The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-01-20
FROM THE VIEWPOINT
 OF THE IMMIGRANT
The Westerner Comes to Alabama and Tells Why He Comes and What He Proposes to
 Do in Baldwin County.

1 ed in with the great crowd that set
 tied Nebraska. His home was sixty
 miles of Lincoln The ranch of Will liam Jennings Bryan, like the farm of
 MT. Schmidt. is on the Platte. but thirty miles separates them.
 Our lands on the Nebraska river bottoms are perhaps better than your | pine Iands," said Mr. Schmidt. as he sat surrounded by his cattle and his household goods. "They are black and
 thick, superior I think, to your Ioam and clay lands hereabouts. do not
 know much of the prairie land in Mid de Alabama, and I can't make any comparison, In Nebraska, too. they have realized the value of farm lands. The poorest lands there sell for $50 an acre. In fact. good lands bring as high as $100 an acre.
 Now, when I went to Nebraska some thirty years ago. lands were sell ling for s12 and s15 and s20 an acre, but that day is long passed. When we settled on the Platte the Indians filled that country As the country develop ed the Indians retired as they have al wave retired before the advance of civilization. But they were there in force when we first went out. was myself held bound and gagged as d prisoner to the Indians They were or dinarily harmless. They appreciated good treatment and they resented i'll treatment Some man had done a party of them an i'll deed and I had the mis. fortune to look like him.
 Captive of Indians.
 Alone in the country came across a band who mistook me for the man who had done the wrong and against whom the Indians had sworn ven- geance. Bound and gagged I was car- red to house where they held a council over me. I rather think harm would have been done me. but I was recognized by some other Indians who had come in. But of course such times have long since passed away. We made some money on the Platte We still own and hold to the land on which we made 1t. We may not like down here. We may move back to Nebraska Still I don't think either thing Is prob- able.
 There are two of us in this enter prise, W. J. Deeson and myself in a CO., partnership. Deeson has been on the land we bought since last spring, mak- ing ready for these things. I was down here in April and May and looked over the situation thoroughly
 We had decided to move away from Nebraska. The winters are severe very severe. It is a trying climate. As for the climate in this country-I have never seen it's equal The cli- mate, should say was the principal thing that moved us to make the change.
 We raised pigeons extensively in Nebraska and we are going to raise them on a large scale here in Bald win county. In Nebraska we have had as high as 1000. We have brought with us some five or six hundred They are of the best variety. the car Tier pigeon. the fan tail the top knot and others. Of course we are going Into other lines of farming, but we are going to devote a large part of our interests to pigeon raising.
 When I was down here last spring we looked the proposition over on all sides. We'll have no trouble about getting market. In fact we are cer- tain to have pretty good market in Mobile.
 . Tn the northern markets squabs sell for g or s. The Southern market will be at least as good. perhaps bet ter. Our experience has proven that one pair of pigeons will produce twen- tv-two squabs This same experience has shown that the pigeons hatch two squabs every month in the year except in February. Our starter of 500 or 500 pigeons should assure us of good out put of squabs. We had no trouble with them back in Nebraska and we are confident that we can make money with them in Alabama
 As we went down MT. Schmidst, his household goods. his pigeons and his cattle were sidetracked at Summerdale Two miles away is to be the new Bald win county enterprise There the cat- tie will be driven and there the pigeons houses will be erected.