Waterbury Democrat., 1901-04-16
SIGNS OF PROGRESS.
They Are Visible in Every Section
 of the New South.
Marvellous Changes in the Com merciaI and Agricultural Con-
 dittons of Georgia-Natives
 Encourage Enterprise. x
Especial Atlanta (Ga.) Letter.

@EORGIA is in a more prosper Y ous condition than at any pe-
 riod since the close of the war between the states. This sis owing main ly to eastern capital and intelligent la- bor, we'll applied. The conditions have always been here--that is, the rich soil and other natural resources. but until very recently the people did not seem disposed to avail them selves of the bounties of nature, but rather trusted to luck, and politics. In what is known as the "wire-grass" region, in southern Georgia, vast tracts of cheap but productive lands, easily and inexpensively cultivated, have been put under cultivation, and now produce not only the main south ern standby" cotton crop, but near ly all kinds of fruits and garden truck. This wilderness of pine bar rens has been made highly productive, and villages have sprung up making a market for the small farmer. The mild winter climate of this once i'm hospitable region has recently att tracted farmers of susail means from the northern states, who have bought these apparently valueless lands at nominal sums and on long credit. Un- like the average southern farmer, they did not rely entirely upon a cot ton crop, which, if it failed, placed them on the verge of starvation, but they diversified their crops They farmed on business principles, just as a merchant would conduct store, and perhaps more business-like than many of them do. They raised hogs, horses, vegetables, and anything that will grow in this fertile soil. The waste places of Georgia are being rapidly settled" by immigrants, and new order of things is under head ], way. which is changing the face of the country, and the old order of doing things.
 Tn southern Georgia and through nut the state, the farmers are pros pering, because they have lately learned to farm with their heads as well as with their hands--that it re- quires skill as we'll as manual labor. With this intelligently applied labor, and the diversiication of crops, the Sfarmeris not dependent upon cotton, and the advances of the merchant. He raises" nearly everything that he needs, even to the weaving of his clothing, and if his cotton crop fails, or the price sinks to five cents a pound, as it did year or two ago, he can live, while the country mer- chant is not so sure about it.. The conditions are being reversed--a a small crop, orno crop, made the mer- chant wealthy in few years, because he sold his advance supplies for the crop at high tariff rates, and few successive failures put him in pos session of the land. At last the farm CTS, at least of this state, have gen. erally learned this object lesson, which the press has so long unavail- ingly preached to them-ssproduce everything you need for your family, and your cotton will be a surplus.'' They are improving upon this by making a speciality of stock-raising. Instead of getting their meat from the cities where they formerly shipped their hogs, they kill and cure their own hogs at home, and sell the surplus. They raise their own farm horses and mules, and some of them make a speciality of raising mules for the Atlanta market, from whence they are shipped to Cuban ports.
 Tn addition to agriculture much of the progress of the state is due to the lumber and turpentine industries, which of late have received an impe- tus. The demand for the yellow pine was never larger in the history of the state. The trade with Spain, South Africa and South America in this tim Der is increasing, and is now beyond the expectation of the lumber ship rers.. The trade increased about 25 per cent. last year, and the indica- tions for the present year are even brighter New settlers are clearing these lands of the famous yellowpin and thus realize enough from the sale of the timber to pay for the lands. It is then easy enough to get supplies for a crop, and thus the country becomes ssthinned out and settled. Then comes the schoolhouse, the church, the store, and, finally, the railroad-an the forest is trans formed into civilization.
 While the farmer, as rule, has prospered, especially in the southern part of the state, the country mer- chant has not done so we'll as for merly. This is mainly owing to the growing independence of the farmer, and his fewer purchases at credit prices" which are usually 100 per cent. above cash prices. The good price of cotton for the past two sea- sons has also helped to take the farmer out of the grasp of the coun- try merchant. This especially ap- plies to the negro, who is naturally improvidcnt, and when once in debt is generally held in pccnniary bond age by the merchant. The darky would be permitted to buy almost anything he fancied-to the limit of his prospective crop. When the crop was marketed he rarely had anything coming to him, and bought next years supplies on credit at ruinous prices. He is learning better now, and, un- less he has the money, denies himself some things he needs, or imagines he needs. The negro farmers of this state, generally, are industrious, and conduct their farms more intelligent ly than formerly. They were vir- tually ruined for years by the unlim. ited credit system, which was con.