Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-20

farms that without mortgages She
ranks first in the number of apple trees and
as a producer of apples. She stands third
In swine, in poultry and honey: she ranks
second in the production of mules, fourth
in horses and fifth in cattle and her hens
added Ss5,0O0,oO0 to her wealth last year.
The same prosperity prevails ali through
the southwest. In Arkansas, Texas, Ind an
Territory and Oklahoma miracles of devel-
opment are being performed annually, and
they are largely due to the enterprise OF
the railway companies and the intellig ance
and generous manner in when they are
working to bring in immigration ard de-
velop the natural resources of this section.
Nearly all the towns have boards of trade
and other organizations for promoting their
interests and plenty of local land agents,
but the railways usually nave TO pay the
expense of advertising and printing ard of
bringing in "land-lookers' and ''home-seek-
ers." They all have immigration and in
duStrial commissioners, who are constantly
travelling from place to place, keeping
themselves informed to opportunities for
business men and manufacturers and in
touch with the land owners who have farms
and other property for sale. Scattered ali
over the east and in the central states are
agents who distribute literature, work up
excursions, sell railway tickets and bring
the home-seekers from the east and those
who have land for sale in the west to-
gether If a sale is made the agent is re-
warded with a commission.
Promotion of Industries
The Frisco road, for example. has more
than 100 of these representatives scattered
all over the country and in constant com
munication with it's land and industrial de-
partments. If one of them hears of a man
who wants 10 start flour mill he notifies
the industrial commissioner at St Louis.
who looks over his books and writes back
that the most promising opportunities for
sueh an enterprise can be found at such
ana Sucn places, and puts the parties into
communication. II a man wants to start q
grocery or hotel or set up a livery stable
or boot ana shoe SHOP he Is assisted IN
the same way. During the last year 19O5)
the Industrial commissioner on the Frisco
road located 36S manufacturing industries
along that line in that manner the total
Investments In actual plants being $40 -,3s-
600, and they furnish labor for 1000 en-
ployes
During 1905 more than $4,000, ooO was in
vested by eastern people In farms i'm Mis-
souri,, Arkansas, Texas Oklahoma and In
dian Territory through the agents of the
railway company and that alone brought
under cultivation nearly L 500 coo acres of
iand Not less than 5000 Immigrants n
month are located in the states and terri,
tories named by the land agents of The
railway company, and this spring the num-
Der is running up to 5000 a mon H. Nearly
ali OF these land buyers represent families
OF four or five persons.
Free Advice to the Farmers. r
The Frisco Railway Company has prac
teal farmer travelling from place to place
In special ear delivering lectures. sdyis.
ing concerning crops, cattle. poultry hogs
and other matters OF Importance to the new
settlers; analyzing the soil or their farms
and telling them what they can grow best
with the least labor and, the largest profit
He works In connection with the United
States Department of Agriculture and its
experiment stations. and the agricultural
colleges of the various states. The RAILWAYS
are not entirely unselfish. They have their
own interests to serve. They have under
taken the risk of building expensive lines
through unsettled districts and are com
PEELED to create traffic. 1t is natural for
them to get the most freight they can ont
of the couItry and this they are able to do
by teaching the settlers how to produce
the greatest results. For example the head
farmer of the Frisco road found a group
of new settlers around the town OF Antlers
on the Choctow reservation In Indian Terri
tory. who were making very little headway
and We're practically wasting their time cul-
tfxatfng cotton. He analysed the soil and
advised them to grow potatoes Instead
That was two years ago. Last year 14S
carloads of potatoes we're shipped from that
station to the st. Louis market
Trips Of Homeseekers.
Twice each month. on the first and third
Tuesdays. excursions of "iand- lockers, and
'.home-seekers. leave ST. Louis over the six
southwestern lines The trains start from