The Tupelo journal., 1904-12-16
BY II. Z. BLAKESLEE, Jackson.

John Amaker. OF Poplarville, killed
a "razor-back" hog a few days since
that tipped the beam at 1856 pounds,
and rendered 166 pounds of lard. That
is a remarkable showing for the razor
back, and possibly there is more good
in him than he is given credit for.
Greenwood's death rate of only q
little over eight to the thousand for
the past five years is a splendid show
ing for that equally splendid city.
The delta is showing a great advance
In healthfulness lately, and now com
pares favorably with any section of
the Union.
Protect your timber. Be slow to sell
unless you are made sure that 1t
will be worked into the finished ar
ticle right here in Mississippi. Too
many large bodies of our splendid
timber lands are coming into the
hands of foreigners, who cut it into
rough lumber here and ship to other
places for manufacture. Right now
is the time to stop this. Already too
much of it is in alien hands. We are
glad to welcome any one who will
come and help us in the great work
of development. but We do not want
others to get the best crude material
we nave and carry it away, thereby
losing to us the cost of transportation
and the price paid for skilled labor
in its manufacture. Hold your tim
Der lands until you know fully the
purpose of the intending purchaser.
Too much fine timber land in the
State worth 500 per acre, or more, is
on the assessment rolls at 81 per acre.
This is not as it should be. Boards
of supervisors ought to see that it is
assessed at something like what it
is worth. By doing this, the wne
will be made to pay a little something
of the cost of developing the country
and making their lands worth more
money. Otherwise they pay nothing
and reap the larger portion of the i
benefits. This matter is well worthy
a careful investigation at the hands
of our people, and it is to be hoped
that some action will be taken along
the lines suggested herein.
w. j. Quarles, of Long Beach, has
sugar cane that averages over nine
feet of matured stalk. Off of one and
a half acres he made over eight hun
dred gallons of syrup. He only used
on the land 500 pounds of acid phos-
phate and cotton seed meal mixed.
This shows what can be done on Mis-
sissippi soil if only common sense
and a little energy is displayed. There
Is no place in the world where the
~husbandman can get such liberal re-
turn for his labor. Write Mr.. Quarles /
and prove the truthfulness of the as
sertions herein made.
Few people in Mississippi realize
the attention the State is attracting
abroad, and the demand for our cheap
lands by moneyed men seeking profit
able investments, as well as home
seekers from other States. Not a
week passes that announcement is not
made that a large body of land has
been sold to some Northern syndicate.
And right here the writer desires to
sound a note of warning. Don't sell
your land to spectators who will not
agree to improve it and put it in cul-
tivation. There are plenty of. bona
fide homeseekers who will buy it and
H. fpo nrnuHyonnfr Tho rrpIiao ~ |
sometimes cut up into small tracts
large blocks and sell on installments
to homeseekers, but too often they
hold merely for the increase in prices
which goes on rapidly. Our county
officials are derelict in their duty fire.
quently in allowing land belonging to
such concerns to remain on the tax
books at the figures for which it was
purchased, and not what it would
bring on the market at present. Lands i
rapidly advancing in price and hardly
taxed at all offer tempting induce
ments to investors. Make such lands
pay a portion of the cost of develop
ment by assessing them at something
like their real value. This is nothing
but right and equitable, n the own
ers should not object to such a course.
Write some friend outside of the
State of the wonderful Jul of
Mississippi. Do this at least once a
week, and watch the result.
The writer has received three COM
munications within the last week
from parties inquiring for bodies of
land in Mississippi for the purpose of
locating colonies of farmers thereon.
There is a growing tendency in the
crowded sections of the North and
East to get out from the cities and
own small pieces of land and live
thereon. Our State is securing many
desirable settlers in this manner.
There is plenty of money in Missis-
sippi to establish factories to use the
larger part of our crude material, the
only item to be contended with being
the fact that our people are not edu-
Gated to the Importance and benefits
of manufacturing. Then, too, so few
of them have had experience along
that line and they are wary Of strang-
ers who come in and frequently pro-
mote wild schemes that are only in
tended to get the money of those who