The morning news., 1893-12-31
MAKING THE STATE RICH.
What the Georgia Southern Has Done
and Is Doing.

Thousands of Acres Planted in Fruit
Handsome Proits-How to Make
Georgia the Richest State in the
Union - Experiments That Have
Proven Wonderfully Successful.
Railroads should be the natural devel-
opers of the territory they traverse, as
upon that development must largely de-
pend the continued success of the roads.
1t has, however, been too commonly the
case that railroad managers have looked
more to immediate results than future
profits, and he has been regarded as the
best manager whose net earnings were
the largest, regardless as to how much
ne might be drawing upon future profits.
The management of the Georgia South
ern and Florida road early recognized the
Importance of developing and building up
the country along its line Running
through new and richly timbered coun-
Try, the lumber and naval stores naturally
gave 1t heavy freight traffic; but in
Ulme the lum Der and turpentine must be
exhausted and the road would have to
look to other sources for its traffic. Recog-
nlzlng this fact, Mr.. w. B. Sparks, the
president, inaugurated a policy which
was calculated to convert the forests into
farms and replace lumber and naval stores
Win agricultural and horticultural
products that would put the traffic
OF the road upon permanent basis To
tnls END model farm of ZOO acres was
opened in the heart of the pine woods, for
The purpose of showing the character of
Uhe soil and the variety of agricultural
and horticultural products that could be
~ h lFf
OF all kinds were planted the farm was
stocked with horses, cattle and hogs of
tne best breeds, and the ground was cul-
uVated with improved implements. The
result has shown that the lands of this
section, which a few years ago was re-
garded as valueless except for the timber,
are equal in productiveness to any in the
state, and, as consequence, new farms
dfe Delng opened all along the line of the
road But the work of the model farm
uld not stop there. It's practical expert
ments showed the farmers that there was
proht in products which had hitherto not
peen raised, it taught better system of
cultivation and iustilled a spirit of
enterprise and emulation into the
people along the line. 1t is a great object
to come
., But the policy of the management of
tne road did not stop with the farm
Having demonstrated the productiveness
OF the land, it invited settlers to come in
ana cultivate them, and supplemented
The invitation with offers of aid in the
way OF low freights upon building mate
RAJ and supplies. 1t established stations
al convenient points, so that settlers
could have all the conveniences of a rail
road. AS consequence there are more
new, growing and thrifty little towns
along the Georgia Southern than on
any other line of the same number Of
miles in Georgia.
About year and half ago bureau Of
immigration was organized and syste
matte effort has been made to induce
northern fruit growers and farmers to
settle along the line. The result of this
eIlort has been the organization of one or
cnard company, which purchased 800
acres and set out $4,000 trees and vines,
another which purchased 500 acres and
is setting out $4,000 trees and vines, and
Is preparing to erect a canning and crate
factory, and another company is nego-
uating for 1,S0O acres Of land on which it