The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1906-02-15

ated that nothing but colonists inhab-
1T this section. There are numbers Of
Mississippi families right there that
are enjoying great prosperity and sue
cess IN the fruit and trucking bust
ness. DR.. Mckay, father Of John F.
Mckay, was pioneer in the culture
OF berries and the industry is kept GO
ing by the son until the present time.
Hon. r. c. Lee owns one Of the most
valuable farms in the State and his
berry and fruit shipments are en-
ormous. Mr.. j. T. Cameron owns
some 300 acres Of land that no modest
amount of money could buy, and his
berries alone cover a field Of thirty
acres. Numbers Of others are enjoy,
ing a great period Of prosperity and
cultivating lands that formerly pro-
duced $40 worth of cotton in berries,
fruit and truck that produce from $1OO
to 5000 per acre. The actual exper-
fences of some of these men would
make book we'll worth reading, al
though those who had not been upon
the ground and seen for themselves
what was being done, might be little
skeptical as to the results obtained.
Now what is this development as
made by the Highland Colony Co.
worth to the State of Mississippi?
More than any man would consider at
first thought. In the first place, lands
that were assessed at from $125 to
$1,000 per acre are now on the tax
rolls at from $1,000 to $4,000 per
acre. This means good deal in itself
to the people Of our State who are
amazed at the increased expenditures
of government and deficit in the
revenues. There are millions upon
millions of acres in the State suitable
for just such development, all that is
needed being people who know how
and will do the work. IF a depart
ment Of agriculture, commerce and
immigration could handle a million
acres of land in two years as did the
department of like nature in South
Carolina in the same period of time,
would it not have paid many times
the cost Of maintenance? Assuredly
so. The promoters of this colony are
not philanthropists in the general
sense Of the word. While they are
making money for themselves, they
are at the same time developing the
resources of the State and increasing
taxable values in like proportion.
The example set and being extern
siyely followed by our own people is
available asset. Many who had boil
| de through the seasons at the end of
the year gathered three bales Of cot
ton and barely enough corn to go
through the winter, are now living
IL excellent houses upon land owned
by themselves and enjoying period
of prosperity that was never dreamed
of. Five acres of land is producing
more than thirty acres did before in
dollars and cents. The people live in
better houses, drive better stock
hitched to better vehicles and have
bank accounts that in numberless in
stances are good to behold. Although
| four towns are embraced in the eX-
tent of this colony and the popula-
ton is far denser than any other sec
ton of the State, there is no lawyer
living within its bounds except Hon.
R. c. Lee, who is u. S. District At
torney for the Southern District of
Mississippi and does not practice in
the local courts which are rarely in
session.
The section described ia this arti-
Gle IS not the only one Of its kind in
the State, although it bears the dis
tlnction of being the only one with
strictly white population and man
aged by colony company Durant,
Water Valley and other points to the
north; Crystal Springs, Hazlehurst
and Wesson and points to the south
are very similar in productiveness
and the development of the trucking
and fruit industry. They are all in
what might be termed a poor section
Of the State, but with the progressive
ideas used have become the richest
and most productive anywhere. Crys-
tai Springs is the center of a sec
ton rich in productiyeness, shipping
as high as twenty car loads of .toma-
toes in a single day. When one-third
Of our hill lands are made to produce
IN this way the taxable values will have
doubled more than lone time and the
burdens of taxation materially les
sened. Then twill be a Greater
Mississippi"
The monied men Of Belzoni APP.
precsate' the necessity Of a cotton COM
press, and have organized D. company
to build one.9 Belzoni is in the center,
Of one of the greatest cotton produc-