The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-06-02
RAILROADS AID rARmERs
Coed Results from Their Past Hearty
Cooperation In Promoting AErt-
cultural Enterprises.

GOO faEFNEtHN I'D AEAaA.AtAAAH AAfaAH
cultural Enterprises.
Orlando. FLA Janc IA circular u-t
iss lei De- thc Jacksonville. - Augustine
and Indian River railway ofeuue farmers
along the line of that road q certain
amount of watermelon aud tobacco Seed.
if desired. brings again into notice the
praisawerthN efforts ~ some az our south
cru railroads 90 htlp the farmers and
fruir growers living 10 their vicinity io
put into cultivation crops suited 60 the
soil and climate
10 ought To be- the policy Of an railroads
I to encourage and stimulate farming and
manufacturing not only by aiding the
. settlement of colonies and the establish
Mcut of shops and factories, but Ia
continued watchfuluess over these enter
prises until they shall have become thor
. oughly self-sustaining and profitable.
] Upon no one thing is the farmer and man
( WaCturcr in the absence of water trans
portation. more dependent than railroads.
( The products of the farm and tae factory
must find a ready and profitable market
and rapid and cheap transportation is
needed To secure this object.
Some twenty years ago while at Blount
I Springs. Ala, had my first object les
/ SON on this subject The South and
4 North Alabama railroad had lately been
opened from Decatur 10 Montgomery, by
the Louisville and Nashville railroad, and
much Of the country was new. Some lit
tie distance above Blount Springs the
/ railroad planted a colony of thrifty Ger
/ mans and. nourished its growth until not
/ only a fine business town developed there
! but later on new countywa formed, OF
/ which Cullman became the Hourishlng
/ county seat few years after
/ this the Atlanta and Air Line
railroad planted a colony of Swedes,
/ think, near Mount Airy, in Habersham
county. Georgia. While this colony did
not thrive like that in Alabama, it IL
/ Illustrated what a good work can be done
! BY railroads in the south in the matter of
settling up the rural districts with in
/ dustrious immigrants.
The Georgia Southern and Florida rail
road, with its fine experiment farm at
/ CyclOneta, Ca, has not labored in vain in
this direction Col. d. E. Maxwell, the
efficient general manager of the Florida
/ Central and Peninsular railroad, has not
/ only made generous annual free distribu-
/ tions of tobacco seed to farmers on the
/ line Of his road, but has also furnished
in H. j. Fenton, a tobacco expert
an instructor as TO the best methods of
making tobacco culture success. And
! to-day West Florida is becoming a great
/ tobacco growing and manufacturing sec
/ ton. with the enterprising city of Quincy
I as headquarters. | believe the South
pursued the same liberal policy, Col. d.
II. Elliott being at the head of its land
/ department and proving himself a hard
| worker for good class of settlers Flori-
/ da raised tobacco, under this skilled
| supervision and liberal patronage Of the
railroads, has become lively rival for
| the best Cuba brands and is never drug
/ in the market.
The Florida Southern railroad, running
! from Palatl1a to Brooksville, and having
/ several spurs, is part of the great Jack
/ sonVille. Tampa and Key West railway
/ system General Passenger Agent G. A.
/ Ackerly one of the best advertisers in the
| country. has issued a handsome little
/ illustrated brochure entitled Bread and
| Butter" that tells all about what kinds
| of fruits and vegetables and field crops
| can be grown here in Florida, and this
elegant little booklet is sent free to any
! body who wants information about our
state. But more than this, he
| has instituted also the free seed
/ distributions, and new varieties of choice
/ seeds are thus put within the reach Of
/ the poorest farmer and fruit grower on
! any of his lines. Many of the very best
truck farms, as well as finest orange
/ groves, are to be found in the territory
! traversed by his roads.
Then the hustling little Orange Belt
railway, the narrow gauge line from San
]
| to ST. Petersburg, on the gulf, has de-
4 veloped the most wonderful tomato in
/ dustry in the south Acres upon acres
/ of early tomatoes could be seen a few
! weeks ago about Oakland, Clermont and
1 other stations, while the shipments of
early vegetables have been wonderful. OF
! course all this kind of farm products re-
| quires rapid transportation and reason
able freight rates. Division Superintend-
/ ent G.. l.. Myers of the Southern Express
/ Company, who is ''ruStler' in getting
around, never loses sight of the farmers
] and fruit growers while keeping one eye
/ on the fish and Oystermen and the manu-
/ facturerS. He pops into the county and
4 state meetings Of the grape growers, to-
matO raisers, truck farmers and others
and gives them the best facilities and
/ cheapest rates possible. With all the cry
against railroad and express and steam
ship companies, they have built up an
immense business in the south in the
/ growing of peaches, melons, vegetables
etc, and the relations between these
corporations and the producers ought to
/ be of the most friendly character.
The latest new industry of this class to
/ be fostered is that of grape culture Vast
| vineyards are now to be seen in this sec
ton of Orange county, with headquarters
| at Orlando. Haynes, Bailey a. Co. are
! the greatest operators, and have also an
immense pinery, for growing the best and
earliest pineapples for northern markets.
AS soon as this new industry developed
itself beyond infantile proportions Presi-
dent Plant, General Manager O'Brien
and Supt. Myers of the Southern Express
Company, came here and inspected the
field. A side-track was put in
near the vineyards and one
express car per day set
aside for the exclusive use of the grape
growers. Each morning it is attached TO
the passenger train lin the grape season.,
and runs through by the Southern Elk
press Company's fast schedule to Jersey
City, thereby giving the growers the
the quickest possible transportation to a
ready and profitable market AS these
grapes are the earliest ripened anywhere
they have this fact largely in their favor
in securing good prices and prompt pur-
chases. And thus Florida is yearly ad-
ding TO her productiveness and wealth
thanks to her genial climate.
SIDNEY HERBERT