The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-12-28
RISE IN :EARMlANDS
Prices All Over South Make
i Phenomenal Advance. !, =.
BEYOND FIFTY PER CENT
swimming Of the Cotton Fight Places
!, Farmers in the Aseendancy and
u Enables Them to Store
= Cash in Banks

i Enables Them to Store
Cash in Banks;
- =.
: In publishing six pases OF letters
from bankers and Others throughout
the south including a wonderful ad-
Vance in the value of farm lands, The
Record says:
!: while it is true that the indus
trial deyelopment ef tie south is 60,
ing forward with aHakzangs.raphlty i
Sis nevertheless true that, by virtue
aof the extent OF the agricultural in
tscests Of the south, agriculture is yet
the foandseion Of tbs business Of that
section. A change from poverty to
prosperity OF the farmers; and
schange from land without selling
value to land in: demand at an ad-
svance of so to $50 per cent over the
nominal price Of one or two yeats
,s.go, is the most fr-reaching develop
umeht fnEsoathern advancement OF the
ilast quarter of a century.
'It is far reaching In many ways.
1T means that within the last year
.or two southern farm properties have
increased not less than s1,000,0O0,000
! in value, probably at least s1,5Oo,0 ,000,-
900. But more than that, it means
that under this :irproved financial,
condition the southern farmer has
gained new courage, new backbone;
that he has learned how to market
his cotton crop; that he has fought
to a finish the great battle as to wheth-
er the producer or the speculatcr is to
control the price Of the staple:
Having won this fight, the entire
handling of cotton from the field to
the factory, whether the factory be in
this country or in Europe, has enter
ed upon an entirely new. stage in It's
history. It also means that land will
be more thoroughly cultivated, for the
successful man., whether he be q
farmer, a merchant or manufactur-
er,. Is always better able to work to
good advantage than the one who is
fighting a losing battle.
During the last six years the total
value Of the cotton crop, including
seed, has been $500, ,eae.e 900, against
sS,fS0,0o0eco for the preceding six
yeays, showing, a gain In the last six
years over the preceding six of over
81, ,40e, ,0eQD00. It e not, however, due
to this great, increase IN cotton alone
that the southern farmer Is in better
shape. koee and more has the d1ve<.
sifcasion Of agriculture gone ON;
more and more have fruit-growing
and. trucking, hog and homsnv' with
the meathouse at home.
ga study OF the bankers letters de-
velops many facts Of very great in
terest. Many OF them tell Of an ad-
vance in the selling value Of farm
lands ranging from so to 100 per
cent within the last two years. One
correspondent in South Carolina says:
In many instances lands are selling
for three and four times as much as
they would have brought four or FIVE
years ago.
Another ccrrespondentiin the same
state writes that in his county there
are seven banks with deposits aggre-
eating $1,000, 900, most Of It belonging
to the farmers. whereas 10 years ago
there was only one bank with depos-
its Of s125,e0O.
an Alabama land which sold five
years ago at $3.50 to $500 an acre is
now reported as bringing $500 to
$4,000 an acre and in one part Of the
state there has been, it is reported,
an increase in the past two years of
so 10 200 per cent.
Throughout the central south, 1t is
very generally stated this increase Is
due mainly to the increasing pros
perity OF the farmers and very large
ly brought about by the advance in
cotton, cotton lands selling to con-
siderable extent on the basis OF the
price Of cotton.