The National tribune., 1906-08-30
AWAY DOWN SOUTH IN DIXIE.
Chances for Hone-SecIxers and Farmers
in the Southern States.

In the Southern States.
Editor National Tribune: Since the
article why Go to Canada" was pub
lished in The National Tribune of June
2S the writer has been showed under"
with inquiries, and finding il impossible
to make personal reply to each. Will
endeavor to make a general statement
covering the points of interest in more
than 200 letters received up to date.
During the past eight weeks I have
carefully noted weekly reports on tenn
peratures of various localities. A sum-
mary is that Abilene. Dodge City. Kan
sas City, st. Louis. Minneapolis, Chicago
and New York have shown from eight
to IA degrees of heat greater than Jack
sonville, Fla, south Georgia or south
Alabama.
Statistics show the death rate, ac-
cording to population, and from any
and all causes, to be from Is to 26 per
cent lower for Alabama and Georgia
than for the noted health resorts of
California and Colorado.
Rain has been all that could be de-
sired-not too much, nor too little. until
during the past week, when it has been
just little too plentiful and frequent
but not serious as yet.
The Elberta peach crop has been
marketed at from 50 to 81, the average
being fully SO per bushel, net. The best
grade of land in this section is not given
to peaches. yet the yield is from $3.50 to
$500 per acre.
1 have no reliable data at hand just
at this time in regard to melons, canta-
loupes. tomatoes and cabbage, but the
fact that many engage in growing and
shipping these products in preference to
peaches and other fruit is significant.
The Tobacco. Crop.
The harvest of the tobacco crop is
now beginning. 1t requires 80 days to
mature from the setting of the plants.
1t is air cured in from two to six weeks.
depending on the weather. The Suma-
ira "shade-grown' tobacco brings 60
cents per pound as soon as cured, and
the yield is usually 1900 pounds to the
acre-frequently more. This tobacco is
used exclusively for cigar wrappers and
is so thin and fine that one pound of 1t
will wrap 500 cigars. Georgia tobacco
took the first prize at the Paris EXPOSE
ton and the Worlds Fair at ST. Louis.
Sun-grown tobacco in Georgia is grown
from the Cuban seed, and is used for
cigar filler. 1t brings 20 cents per pound
as soon as cured, and one acre produces
from 1000 to 1000 pounds.
The largest tobacco farm in the world
is in Decatur County, south Georgia.
The northern portions of Alabama
and Georgia are as hilly and even noun
famous as western Pennsylvania or
southeastern Ohio. The central and
southern parts of each State have alter
nate areas of fiat lands and hill lands
not high hills, but high rolling lands,
covered with long, straight yellow pine
timber, which yields turpentine and
rosin. The timber is first turpentined
for three or four years, then cut into
lumber. There Is no underbrush In
these "piney" woods; you can drive any
where in buggy. Thick brush along
the streams. and along the little valleys
of the streams will be found an abund-
ance of the valuable hardwoods. such
as ash. hickory gum. cherry. walnut
various kinds of oak, mulberry. etc.
The soil of the fiat areas of country is
good for corn. cotton, sugarcane, sweet
and Irish potatoes, peanuts, ETC., but
the more elevated lands is best for to-
bacco and fruits. The hill lands will
raise as good products as the fiat lands
while the fiat lands will not give the
luscious flavor. to fruit nor the color,
texture, aroma nor value to tobacco that
the hill land will do.
Water.
Many fine springs of pure freestone
water are to be encountered anywhere
in the hill land- but the water to be
found in springs or shallow wells In the
fiat lands had best be avoided for house
use While exceedingly clear and pure
to look at, yet 1t is filtered through a
sort Of decomposed lime rock, and the
natives say its use for any protracted
length of time during the warm season
will induce malaria. However, wells
bored to depth Of $50 to 800 feet on
the fiat lands insure good water. Land
now held at from SIS to s25 per acre
(Which is the best to be found anywhere
in the South) could have been bought
in 1900 for from 81 to 81 per acre. If
/ may oe allowed the prediction, 1t will
bring 5000 an acre within the next six
years. Why? Because any Intelligent
farmer knows that land that will net
from 5000 to $500 per acre every year
is worth it and more. Five or 10 acres |
well fertilized and we'll titled is a big |
equals any really big farm in the North |
or West.
Getting the Land.
Land is owned here In areas of from
$50 acres Zone lot) to many thousands |
of acres, and for some unexplained and
reason the owners refuse |
to cut 1t up so that men of small means |
can secure a home. They are willing, |
and even anxious, to sell, and the price |
per acre is very reasonable. but 1t must |
all go together. What an opportunity |
for Carnegie. Morgan or Rockefeller |
to help worthy people to create good
homes which would make more endur-
ing monuments to their memories than |
all the libraries this side of China, and
would also give them a better balance |
on st. Peters ledger.
AS before stated, the land of the
South is owned In large tracts, and no
of argument will induce the |
owners to cut the land into such small |
tracts that a farmer of small means can !
secure what he desires and can pay for. |
This feature alone has retarded the |
agricultural development Of the South |
more than anything else. There are
two ways to secure this land to develops |
fs for man or company of |
men who have the means and the spirit |
Of enterprise and development to pur-
chase desirable tracts of this land and
make 1t possible for the settlers. The |
other is for number of settlers to get |
together in such sufficient number so |
that their united capital will secure a |
tionately among themselves. Titles are
unquestionable.
The land in Florida, Alabama and
is sectionized, the same !
as In Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, I'LL |
nois., etc, while in Georgia the |
land is surveyed, into lots so chains |
square and containing $50 acres, more |
or less, according to the accuracy Of the |
survey. and aaspecified number Of these |
lots constitutes a-district, without refer |
ence to any meridian or base line. In |
some Of the other Southern States. as