The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-08-13

Selma. Ala, July 5. 1905.-I am to
da in receipt OF letter from a north
ern friend asking why do you stay in
that hot country this hot weather; why
not come north. where It is cool?
And as l read that letter | saw by the
telegraph that Pittsburg was boiling
and had twenty deaths from heat in
single day; that people and animals
were dropping dead in New York city;
| that the mercury was far up at Chica-
go, Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo.
And saw in a copy of Toledo
paper which fell into my hands an
editorial sQuib relating tAat the writer
! had tossed and tumbled and sweated
all nights and of the sweltering con-
ditions there And recalled that, for
the FIVE summers l had passed in the
sOuth-much of them as far south )
this point have never slept a night
through without need for cover ere
morning came, nor known of a single
cause Of sun-stroke or heat attack
throughout this entire region. Why
not? | don't know but l know the
facts exist This city is 200 miles
distant from the Gulf shores and so
participates but lightly in the Gulf
breeze. And still here, in the very
heart and core Of the BLACK Belt this
fact remains true,
Indeed, it is a mystery how much We
get of politics and artless discussion
of intricate matters, and how little We
really know of our own land For in,
stance, fertile land, we'll located, ada
cent to thriving and prosperous cities,
located on splendid made highways
equal TO the best stone roads which
penetrate Lucas county-and well wa
tered with pure, soft water, Is now to
be had at from IS to $50 per acre!
This land is cleared and fenced and
ready for the pillow; is located in
Montgomery county, Ala. Montgom-
cry is The capitol of the state. a city
os $4,000 inhabits. The county has
$50 miles of made roadways, over
every mile of which an automobile
can be driven with as little disturbance
as would occur were il passing out
COllingwood.
= The Black Belt.
And this land is situated in the heart
of the Black Belt.
who wants to live In the Black Belt
surrounded by niggers." For, for all
our plenteous charity for the black
man and brother, none of us wish to
tie up close to his reeking personality.
But that is quite another feature
Of the discussion. What l started to
write is, that I'd be willing to wager
fine Klondike mine against Grover
Cleveland's patriotism, that not one in
q hundred will know that the Black
Belt of the south does not, primarily,
mean that that particular stretch of
country is densely inhabited by ne
groes, but that the soil is rich and
black, capable of producing great drops
year In and out, for no one knows how
long. AS a matter of fact the Black
Belt of Alabama should be termed the
Black Land Belt. No doubt it is chiefly
populated by black folk; in some cases
far more than Is TO 1; but the land
Is black. 1t enters the state at the
southeastern border and extends dag
onally across, continuing through Mis-
sissippi until the great river of that
name is reached. It is from three to
thirty miles vide, and possesses q
soil not surpassed by the bottom lands
of Egypt, Illinois OF the world-famous
delta Of the Yazoo Valley, which itself
is not surpassed in fertile resources
by Egypt of old. And this Black Belt
land of Alabama is not an unhealthy
spot. II is admirably drained the
foothills OF the Cumberland stretch
down to its borders, while its entire
surface is penetrated by divers rivers.
creeks, brooks and streams, springfield
in most cases, which offer at once good
drainage and excellent water.
This land-I wish | owned some of
it. but ! have no single acre so may
safely be credited with a desire to
write the simple truth-will produce
two crops each season. This cannot
be helped. they will come. You do
not have to gather the crab grass hay
which follows corn, oats barely or any
cultivated crop. But. if you will it will
repay you to the extent of from one
and one-half to two tons OF hay to the
acre, hay which will rival in succul-
ence the best red top clover or tim
othy grown. And if you wish, you
may reap thrice and even four times
between January l and December 81,
If you will give heed to due sequence
of crops.
Wasted Opportunities.
1t is impossible for one used to
the ways which obtain on the shores
of Lake Erie to understand how these
numerous opportunities exist and are
not taken advantage of by those now
living there. To fully explain this
would require more space than is
by your entire issue today. And
the knowledge of these facts, and of
how little they are understood in the
north, is what offers interest. If II
were possible for the nearly 5000. 900
people who live in Ohio TO know pre-
ciSely what are the conditions from
the Ohio river to Perdido bay. there
would be an end to race troubles and
mayhap TO much of the labor annoy
ance. For those now discontented: I'M
able TO acquire land a. high values.
could easily procure an existence where
they can live out OF doors every one of (
the 365 days OF the year, and where
they can raise some article of food in
their gardens each of the twelve
months.
In fart 4ha casa NTH which . -,