The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-26
SENATOR JOHNSTON ID
 ADDRESS PE0PLE TODAY
It is Expected that Large Crowds Will Attend All Meetings-Cullman Farmers Are Industrious,
 Progressive, Prosperous.
BY WALTER HARPER.


 cullnan, August 25-(speeial )--The farmers of Cullman county will gather in this city tomorrow for an educational feast.
 State Commissioner of Agriculture J. A. Wilkinson, with a select corps of farming experts, will come and discuss improved methods before possibly one of the larg- est gatherings of farmers ever assembled fin this county This will be the first of series of meetings to be held in different parts of the county during next week. Though most of the principal sections of the county will be visited by the party during the week, it is expected that the attendance at the meeting here tomorrow will be very large.
 Senator Joseph r. Johnston will be one of the principal speakers tomorrow as a special feature of the opening day of the campaign. and this will act as a drawing card for the initial meeting, This is also an off season with the farmers, when there is but little work in the fields, and the people have time to de- vote to recreation and the pursuits of happiness and information.
 FdrmerS Are FTO9feSSlNc.
 The farmers of Cullman county are above the average in point of intelli- gence and progressiveness. and seek every opportunity to improve their condition They welcome this opportunity to discuss farming and advanced methods with men who have made 8 life study of agricul- tural specialties.
 The farmers of this county have built for themselves an enyiable reputation in Alabama for thriftiness progressivent ss and for all those things that make for success. The truck farmers in the vi- cinity of Cullman city have attained al- most a national reputation in the culture of fruits and vegetables, which crops are netting the growers many thousands of dollars every year.
 The pioneers in this work were the Ger man immigrants who settled the noun tain wilderness about thirty years ago, and with the wand of braWn and in dustry made garden in a bowling fo~- est. The story of the development of this section reads like a romance, and df- lords an object lesson that should be studied by the farmers of every agricul- tural community.
 Lands Seemed Worthless.
 These mountain lands were thought to be worthless, and were passed over with seorn by the early settlers Of Morgan county and Blount county and other ad jacent valley districts. Land sold at about $1.5O per acre, and vast tracts still remained open to government homestead late as 1886.
 John G. Culman of Cincinnati came #l,a 1ff,a 9f faf nd road just after it had been extended from Birmingham to Decatur, traYersing this mountain section. He was impressed with the beauty of the Sand mountain platead, and especially with the cheapness of the land In 1872 he founded a colony of five German families at the present site Of CulIman city and laid the foundation for one of the most prosperous colony communities in the south.
 The thrift and industry of these early German farmers was handsomely re- warded with rich crops from the soil and other Germans from Ohio and Germany followed their neighbors. The colony grew rapidly and the people prospered. Native Americans saw the success of these early settlers and have helped to swell the population and develop the will derness.
 Cullman County Formed.
 A few years after the first settlement Cullman county was formed from Nor gan, Blount Walker and Winston coun- ties and today is one of the richest and most important of the agricultural counties of the state.
 Most of the farmers own their own homes and are independent. They produce most of the foodstuffs for their own tables and barnyards, and have large aggregate surplus for the market, which has won a peculiar favoritism in many of the markets north and south. The Cullman strawberry is said to De the finest in the country, and the Culllnan po- tato has an individual rating in the mar ket quotations.
 All Preparations Made.
 All preparations have been made for monster meeting here tomorrow, as well as at every other place in the county where Commissioner WILKINSON ana party will appear next week.
 At most of the country places music has been provided for and feature or most of the meetings will be a big basket dinners spread under the trees. The meetings besides being of great educd- tional value, will be made occasions or nienic merriment and good fellowship, for which the ccntented farmers Of this county are famous. The party will be under the personal charge of VIII c. Brown editor or the Cullman Tribune, who has taken mucn care to have all necessary arrangements made for the different meetings. He VIII accompany the party and will see to II that no one is inadvertently neglected a the bestowal of every hospitality.
 The schedule of the meetings I; week is as follows:
 Schedule for Week.
 Cullman. Monday. August 26.
 Logan, Tuesday, August 2I.
 Addison, Winston county, Wednesday, August 2S.
 Philadelphia, Thursday, August 2s.
 North Walter, Friday, August 70.
 Joppa, Saturday. August A.
 Speakers and Subjects.
 The speakers in the party and the ntbpects to be discussed are as follows: