The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-06
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the highest respect by farmers in other section sof Alabama.
 There are some enormous plantations about Pike Road. In truth nearly all the land is owned by few large hold CTS. And note it well, none of 1t is for sale. At this time land may not be bought in the neighborhood of Pike Road.
 A plantation of prairie land near the town was offered for sale some time ago. The owner after proposing to sell 1t for $20 an acre changed his mind when he got direct offer. He continues to hold the land undisturbed by any wish to sell,
 The Forniss Place at Pike Road contains the enormous total of between 5000 and 10000 acres of land. There are three large Matthews plantations, one containing 5000 acres, another D. 700 and another 1,200. The S. B. Marks plantation is considered an especially fine place. having in 1t 1,600 acres and every acre said to be of great fertil- ity. Another fine place Is the Pollard Place of 2.S00 acres. A large local Barnett place Is leased and operated by Belser and Rushin. It contains over 2.700 acres. This firm Is one of the largest in the State, devoted to the growing of cotton. They operate on nearly 1000 acres of land, nearly all of it being the rich prairie land about Pike Road.
 Their usual method is to lease the land from the owner in a large body and sub-lease portions of 1t to the smaller tenants. The tenants are ad- vanced money during the growing of the crop as their needs demand 1t and at the end of the year when the crop IS gathered the advances are collected. What are the advantages of prairie land over other land for cotton grow ing? I asked MT. Delser on a recent visit to Pike Road. The chief advantage is that they do not need the fertilizer that other lands need. Very little fertilizer is used about here. It is rather the ex- ception than the rule when one of the large farmers sends to Montgomery for few tons of fertilizer. Year after year cotton without fertilizer has been planted on these prairie acres | and year after year their fertility con | tinues. Some of the land about here | has been in cultivation more than l fifty years. and without fertilizer 1t contiues to grow fine cotton. When fertilizer Is used, however. the soil re- spends quickly and satisfactorily. The
 
 | creased one-tbird by the use of fertil- | izer."
 ''Is it\ true that this prairie land averages bale to the acre?" Mir, Bel | ser was asked.
 NO, that's hardly true The best | of the'prairies produces a bale to the | acre. butRall of the prairie land does not make that much cotton. The av- craze Is well under a bale for each acre."
 "In word. what is the advance or lease system for negroes? Right here." said MT. Belser, "I want ot say that the negroes about Pike Road are probably the best in Alabama. They are both industrious and tractable They give no trouble are fairly good farmers and are in- dustrious workers" The ordinary way in which a negro gets through the year Is this. He first leases his land paying about $10C rent for a one mule farm, this rental Of course varying somewhat. A good negro farmer on the land about here makes from eight to ten bales an acre have heard it said. however. that throughout Middle Alabama six bales to tho mule is the average yield Having rented his land he makes ar. rangement for his advance during the year. These advances he gets some. times from his landlord but most ire. quently from some who knows him At the end of the year his cotton cror pays the landlord and the merchan mt In the shares system the landlord fur. nishes everything but the labor The land, the mules and the provisions arc furnished by the landlord. Tho ten. ant in such cases has a family large enough to do all the necessary labor on one Of two mule farm. Tn this case the landlord and the tenant shares the crop alike each taking hall the corn, half the cotton and so on. Now this question of advancing is a right difficult one with the cotton at six cents. Say a negro tenant makes eight bales of cotton. At six cents | those eight bales will bring in $240 out of this he pays $100 for rent This leaves him only $40 to support himself and his family and to pay all his expenses during the year. This present situation Is giving all men in the advancing business considerable worry. It is difficult to make most negroes understand that they cannot spend as much money with cotton at six cents as they can while it was at twelve cents.
 The negroes are starting we'll ip the New Year. All of them made more money last year than they ever made in any one year before. Some of them, but very few of them have saved some money.
 Why last year one of my negro ten ants cleared $9O0 from his farm that is he made $900 above all his living and farming expenses. I think though he has spent practically all of 1t without having much to show for the money"