendid success. The case in point at
fOrdS u lesson to the citizens of Georgia who
are interested in having wOrnout, desolate
portions Of the state blossom as the rose and
to raise u thrifty people.
st. tI0rlan Is Il prosperous settlement OF
Germans, six miles north Of Florence. AT
ter passing through a region of lax farming
on either side OF it, where barns seem to
rock and fences to need mending, the visitor
is suddenly confronted with signs OF new
lie. The plantations disappear and you
see instead u settlement of farms. Smaller
helds under perfect cultivation alternate
with good pasture spots, vineyards with
orchards, and, here and there among all, Is
the cozy, whitepainted cottage, with trim
looking stables, granaries and stock yards.
1t is a picture of intensive farming. The
fences are horse-high, pig-tight and bull
strong. The dwellings, are plain but sub
stannal; many of them contain second
story; they are painted without and frescoed
within; and neatness is shown everywhere.
Most of the dwellings face on the Bailey
Springs road, which leads through the set
tlement becoming a street at the p0St0filce,
where the Crossroads grocery, the drug
store and a few dwellings, huddle closer
together.
AT a retired distance from this spot stands
q coy church with 4 schoolhouse by it,
and these form the center of life in the COM
munity. 1t is conspicuous that there are
few cross-iegged croakers and loaferS seat
ed about the grocery or postoflice. The
people are all too busy for loatinS. Thrift
is the watchword, and no retired capitalists
are tolerated
The settlement at st. Florian dates
back to 1872. 1t is composed entirely OF
German families and was founded mainly
by the efforts of i Catholic priest John I'll.
Huescr. who then lived in the north, and
is now stationed at Huntington. Ind.
Father Hueser was Il man of no capital, but
with practical ideas as to colonization. He
first bought about LOO acres of the old
Wilson estate: which was naturally unpro-
ductive, and had been worn and wasted
to raw clay. Seven dollars was the price
per acre. on time payments; and at once
the land was laid off into convenient parcels
Tor small farming Other tracts were
added.
BY advertising and personal influence
about thirty families were at
tracted thither i'll the first two
years. coming from the various north
importation of a dozen families was re-
ceived from Pennsylvania. There are about
fifty families in the community at present
The land was given out to the new Corners
III about torty-acre plats at $l2 per acre,
which latterly brought SO. then $50 an
acre. Each householder bought as little or
-. much as he wanted. No family came
without at least Il few hundred dollars
capital. and few had several thousand
Many have acquired other lands adjacent
from time to time until now the bcst-to-do
man OF the settlement OWNS 2lO acres.
A peculiar misfortune happened to the
new corners about the third year, but it
proved only temporary embarra ssment.
Father HeuSer, who was also largely i'll
terested in founding a similar settlement
Il Vpos two nFn hiS
one, and who there. as here. had bought
extensive tracts on time and without CAPT
tai, failed to pay out, and went insolyent.
He had to fall back on such tracts as were
still unSOld at st. ElOran, and to make his
shortage good the sturdy settlers accepted
an assessment of something like dollar
an acre on the land already paid for. But
it was paid within a year or two, and there
was 10 grumbhng.
The distinctive feature of this settlement
as apart from the surrounding country, is
that from the start everything has gone on
on n cash basis The only mortgages st.
f1oran has ever known were those levied
10 insure the last payments on lands. No
liens are given on crops. No man has to
borrow money of his neighbor. If there
are improvements and Injuries he wants he
postpones the JOY of getting till he can ray
for them. This policy, adopted early by
the settlers. is best told in the "reminiscences
of Mr.. John Locher. one of the first, as
we'll as the best of the farmers:
Il came with my family from Wisconsin.
We had about Il thousand dollars i'll money,
and come without anything except supplies
At paducah | bought enough flour, lard,
salt and meat to last us through one sea-
son. and they were shipped by the river.
Ny first purchase was the land, and then |
got a yoke OF oxen. For four years these
were the only animal help l had; They
and took ma buggy riding, when I did not
ever anything was wanted we usually grew,
raised or made It.
And that last statement is the key to the
whole situation. The farmers of st. Flo
rian raise very few crops for marketing
They worried with "Ot'On up till the last
few years, but seem now TO have given 1t
over entirely to troopers and TO the big
plantations. They raise what they want to
eat. to make life camfortable and to feed
their stock. As g consequence they them
selves look sleek end their stock is fat. And
it is all done with the homo article. The
corner grocery handles nothing but St.
Floran meat, St. Florian vinegar and St
Eloran bacon.
True to his Fatherland, the citizen of
this little Germany banks on his vineyard.
Every household has one, and HE luXurlant
way in which the luscious grape attalnS
perfection on the slopes of these farms, in
miniature, and the subtle, smooth wines
that are I"ade therelr0m. are alike the de-
light of pilgrim and native. 1t is a pure,
healthful beverage that the ElorentlneS get
at St. Elorian.
AS these settlers are thrifty and earnest,
50 are they sober and respectable. They are
never drunk. Each family adhercs TO the
Roman Catholic church with all the hde
ity of its children. The school is taught by
one of their own young men. Its attendance
runs from forty to sixty. All conversation in
school for the first halliday is in German,
and during the last, in English. The rudi-
ments are well taught. The public education
fund of the state maintains this school for
three months and it is continued five longer
by buttons. So the rising generation is 10
be put in fine way for making good Nv
ings.
The ST Florians read the county papers,
and each Subsc1ihes to one or more agrlcul-
tural and religious journals III the German.
In politics. they are out-and-out democrats
of the Jcffersonian stripe. This was we'll
illustrated in the recent political turmoil
of Alabama, when great efforts were made
to win them over to kOlb. At the great
democratic rally at historic Mars Iiill-tha
place where an old cannon foundry was eS-
tablished by the confcderacy. and where
Ex-Governor Watts made the last speech OF
his campaign-thc sturdy yeomanry of ST
Florian attended in y body. The procession
was headed by a huge ox-cart, pulled by
six teams and filled with pretty Teuton
maids. who vigorously swept out, with new
democratic brOomS, several bushels OF
corncobs rs the procession approached.
The symbol was accepted by the gathering
and the German vote shortly after was