The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-18

Cur farms and plantations are at a even pefors fase 9f pbe Pr,oductivsness than one of the most fertile of the cotton producing counties of the State A new faa Hr doanys samns hfs M sssn Sss co%s you could prosabiy have sSe Bought yfars sogs sSs SSodf oT from s to ands ,s Wtsn h o. county some of the richest lands could nave Peen ?, bought for s12,so. if their owners pat them on a Gb tse fonnd %arkt t far wide of the truth to ayid sSy that att tbe be Prices of farming lands in Autauga had at least doabied tHa or Fasm Fs,Ent ysaFs sn5s near Prattviille would bring now from '2S rSls fG sse revigai Rsr ss ssra sb. ,.rm,, in Autauga County hasl greatly nelped the mercantile interests of Prattviile. marked increase in the volume of Prattviile's business has been felt an increase that could not well be esti- mated"
 An interesting talk with Daniel Pratt. the alert and direct young man who is at the head of the immense gin works at this place. outlined the great changes that have come in recent years in the manufacture of gins. Mir Pratt Is well known In Alabama. not only as the bearer Of a distinguished name. but as the able director of a great manufacturing enterprise He Is grand nephew of the original Dan- iel Pratt and son of Merrill E. Pratt, his immediate predecessor in the con trol of the gin works.
 The gin works, the largest in the, world. consists of half a dozen build ings. some of them three and four sto- ries high. The works employ 250 men and on an average turn out each year 1.2oo gin stands. They are nov a branch of the Continental. Gin Com-- about two million dollars, and whose W. Smith. Vice-Prei ident, and Treasu- tares s5 e or N sS per perpcs0 esnt. Of tns gins used in all the countries of the world. For the manufacture of its immense output the Continentai Sin G93,mpans Bridgewater, Miss. and repair plant ss. ngpns 6g M rspTe Tspp 1f 1 tbs m ssss ns ganss
 The business of making gins has undergone many changes, said MT. Pratt. Tn the past man only bought ing. The gin was to be put in an old fashioned gin house. which had a long wooden lever and a. wooden screw on 'compiete ss gin system. He % wants H sv. erything. gin stand press, Inter. gin feeder and condenser, lint 'flde system. CTS Such an outfit we make complete here in our works at Prattville. in our Atlanta works q man can get not lined but pa he can buy sss'e engine ne and and a boiler as we'll These gin outfits cost from s1.290 on up to as high q. for a big gin outft more than once"
 "A few years ago. the capacity of our plant here was just about doubled. It was absolutely necessary to do this become so keen that the output had to be largely increased to meet the heavy expenses. I daresay we could hardly have encountered this keen ccmpeti- when we had to haul all our output to Montgomery and all our material from Montgomery. by wagons. When the coming of the railroads enabled us to cut out this heavy expense 1t was a great thing for. the gin works"
 In point of dollars Invested and value Sot,on q manSfhetuEed T;,t goods the Prattville this town of factories. This concern represents an investment of $250,000 and It was founded by the original water power and partly by steam. The gin works have one-third or eighty horse of the water power of Autauga Gsfek @ takes s this o PSss bs otSr Yse shs sStSn
 
 The old cotton mill was erected by Daniel Pratt before the war. The new mill was put up by W. T. Northing- the present Mayor of Prattville. The officers of the company now operating the mill are B. L.. Holt of Montgomery. Secretary and Treasurer.
 Another important enterprise is Pratt's Gin and Mill Company. consist ing of grist mill. a me lee plant owned by the Pratt estate and inanag- ed by C. E. Thomas
 The Autauga oil and Fertilizer Com pany has fine modern plant valued at pany are c. E. Thomas, President, and c; p. Mccord. Secretary. Treasurer and
 Two blaming mills. good plants both of Prattville. They are owned by j. |. Scott and R.: W. Shackeiford. The Smith Mercantile Company not only has fine mercantile business. but It supplies the city with lights.
 The business of the town is greatly assisted by the splendid banking instf- tuition known as the Autauga Ranking stock @ % of s7SSoop The mn msn who odRiss aIrsst the affairs of this institution are Allen MSorthington. President: Ia M: A., Grs- Thomas, Second Vice-Presldent, and R. L.. Faucette. Cashier.
 A business amounting in a year to, the grand total of $150,000 is done by whose capital seeck Is $30. The officers are c. E.. Thomas, President; J; B. Bell. Secretary. and w. F. Mims. Manager.
 word as to PrattviIle's situation and surroundings. Girt in by hills. t Is set in a sort of huge cup. Over md beyond the hill lie the rich and 'ertile plantations, and on each of these one will find hundreds of ecres of land as level as a floor To he thorough care, to the added riches 'f Euano entrusted to them. these acres lave responded most generously. In hese days of May with their growing ;rops these lands are fair to look upon.
 The importance of the farming in- lustry hereabouts may be estimated rom the list of planters furnished me, ogether with the number of bales they | ret annually from their farms and l Mcqueen Smith, 500 | Nadsworth. 1000 bales; J. L. Alexan- Ter. 200 bales; John A. Alexander, 200 | ,ales: R. M. Alexander. 100 bales; c. E. | Thomas. 160 bales; H. s. Doster, editor | Toe A. Chambliss. 100 bales.
 No town or little city Is richer in | Inc homes than is Prattville. The | magnificent home of Daniel Pratt an | i'd English manor, with artistic and | asteful interior. Is worth itself a two | he handsomest private home in Ala anna. Then there are the Bell home, he Northlngton home. the Wilkinson | ome, the country home of Major Smith | nd the splendid home of c. P. Thomas, ow building. any one of which would O credit to Montgomery or Birming- am.