The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1904-09-24
BY H. E. BLAKEsLEE. Jackson.

The fruit from this farm brings on TIE
st. Louis market from 20 to 30 cents
more per crate than that offered by
any point in the section of the coun.
try north Of this. Read what Mr..
Howerton has to say and profit by his
example and experience. The follow.
ing is his own language in description
Of his farm:
Gall orcharding in Mississippi ten
years ago was an experiment. We De
gan at that time. We tried Kieffer
pears. While the trees are still alive
and bearing they have never made rs
much money. Blight has hurt them
more or less, and the fruit comes at
time when other States north of rs
have home grown pears and apples.
We put out at the same time several
hundred winter apples; this, too, was
mistake. In the spring of 1898 we
put out 500 alberta peach trees. In
1901 We sold from these trees $s42
worth of peaches, and received compli-
Tcentary letters from our commission
merchants, saying we were sending
in some of the finest peaches ever
seen in st. Louis This showed us
the way. We have since set out sew.
eral thousand peach trees, all of which
are doing well and promise fine crops
next season. The second year of our
five hundred Elberta peach trees
brought us in 81, $50. These trees were
on four acres of land, that cost us 81,
in the woods-$1 an acre. After we
had gathered our first crop of $3.50 we
considered our four acres worth four
hundred dollars. This is the posi-
bility of the Mississippi 'sandhills,' I'M
derlaid by good clay foundation.
Any of them will yield the farmer
500 an acre in peaches or strawber-
ries, if he will only get after them
right. The same hills will make one
third of bale of cotton or ten bushels
OF corn. What are they good for? We
would rather have an acre in bearing
peaches in the poor hills of Missis-
sippi, or an acre in strawberries, than
the richest cotton acre in the delta.
eve have tried the Japan plum,
and they do well and bring us good
money. So, also, do summer and fall
apples. We are now getting forty
cents peck for Ben Davis apples
and other red varieties. Yes, sir, there
is money in the poor red hills in Mis-
sissippi, if you only hit 'em right
"We find that we can grow the very
finest kind of nursery stock on the
same poor red hills We are grow
ing thousands of Elberta and other
peach trees, budded from the very
best type of our bearing trees, and
they compare favorably with trees
grown north and east of us.
1--WE set our first apples on a rich
bottom and second bottom, and they
did not do well, but at the same time
we planted something there which did
do well-the paper SHELF pecan. Buy
ing the very best nuts We could get
of the Stuart, Van Deman' and Co
lumbar varieties. We planted the
nuts and find that good per cent of
them came true. We are top work.
ing with buds from our very best
trees. With the poor hills in Mis-.
s:ssippi growing peaches and straw
berries, and the bottom lands COW
cred with fine pecans, running about
fifty nuts to the pound, we need not
fear that We will have something
good to eat and that our sneighbors
north of us will want some of it, ard
pay us well for it.
&c. T. HoWERToN."
This farm Is located near Guntown.
In Lee county.
An experiment in road building is
being tried at C1arksdale that should
be watched with interest by the whole
State. The road has been graded with
road machine and covered with
burned clay, which was secured and
carried through the baking process on
the ground. The verdict of those who
have seen it is, that the result is
firm brick-like product, impervious to
water and apparently durable in the
that this experiment will be attended
with success, both in the durability
and desirability of the, road construct.
ed, as well as in the smallness of the
cost. If good roadsbcan be made with
common clay found along the right
Of way and prepared and distributed
without too much cost, the mooted
question of good roads has been set
tied. We hope to hear more from
Clarksdale and her good roads prof.
cct.
Great developments are reported
along the line Of the Mobile, Jackson
6 Kansas City railway. New indus
tries are springing up all along the
line, lands are being taken up and
put into cultivation, new towns are
Building and old ones taking on new
life and SO many good things happen
ing that it is impossible to mention
them all. That section of the State
will be heard from in the future If
DO uncertain way. It is a favored sec
ton and has only needed a railroad
to bring about the development Of its
resources.
]. E. Parker, Of sardersville, jones
county. has eight acres of Eiberta
peach trees that netted him this sea
son over $3.50 per acre on the crop
gathered and marketed. This did not
include the entire output, however,
some Of it being used at home and
given to neighbors This experience
comes from the sand hills Of South
Mississippi and shows up we'll witlIlhe
experiences in this issue from the
prairie region and the red hills Of
North Mississippi. Mississippi is
good fruit State.
Almost every day there Is one Or
more inquiries for statistics concern
Ing tha States roso11rcna r,r5,,okr