The Savannah morning news., 1903-07-24
WESTERN FARMERS COMING.

!
The South regards Western farmers
as the most desirable class of immi-
| grants. She has been making efforts
! to get settlers for her unoccupied lands
from the West for many years. but has
/ succeeded only moderately. II be-
gins TO look now. however, as if there
would be a pretty steady movement of
Western people to the South. 1t Is
not an uncommon thing to hear of
Western farmers settling in the most
progressive and prosperous counties of
this state.
We have sought TO impress upon the
Southern people that good schools are
the best advertisement with which TO
reach the farmers of the West who are
looking for homes in the South.
Churches and schools are two things
they insist upon having. The
churches are here in abundance, but
there is a scarcity of school houses.
That isn't because the people do not
take an interest in schools, but be-
cause they have not as yet felt able
to provide as many and as good schools
as they would like to have. Still, it
would pay the people of every county
to levy a local school tax and inn
prove the schools, because the schools
would invite immigration and imml
grafton would cause the value of land
to increase.
This subject of immigration from the
cd nv 81
which we published Monday, that two
Chicago men had purchased $4,000
acres of land from the Southern Lum-
Der Company, the land being in Bald
win county, Alabama. 1t is land from
which the timber has been cut, and
doubtless is very good land.
The purpose of the Chicago men Is
to take a colony of Western farmers
to Alabama and settle them on this
land. Attention will be given to the
raising of such crops as can be grown
successfully in that part of Alabama,
and also to stock raising. There is no
doubt that the undertaking will be
successful, because it will be con-
Quoted with judgment.
1t will be recalled that the time is
notl far back when it was
thought that the cut-over pine lands
of this state were of no account. That
opinion has been proven to be an err
roneous one. The greater part of the
long staple cotton that comes to this
market is grown on these pine lands.
Not only does cotton do well on
them, but they produce a very high
grade of sugar cane. 1t will not be
many years before the greater part of
the pine lands of South Georgia will
be under cultivation, and will be yield
ing profitable crops. The development
that is going on in South Georgia is
remarkable. The steady increase in
the amount of the taxable values in
that section shows that.
The Legislature is hesitating about
making an appropriation for an exhibit
at the st. Louis Fair. 1t recognizes,
of course, the Importance of making
an exhibit, but it does not see where
the money is to come from. 1t would
be better to let some interest wait
awhile than to neglect making an ex-
hibft. No opportunity should be miss
ed to advertise the state in the West.
From that section the South ought to
get a steady stream of immigrants.
At present there is a lack of knowl-
edge among Western farmers as to
what Georgia has to offer as induce-
ments to immigrants. The state should
do all it can TO supply this lack of
knowledge We know no better way,
to cali attention to Georgia than the
St. Louis Fair will offer.