The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-05-25
FORT PAYNE, IT'S LIFE
AND RAPID PROGRESS

Tort Payne. May eA-tspecial.) Fort
payne is probably tho best advertised
small city in the whole country. 1t at
tracted the attention of the world along
hack In the boom days OF SO and 80 when
1t Is said to have hud a population of
some ten or twelve thousand. But that
was in It's palmiest days. 1t now has a
population of Some fifteen or twenty hun
dred. Tho old idea of making of 1t a
great manufacturing center has been en-
lirely abandoned. 1t Is now a steady grow
ing, substantial town on an agricultural
basis. SO to speak Much attention Is be-
Ing given TO the cultivation of the lands
hcrcabouis
There are many good farms and farm
ers here, and the lands appear to be
cultivated along business-like and sci
cntlGc lines. Much attention Is also be-
irG paid 20 diversified crops, and 1t SEEM
cd 70 me tits morning while driving about
tha: the acreage of corn and wheat was
far i'll excess proportionately to that OIL
cotton The farmers have learned the
practicability OF diversified crops, and
they apparently find the diversity profit
able The farms all appear in a clean, well
keep condition, with good barns and
fences.
The growing of fruits and vegetables
has commenced in small way dhere
IS one man hero, q Mr.. Caldwell who
raises strawberries and tomatoes for mar
ket. He Is not growing them on very
large seale as yet, but is demonstrating
that it can be done and with profit. Most
Of the tomatoes grown by him, he cans,
having a small canning arrangement at
his home He finds a ready market for
his canned product, and 1t is said they
are bought by consumers in preference to
any canned tom atoes on the market.
There is one large farm here, the I'M
provements on which are the wonder
and admiration of all who visit it. This
farm for sometime has been owned and
operated by Mr.. A. L. Campbell, but l
understand a trade has about been clos
ed by which 1t passes into the possession
of a prominent railroad official of New
Orleans, who intends to convert it into
a stock farm. This farm has its own
system of water works. the water be-
ing conveyed by gravity from springs
some mile or two back on the mountain
through pipes to a standpipe on the
mountain side, and from there distributed
throughout the houses and barns and
different portions of the farm. The barn
at this place is said to be the largest
south of Mason and Dixon's line, being a
two story structure, 175 feet long. 1t has
every convenience for the caring and
stabling of stock, appliances for the quick
handling and storing of the products of
the farm places for the storing of We
Mcles and farm machinery, a carpenter
and blacksmith shop, and in fact, model
barn on a modern farm.
Fort Payne is situated In Wills VAL
ley between Sand an. Lookout noun
tains 1t altitude is higher / am told,
than any point between New Orleans
and Chattanooga. 1t probably has the
best water and sewerage system of any
town of its size in America. The water
is supplied from three immense sprins.
the depth of one of them having never
been reached. Its purity is absolute and
of course no filtration is necessary. The
m ountains and ridges surrounding Fort
Payne are rich in minerals, but no effort
is now being made to develop same.
Some idea of the produce business in
this section can be ascertained from
the fact that / was told that Fort Payne
alone probably handled last year as much
as rs car loads, while other small towns
on the railroad within a radius of Is