The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-03-21
Agricultural Department
CONDUCTED BY FULTON s. WHITE.

1 the very subjects which directly effect your interests.
 The question about land washing away | is one that should be taken up and studied. Send down to the Agricultural | college at Auburn Ala, and ask them to send all their free bulletins and espe- cially bulletins on live stock and forage crops. Also write the Agricultural De- partment at Washington for their free farmers bulletins. These are all free. They only cost | stamp to write for them Should the older men, farmers, not feel the need of this educational work the younger farmers should take 1t in hand, for in this day of strong competi- tion it Is absolutely necessary to success on the farm that farmers keep posted on all leading questions pertaining to ag- ! ricuIture. I am sure that the writer of this letter could do his people no greater service than to start this educational movement in his neighborhood through a well organized farmers institute. Disadvantage of Rough Land. The writer save that his land is so rough that it is q difficult matter to build it up. This. of course, is a great disadvantage and such land should be set to grass as soon as made suitable. Grass forage crops and stock should be grown on all such rough farms. Inc writer
 
 and desired to buy in a more favored locality where land is more level. This is all very well, but if he has his land on hand unimproved he might make money to improve his farm and then sell it and then buy where conditions suit him better It is a good business propo- stion to buy level land that will hold the fertilizer put in it and where it will not wash. But it is very often necessary al Kva r1g hp xvp of our present surroundings.
 Now, as to my judgment in tCyinc a place, l can only quote from some real estate men who said, when showing me farms, that I was the hardest man to please they ever tried to sell land to. But my case was somewhat different to many who buy land. I had to buy to accomodate myself to a common center of my business ard while l am in the employment of the Frico Railroad as their agricultural agent, it is necessary that I be close to our St Louis office so I bought near Springfield, Mo. Had been buying to settle down strictly to farming and fruit growing I should have bought on either the Frisco line between Birmingham and Memphis or on the Louisville and Nashville line south of Birmingham. There Is not much chance for man with limited means to buy land near Springfield-that is, such land as the writer desires,
 But I want to say few words on the importance of securing a home. Every young man should consider this care fully, save his earnings and put it in a home somewhere. For my part, I great ly prefer a country home where I can grow my own fruits, vegetables, poultry, butter and, in fact, all the good things that a little country home well managed will produce. I soon become tired of trying to live in a city. If the writer of the above letter will improve his farm so he can sell 1t to good advantage he can find in the sections mentioned above just such conditions as he desires-sec- tions where they have well organized fruit and truck growers associations and good shipping facilities as we'll as good local markets. I have stated often and state it here again, that I know of no sections of country that are onering bet ter Inducements, or where there are better opportunities for the farmer of tsmall means than can be found in Ala bama and Mississippi, and shouiA much prefer taking my chances as a farmer in either of these states than in any country I have found in the west.
 However there are some fine sections in Texas where lands may yet be bought